Politics is when people choose their words and actions based on how they want others to react rather than based on what they really think.
Remember teamwork begins by building trust. And the only way to do that is to overcome our need for invulnerability.
Great teams do not hold back with one another. They are unafraid to air their dirty laundry. They admit their mistakes, their weaknesses, and their concerns without fear of reprisal.
Like a good marriage, trust on a team is never complete; it must be maintained over time
Trust is knowing that when a team member does push you, they’re doing it because they care about the team.
No quality or characteristic is more important than trust
People who don’t like conflict have an amazing ability to avoid it, even when they know it’s theoretically necessary
The lack of conflict is precisely the cause of one of the biggest problems that meetings have: they are boring
I don’t think anyone ever gets completely used to conflict. If it’s not a little uncomfortable, then it’s not real. The key is to keep doing it anyway
Commitment is a function of two things: clarity and buy-in
Team synergy has an extraordinary impact on business results.
Teamwork requires some sacrifice up front people who work as a team have to put the collective needs of the group ahead of their individual interests.
There is almost nothing more painful for a leader than seeing good people leave a growing organization, whether it’s a priest watching a Sunday school teacher walk out the door or a CEO saying goodbye to a co-founder.
The truth is that intelligence, knowledge, and domain expertise are vastly overrated as the driving forces behind competitive advantage and sustainable success.
Anybody, and any company, can have a big run of success once, but if you’re going to repeat that over time, you need to be aware that you need to keep learning.
If you could get all the people in the organization rowing in the same direction, you could dominate any industry, in any market, against any competition, at any time.
What’s amazing is that so many leaders who value teamwork will tolerate people who aren’t humble. They reluctantly hire self-centred people and then justify it because those people have desired skills.
Whether we’re talking about leadership, teamwork, or client service, there is no more powerful attribute than the ability to be genuinely honest about one’s weaknesses, mistakes, and needs for help.
On great teams – the kind where people trust each other, engage in open conflict, and then commit to decisions – team members have the courage and confidence to confront one another when they see something that isn’t serving the team.
Although most executives pay lip service to the idea of hiring for cultural fit, few have the courage or discipline to make it the primary criteria for bringing someone into the company.
I coach soccer, and my wife and I are very involved in our kids’ lives. Our family is busy with doctor appointments, soccer practice, school, work, travel, vacation… life.
Trying to design the perfect plan is the perfect recipe for disappointment.
When truth takes a backseat to ego and politics, trust is lost.
When team members trust each other and know that everyone is capable of admitting when they’re wrong, then conflict becomes nothing more than the pursuit of truth or the best possible answer.
Without trust, the most essential element of innovation – conflict – becomes impossible.
Employees who can’t trust their leader to be vulnerable are not going to be vulnerable and build trust with one another.
You have to build trust among team members so that people feel free to admit what they don’t know, make mistakes, ask for help if they need it, apologize when necessary, and not hold back their opinions.
The sad fact is that it would be fair to say that United is a generic, bureaucratic, tired company. A sort of DMV in the sky. No real culture. No real strategy. No real expectations for employees or customers. All of which is a shame.
Contrary to popular wisdom, the mark of a great meeting is not how short it is or whether it ends on time. The key is whether it ends with clarity and commitment from participants.
Success is not a matter of mastering subtle, sophisticated theory but rather of embracing common sense with uncommon levels of discipline and persistence.