Sports teams are an oft-used metaphor for how we work together in our professional lives. You play for the team, you do what the team leadership asks, you try to out-perform the competition, and so forth.

But this metaphor evokes questions. What team am I on? Is my team my boss and my subordinates? Is it my company? Is it the community that I support, customer and partners included?

And how do I know I’ve won the game? Does winning entail solely implementing the project on time and in budget? Or does winning include growing the business for my employer? Or have I won when I provide services or products that are beyond my customer’s expectations?

Who is the opposing team? Is it the other service providers with whom I vie for my client’s favors? Or is it the foreign economies that can outsource me at half the cost? In some situations, it seems the opposing team is the one that provided the service before my team joined the game. We are expected to perform better, cost less, and still maintain an easy working relationship with our customer.

How do we reconcile all these conflicting notions? For me, I have to look at the big picture. My team includes my boss and my subordinates, and my company. But it also includes my customer. I am here to provide a service and be an expert in my field. My customer’s success allows both my company and me to succeed.

Don’t make me choose.