We talk about great teams and great companies as if their excellence is something you inherit by joining them. As if the quality lives out there and all you need to do is step in for you to become excellent.

But excellence isn’t something a team simply has. It’s something created by the individuals inside it by their decisions, their craft and their judgment. And that influence isn’t abstract or collective; it’s personal. The moment you join a team, its trajectory changes because you are now part of how its work gets made.

Your standards shape its standards.

Your taste shapes its taste.

Your way of working becomes part of how the team works.

Excellence is not a fixed property you absorb. It’s something you contribute to and sometimes, something you initiate. The same is true for companies. What we call a “great company” is just a long accumulation of people who cared enough to do things well.

It goes without saying, the dynamic goes both ways. The team exerts its influence on you. It shapes you while you shape it. Excellence emerges in that push and pull.

Great teams aren’t found. Great companies aren’t inherited. They become excellent because individuals make them excellent.