teamwork
Passing the Ball to Playmakers
In a football game, the quarterback starts each play with the ball, but he rarely keeps it. After the ball is snapped, the quarterback steps back behind the line, surveys the field, and then hands the football to a running back or passes it to a wide receiver. These positions—running backs and wide receivers—are often…
Read MoreTeamwork and vision go hand in hand
Have you ever been a part of a team that doesn’t seem to get anything accomplished? Where the team may work and work, but nothing actually gets done? If so, you’ve probably been on a team that lacked vision. Vision works like a rudder on a ship. Without it, the ship may travel a distance,…
Read MoreOn getting along: Don't let personality overshadow purpose
When someone you don’t like or respect suggests something, what is your first reaction? I bet it’s to dismiss it. You’ve heard the phrase, “Consider the source.” That’s not a bad thing to do, but if you’re not careful, you may very likely throw out the good with the bad. Don’t let the personality of…
Read MoreQuotes on Teamwork
Two weeks ago, I shared some of my favorite quotes on service. If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you already know that I love to share quotes. But on Twitter in particular, I’m limited by the 140-character restriction. So I often enjoy sharing the longer quotes here. I hope today’s selection of quotes…
Read MoreThe Power of People Skills
By far the greatest obstacle to success that I see in others is a poor understanding of people. A while back the Wall Street Journal published an article on the reasons that executives fail. At the top of the list was a person’s inability to effectively relate to others. One day I was talking to…
Read MoreAre you really leading, or are you just taking a walk?
You’ve probably heard the phrase, “It’s lonely at the top” associated with leadership. But is isolated leadership really effective? I don’t think so. In fact, I believe that, “He that thinketh he leadeth, and hath no one following, is only taking a walk.” If you’re all alone as a leader, are you really leading? Losing…
Read MoreKnowing the difference between players and pretenders
If you’ve ever led people, you’ve come across followers who would rather act the part than do their part. Those people are pretenders, and while they can sometimes masquerade as players, there are ways to tell the two apart. It’s important to find all the pretenders within an organization, because otherwise, they will steal momentum…
Read MoreEnlarging others
Team members always love and admire a player who is able to help them go to another level, someone who enlarges them and empowers them to be successful. Players who enlarge their teammates have several things in common: Enlargers value their teammates: Your teammates can tell whether you believe in them. People’s performances usually reflect…
Read MoreFinding the "want to"
Many years ago, I read about a survey of workers in the United States, who were asked if they could work harder on the job than they currently were. 85% of those surveyed said that they could. And more than half claimed that they could double their effectiveness “if I wanted to.” I don’t know…
Read MoreLeading difficult people: Grandstanding Gary
If you’ve ever led a team, then you know how important good teamwork is. Professional basketball player Michael Jordan said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.” Jordan was an extremely talented player, but he understood the value of a good team. If only every member of a team knew that… Do you…
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