Posted: July 28, 2014 | Categories: Self-Improvement, Team Building

In the world of sports and business we sometimes hear the term, “Crush the competition”.  We want to be dominant in our lead.  The reality is, in most situations, the best is better by only a slight edge.

A few years ago I was reading the annual PGA player rankings in Golf Digest for the year.  The listing included the top 100 golfers in terms of earnings.  Also included were their stats regarding average strokes per tournament.  I was surprised to discover that the person in first place averaged only .76 less strokes per round than the person in 56th place.  That number is small, but the difference in earnings was over $1 million dollars.  The person in 1st place had the slight edge.
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Posted: July 11, 2014 | Categories: Leadership, Management, Team Building

We are paid to solve problems.  Selling is commonly defined as problem solving.  Management is problem solving.  A technician is a problem solver.  Here is the intriguing part:  If solving problems is what most of us are paid for, why does “We’ve got a problem” hit us like a sour note?
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Posted: May 6, 2014 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

I think locomotives are fascinating: Here are one or two engines pulling a string of heavy cars seemingly a mile long. (I’ve never measured it). I enjoy watching a train begin to move.  It is a great example of overcoming inertia.

In leadership and building teams, it is also important to overcome inertia and build momentum. The leaders that succeed in this area are good at putting “wins on the board” quickly.

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Posted: April 1, 2014 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

“An insincere grin?  No. That doesn’t fool anybody.  We know it is mechanical and we resent it.  I am talking about a real smile, a heartwarming smile, a smile that comes from within, the kind of smile that will bring a good price in the marketplace”                                                                                                                                  -Dale Carnegie

You may have heard the saying, “The expression we wear on our face is more important than the clothes we have on our back”.  In my professional coaching, I have learned that this is far more than just a saying:  It is a vital part of team performance.Read More…

Posted: March 28, 2014 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

If you are ever in charge of a project, it is likely that you will need to count on others to help you get the job done right, on time, and within budget.  We depend on others to come through for us.  Sometimes they fall short.  When they do, we often hear excuses like, “It took longer than I thought” or “I’ve been meaning to get to that”…and so on.  When we don’t do what we say we will do, we compromise our integrity, and we think that blaming others and making excuses will work.  It doesn’t.
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