Not sure if you've read Chris Hadfield's book (Astronaut's Guide to Life On Earth) but he talks about a similar system. In his words you can be one of three team members:
A Negative One -- You're a drain on the team and other people have to cover for you. Not so good if you're in space with limited resources.
A Zero -- You're capable and have your own shit covered. Most people in space are a zero.
A Plus One -- You're contributing to the success of the mission and helping others succeed as well.
He talks about arriving on the international space station and just making sure that he was a zero. And taking over as mission commander and on the first couple days, just trying to be a zero because the plus one fancy heroics can come later.