Self-involvement is the more common failure mode than over-giving.

distinction — attributed to Wynton Marsalis

In jazz, every player is given choice. You can edit. You can assert individuality. You can also serve the group's momentum. Both moves can fail. You can be too giving and not assert yourself enough. You can also be too self-involved. Marsalis says the mistakes most often made are of self-involvement. The asymmetry is important. Most collaborative settings worry about participants who hold back, when the more common pathology is participants who take up too much room. The implication for facilitators and leaders is that the harder rebalancing work is usually downward, not upward.

For ensemble leaders, team facilitators, and creative directors managing groups in which strong individual voices are competing for space. The observation is also useful as personal self-awareness practice.

ego, individuality, ensemble-dynamics, failure-modes