There’s No i in Team But There is in Win

Team Work“There’s no i in team but there is in win” – a great quote by Micheal Jordan. As good as Micheal was on a basketball court he still understood that you’re only as good as the team around you. The really great managers and leaders, like the really great coaches and players, understand that it takes a great supporting cast to accomplish your goals and objectives. No one succeeds in a bubble.

Worth Remembering … “Coming together is a beginning – Keeping together is progress – Working together is success” – Henry Ford.

The really great managers and business leaders are also great team players. They understand that everyone on the team has a role to play. It wasn’t until Hockey Canada adopted a different philosophy of choosing their team players – that they started winning Team Canada men and women’s olympic gold medals and world hockey championships.

Worth Remembering … “Each individual is a vital link in your chain. You or your organization are only as strong as the total sum of its parts.” – Brian Smith

What makes a good team player? If you had to put a list together of what it takes to be a good team player – what would you put on that list? Do you expect a good team player to be honest, trust worthy, fair, treat everyone with respect and be open-minded and flexible? If you expect that from a good team player are you prepared to do the same? Would you want you on your team? If you are going to do the “talk”you must do the “walk”. What is good for the goose has got to be good for the gander.

Copyright (c) 2015. Brian Smith – Reformed Control Freak. Are you or someone you know looking for a keynote speaker who can entertain and inform on a variety of soft-skills topics? Call me. Let’s talk http://briansmithpld.com

Nothing Comes Naturally – It Takes Commitment and Hard Work

PassionateExcuse me Sir – How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice and more practice. (great line) There’s no such thing as an overnight success. Nothing comes naturally. Anyone who has every excelled at anything, did it by committing themselves to putting in the time and doing the hard work. You aren’t born knowing what you need to know to accomplish what you want to accomplish. But you are born with the ability to learn. However, if you aren’t willing to put in the time – then don’t bother – because without it – anything you do will be a total waste of your time. No one got anywhere by wishing and hoping. They got there by having a plan and working their plan.

Worth Remembering … “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor” – Vince Lombardi

I believe anyone can do anything that they set their mind to. Tiger Woods didn’t become the best golfer on the planet by just showing up. He got there through a commitment to excellence, practice and hard work. Lennon and McCartney didn’t become the best song writing and composing duo of their generation by just picking up a pen and paper. They got there through a commitment to excellence, practice and hard work. Wayne Gretzky – “The Great One” didn’t become the “Great One” by just putting on a pair of skates and shooting a puck into an empty net in his back yard. Like Tiger and Lennon and McCartney, he got there through a commitment to excellence, practice and hard work.

Worth Remembering … “It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through” – Zig Ziglar

Think it, act it and eventually you’ll become it. You have within you all the tools you’ll need if you truly want to excel. The question is – Are you willing to do what ever it takes to realize your full potential? Are you willing to dedicate yourself to the pursuit of excellence, practice and hard work? Are you willing to get back up every time you stumble and fall and press on? If you’ve answered yes to any of those questions then you have the basis of a great beginning. The only person getting in the way of you being successful – is you. This is your wake up call.  It’s time to get after it.

Copyright (c) 2015. Brian Smith – Reformed Control Freak. Are you looking for a speaker who can deliver an entertaining and informative presentation or workshop on a variety of soft-skills topics? Contact Brian today. He will work with you one on one to insure your event is an overwhelming success. http://briansmithpld.com

Brian Smith – Enhanching Lives & Transforming Leadership Blog – 2014 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,400 times in 2014. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Your Choices Define Who You Are

ChoicesWorth Remembering … “When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound; rebuild those plans and set sail once more toward your goal” – Napoleon Hill. I was not my sons favorite person when his mother and I were going through our divorce. I had a choice to make. The divorce could become adversarial or not. I could be confrontational and drag out the proceedings or I could choose to be open and receptive and negotiate a settlement that we both could live with.

Having a relationship with me son was, and still is, very important to me. My ex-wife will always be my sons mother and my grandchild’s Nanna whether we were married or not. Nothing I do will ever change that. I knew if I wanted a good relationship with my son – I needed to have a good relationship with my ex-wife. So I decided to negotiate a settlement that we both could agree on. It ended up being one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I’m happy to say that my son and I have a great relationship and I consider my ex-wife one of my closest friends. I know I can turn to her for help when ever I need it and she knows she can count on me to be there for her.

Every decision you make is a matter of choice. You may not like your choices – but it is a choice. You can choose to do nothing and see what happens, or you can choose to do something and hopefully end up with what you want. You always have a choice. Your choices define who you are. I know I can’t control everything that goes on around me. I know most outcomes are out of my hands. But I do know that I can control how I choose to react in any given situation. Think about what it is you want and then choose to act in a way that will help you get there.

Copyright (c) 2014. Brian Smith – Reformed Control Freak. Not to be copied without permission. Are you looking for a speaker or workshop facilitator who can entertain and inform on a variety of soft-skills topics? Call me – Let’s talk