Category Archives: Athletic Teambuilding

Chick-fil-A and Delta and Three Leadership Lessons

My daughter plays beach volleyball. So she was very excited when she learned about a week-long camp at Hermosa Beach, in California, that would be run by college coaches.  And she and my wife both think this is a great opportunity for her to get better and build relationships… But it was expensive.  And it […]

The 5 Word Phrase That Dooms Team Interactions and Individual Improvement

There is a 5 word phrase that dooms your team interactions. I have written before about how to benefit from the working with a “sandpaper person” on your team, and have also discussed the conflicts that can arise if your people are not aware of the strengths and challenges that different team personality types offer. […]

The 12 Best Books for Coaches and Great Teammates

Coaches and great teammates both read books, because they know that readers are leaders. When I was a coach, I was a voracious reader. I was constantly seeking new titles that would help me to grow – whether it was from a leader in a different sport or even from a leader in a different […]

Move Your Team From Values to Behaviors

All failure is the result of vagueness. That is a powerful and memorable statement… But it means nothing if the insight is not translated into a changed behavior. There is a great deal of value in discussing and selecting core values. You can even download a very useful virtues and values activity on my resources […]

The Top 10 Questions to Establish Better Team Rapport

Any team you become a part of – and certainly any team you are asked to lead – will be starving for the opportunity to get to know and appreciate their teammates better. As you might have experienced, hunger can sometimes make people weak and unmotivated, or can even make them irritable and defensive… but […]

What Invisible Dragons are Your Teammates Fighting?

Every one of your teammates is fighting an invisible dragon. As a coach, it took me longer than I would like to admit to develop an awareness of the personal battles that each one of my players were struggling with once they left the court. Player strengths and personality types were not all I needed […]

Join Me for a #LeadWithGiants Tweet Chat Monday, August 22nd!

I am honored to be co-hosting an upcoming Tweet Chat with Dan Forbes, steward of the Lead With Giants community and blog. The #LeadWithGiants Tweet Chat happens every Monday at 7:00 pm Eastern time. If you haven’t ever participated in a Tweet Chat before, here is a great introduction to tweetchats that you might find helpful. […]

Three Incredibly Powerful Ways for Leaders to Use the Word IF

The words leaders use have an incredibly powerful impact on their people. As an english teacher, I always emphasized the importance of vocabulary… but there is ONE word that leaders may over look that, when they use it well, can have a tremendous impact on team performance. “IF” is an incredibly powerful word for leaders. Leadership […]

12 Exalting Phrases Good Leaders Share with Their Teams

Leaders have a tremendous impact on their organization, because the phrases they share with their teams can either produce distrust and apathy or ignite passion and commitment. And the reality is that everyone (including YOU) is a leader. What you say to the people that you work with will influence their work ethic and attitude. […]

Toughness and Resilience are Skills Your Team Can Learn

There is a big difference between brick walls and speed bumps. And I shared this with my son, because I couldn’t teach him to be taller.  At 12 years old, he worked passionately on improving his dribbling and shooting for hours out in our driveway.  But each night he would pray to grow taller – […]