Tag Archives: trust

Words of Wisdom

“Now my little eaglet, stand on the edge of the nest, take a deep breath, and soar.  I want to watch you fly!”

[Linda H. Tumlinson – 1945-2012]

I hope I am not out of line with this week’s quote, as it touches on a rather personal note.  But since I believe in personalizing my messages, I’m taking a chance and sharing it.  This week’s quote comes from my mother, Linda H. Tumlinson.  It’s an excerpt from a letter she wrote me on the day I graduated from college.  Please bear with me as I share the wisdom behind this quote, while paying a small tribute to the person who most shaped my life.

As some of you are aware, I lost my mother this past week after a long and lengthy battle with Lupus.  She was an amazing woman.  After serving as a parole officer for 25 years, she went on to found one of the first shelters for battered and drug addicted women in Houston (The Shoulder) and served as a key executive with Prison Fellowship Ministries.

A truly selfless person, she had a gift for seeing the very best in a person, and for believing in them when others may not have.  She knew the character of a man (or woman), and was willing to take risks to give them the chance to let that character shine through.  She was not judgmental, but she did expect you to be accountable for your actions.  But most of all, she could see potential in every single person and would push you to achieve it regardless of the circumstances.

I’ve carried this quote in my head for over 22 years now.  It is such an amazing quote.  So full of hope.  So full of anticipation.  And so full of promise.  It shows faith, trust, and belief.  How can you not strive to be your absolute best when you’ve been given such words of encouragement?

I am sharing this quote for two reasons.  One, I believe it is a fitting tribute to a wonderful person.  Two, I want you to have it.  I want you to own it.  And I hope it inspires you to achieve more than you ever thought possible simply because someone believes in you that much.

PS – thank you so much for all of the support you’ve given me through this tough time.  You will never know how important it was in helping me through it.  As was sharing this quote, so I appreciate you allowing me the latitude to do so.

The Power of a Team

For this week’s leadership quote, I thought I would feature a couple of quotes that carried the same theme:

 “None of us is as smart as all of us.”   – [Ken Blanchard]

“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships!”   – [Michael Jordan]

The power of a team is amazing.  Individually, we can only do so much.  But collectively, a team can multiply its impact.  Its strengths can be magnified, and its weaknesses minimized.  A team that understands itself, recognizes its potential, relies on its team members, and focuses on the collective over the individual is truly a powerful thing.

Think of some of the greatest teams in sports history, and you will see one common theme – they acted and performed TOGETHER as a team, trusting that each member will do its part.  Yes, there were superstars on those teams, but they alone could not be successful without the help of the team.  On the other hand, think of how many teams have assembled tremendous talent only to have those same players act as individuals.  In the end, they fell miserably short of their expectations.

Many of my past organizations have always featured teamwork as a cultural attribute.  Their culture was built largely with teamwork at its core.  Our delivery depended on it.  Our organization required it in its very design.  Everything about those organization, and their collective successes and failures was based on the team.  And as a result, those organizations achieved significant success.  Not the individuals in the organizations, but the collective “team” of that business.

Do you foster a culture of teamwork?  Or does your organization focus so much on the success of the individual that the team can never succeed.  Think about it, because it’s quite simple – teamwork wins championships!

Gauge Your Impact

“Isn’t it interesting the effect we have on people, even when we don’t know it.”  – [Bart Starr]

Recently I was in a discussion with one of my leadership team members remarking on how some of our staff were working unreasonable hours trying to keep up with competing priorities.  So I asked the question…”when did I make that a priority”?  His response:  “The team presumes EVERYTHING you ask them to do is top priority, unless you tell them otherwise”.  Wow!  That response literally slapped me in the face!

This week’s quote goes miles to crystalize this dilemma.  It isn’t always in the words we say, but many times it’s in our actions, both past and present, that often impact others.  Are you aware of the effect you have on your team members, your clients, and your suppliers?  Stop and think about it a minute…and make sure the effect you have on others (even when you don’t know it) isn’t creating unintended consequences.