Tag Archives: teamwork

Afraid of the Difficult Conversations

“We’ve all been there: We know we must talk to a colleague, our boss or even a friend about something we know will be at least uncomfortable and at worst explosive. So we repeatedly mull it over until we can no longer put it off, and then finally stumble through a confrontation when we could have had a conversation.” – Douglas Stone

Have you ever a situation where the action of one of your team members has a negative impact on the rest of the team?  You know the kind of situation I’m referring to – when one of your team members isn’t carrying their weight.  Or fails to follow through on their commitments.  Or whose behavior is offensive, disrespectful, or simply counter-productive. Continue reading →

Building an Effective Team

“There is no I in Teamwork.” – Unknown

“The ratio of We’s to I’s is the best indicator of the development of a team.” – Lewis B. Ergen

“Teamwork divides the task and doubles the success.” – Unknown

“A group becomes a team when each member is sure enough of himself and his contribution to praise the skill of the others.” – Norman Shidle

Over the last several weeks, it seems I have had occasion to talk to a number of new business owners working to grow their company.  Encouragingly, there is a growing base of business leaders interested in building organizations that accomplish something different, something more.  They have a restlessness about them – a willingness to challenge old paradigms and think outside the box.  There is no shame in their approach as they question their own judgment and learn from the lessons of others.  To borrow a phrase from my friend Mark Cahill, they are willing to “steal with pride”, and I love the prospect this foretells for the future of business. Continue reading →

A Child’s Perspective on Business

“There is only one boss.  The customer.   And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” – Sam Walton

I recently had the privilege to speak to a group of young African American boys about leadership and what it takes to be successful.  This particular program (put together and hosted by our own Rick Rodgers) was designed to help these young boys develop the skills necessary to become tomorrow’s leaders.  It included a number of presentations with respected business leaders in the community (CEOs, CFOs, etc), as well as a group project to develop a business plan for a potential endeavor.  In short, it was a multi-day course that will no doubt enrich the lives of these young boys. Continue reading →

Don’t be a Dysfunctional Team

“Like so many other aspects of life, teamwork comes down to mastering a set of behaviors that are at once theoretically uncomplicated, but extremely difficult to put in practice.” – Patrick Lencioni

“Success comes only for those groups that overcome the all-too-human behavioral tendencies that corrupt teams and breed dysfunctional politics within them.” – Patrick Lencioni

Our company recently developed a new leadership program – the Diversity Leadership Advantage Program (DLAP).  The program was designed to help us further invest in the development of our top leaders, but with a focus on encouraging diversity both in terms of participants and their perception on how to become a more effective leader. Continue reading →

A Date in History that Changed the Fate of the World

d_day“It was on Omaha Beach that the battle turned, and with it, history.”

“I was able to go there and vicariously contemplate what I doubt I would have had the courage to do — cross that beach under fire, and then return to the attack at the sea wall. I marvel at the men who did.”

“It is one thing to ask for sacrifice with an end in sight. But how much can you ask from your people when all there is for them is war and death, and there is no end?”

“It was not the generals and staff members who turned the tide on Omaha. It was captains and sergeants who made the difference.”

[above quotes are excerpts from George Friedman’s article, “Thoughts on Omaha Beach”.  Full article is included following my message below] Continue reading →

A Little Soccer Anyone?


A little soccer?“Only true champions come out and show their worth after defeat – and I expect us to do that”  – Alex Ferguson, long-time Manager for the Manchester United football club

My travels have me in London today, which gave me the inspiration for this week’s quote and leadership message.  After a weekend of watching soccer matches (or football as the rest of the world calls it), I think it is fitting to feature one of the most successful managers in soccer – Alex Ferguson – for my weekly leadership message.  Tonight Alex Ferguson will lead his Manchester United team on the field for a game against Aston Villa, and a win will clench their 20th Premiere League championship.

First, a little about Manchester United (or “Man-U” as they are referred to here).  As soccer goes, Man-U is probably one of the most storied franchises in the world.  Founded in 1878, the club/team has more titles/championships than any other soccer franchise in the UK, including a record 19 league titles, 11 FA Cups, four league cups, and a dozen other titles including FIFA and UEFA World Cup championships.  They are one of the wealthiest and widely supported soccer clubs in the world, recently valued at over $3 billion ($1.2 billion higher than the next most valuable sports team). Continue reading →

Drivers, and Danica, Start Your Engines!

Daytona500“You spend a lot of time thinking about what to do when the time comes. I kept asking up above what was working. You needed a hole, you needed people to help you out.”

[Danica Patrick – comments from her Daytona 500 post race interview when asked about her strategy on the last lap]

Unless you haven’t picked up a paper or watched the TV this last week, you no doubt heard the headlines about this year’s Daytona 500.  It was the first time in history that a female driver won the pole position for any NASCAR race.  But this wasn’t just any NASCAR race – it was the Daytona 500, their most coveted event.  Because of this, the hype for this year’s race was bigger than any other in history. Continue reading →

The Importance of Failure

Failure“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely.” – Henry Ford

“You learn as much from those who have failed as from those who have succeeded.” – Michael Johnson

“Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live long enough to make them all yourself.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

In several of my past messages, I’ve spoken of the importance of failure as a part of the growing experience of leadership.  And I truly believe it is important.  I also believe it is important to have a culture that supports its team members when failure occurs.  To be clear, I am not advocating failure for the sake of failure, nor do I think you should be comfortable with failure as an option.  The message has been more around the importance of learning lessons from that failure. Continue reading →