Vision determines the direction of the team. When a leader communicates a vision clearly and contagiously, team members gain confidence because they know where they’re going and why it’s important to get there. Casting vision successfully requires both emotional and logical transference. What is needed to transfer a vision emotionally? 1. Credibility A leader’s actions…

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To say that winning is in my blood is an understatement. From my 85-year-old mother who plays a mean game of ping pong to my 7 year-old daughter, Maci, who loves to win at everything, including who can get to the mail box first. The Cole name is spelled C O M P E T…

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Confined to the sideline, coaches can’t play in the games, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t fiercely competitive. Muffet McGraw, head coach of Notre Dame’s women’s basketball team, has an intense will to win—and her teams seldom do anything else. Entering this year’s NCAA tournament, Notre Dame owned a perfect record of 32-0. McGraw has…

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March Madness got its name because the NCAA basketball tournament provides stunning upsets each season. Unpredictability is big part of the tournament’s appeal. At any point in the competition, an unknown squad can suddenly catch fire, hitting shot after shot, to knock off a heavily favored opponent. However, if you were filling out an NCAA…

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In my last post, I wrote about one big misconception that makes people think that success is farther away from them than it really is: the idea that success is really hard to achieve. I defined success differently and gave a game plan for closing the gap between us and our goals. Today, let’s talk…

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“Hi, my name’s John, and I’m your friend.” That’s something I say during most of my speaking engagements. People laugh when I do. I’m sure it sounds corny at times. But I have a very important reason for saying it. One of my goals whenever I speak is to close the success gap. The success…

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Teams don’t win by accident; they cannot simply rely on their talent to take them to the top. Winning teams display strong, durable commitment—both to a common cause and to one another. This commitment inspires them to persevere through setbacks and to make the sacrifices necessary to succeed. Commitment to a Common Cause Commitment to…

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If you ignore a rattle or hum in your vehicle’s engine for too long, your car may stop running. One defective part can cause the automobile to break down completely. Similarly, the smooth functioning of a team is impacted by its weakest link. When one person routinely underperforms, the whole team suffers. People who consistently…

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Awhile back, I was doing a question and answer session for members of my John Maxwell Team of certified coaches. And I got a great question from a gentleman named Billy. He asked a question that’s becoming more and more common: How do you gather and lead a leadership team? A generation ago, people asked…

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