The Team Leadership Report

You know you are a team player when: You realize fulfilling your role, whatever that role is, is most important. You have a desire to excel for the benefit of those relying on you. You have an unquenchable need to exceed your past limitations. You play and know, without a doubt, that you competed like a champion. You understand your commitment to your teammates. You finish playing and only your body leaves the floor—your heart and soul are captured within the game. You will exchange your blood, sweat, and tears for the benefit of the team. You understand the irrelevance of individual awards. You would rather encourage a teammate to success than benefit personally from his mistakes. Your respect for the game outweighs your personal pride. You make mistakes and use them to improve instead of using them as excuses. Your ability to make your teammates better increases each time you play. You do the little things right when nobody is watching. You serve your teammates w

The most effective communicators have been great storytellers, from Aesop to Jesus to Abraham Lincoln to Mark Twain to Garrison Keillor to Ronald Reagan. Why? Everyone loves a story. Stories are like windows to the truth. Leading through storytelling requires more than just spinning yarns; the stories must make important, relevant points. Through parables, Jesus imparted many of his most vital messages. Leaders need to appreciate this impact and prepare their own repertoire of parables that relate to their own particular enterprise. Jesus both established and perfected the use of parables as a leadership methodology. Just think of the heroes he created who continue to inspire us—the good Samaritan, the good and faithful servant, the wise virgins, the poor widow, and others. As a leader, you need to teach through relevant stories that create heroes, build legends, and help establish the kind of culture that inspires your followers to excellence. Too many tell stories in which t

Bob Ladouceur began coaching the De La Salle High Spartans in Concord, California in 1979. He took over a team that had never experienced a winning season since the school's founding in 1965 and turned it into a perennial winner. From 1992 to 2003, he guided the team to 12-consecutive undefeated seasons, setting a national winning streak record for high school football of 151 consecutive wins. Team building according to Ladouceur consists of the following: Start with the process. In 1979, Ladouceur sized up his few small, dispirited players, who hadn't had a winning season in the school's history. “My approach was all about process,” he says. “I didn't have any long-term goals. I just said to myself, Let's teach these guys how to win and what it takes to win, and then make it a day-to-day process.” Create small victories . “I tell each player that all I ask is that by the time each practice ends, for you to be better than you were two or three hours ago. Wh

William J. H. Boetcker (1873 – 1962) was born in Hamburg, Germany. He was ordained a Presbyterian minister soon after his arrival in the United States. He gained attention as an eloquent motivational speaker. He is perhaps best remembered for his authorship of a pamphlet entitled “The Ten Cannots.” Originally published in 1916, it is often misattributed to Abraham Lincoln. “The Ten Cannots” has been repeated many times since, most notably by Ronald Reagan in a speech he gave at the 1992 Republican convention. “The Ten Cannots” 1. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. 2. You cannot help small men by tearing down big men. 3. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. 4. You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. 5. You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich. 6. You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income. 7. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. 8. You cannot esta

They have strong leadership. They trust each other. They respect team members and coaches. There is a complete sense of unity. They have complimentary skills—no one tries to do another's job. There is always an open line of communication. There is a lack of selfishness. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A Season In Words by Dan Spainhour $19.95