It is easy to find faults in something that we do not identify as our own. We are not as apt to criticize work that has some sort of sentimental value. People like to think that they are their own best critic but this cannot be true. Our own perspective has built-in blind spots that don’t show
Influence is something we often take for granted. I think it’s because we sell short how much our teammates look to each of us for affirmation, normalcy and encouragement. Whether we like it or not we are examples of something to someone. We choose to either be a bad example or a good example. If you are
Everyone has a role on a team but I believe it’s everyone’s job to be the best example to others that they can be. Too often people try to justify poor behavior as personality traits. This is confusing because I never saw “most likely to drop an occasional F-bomb” on a Meyers-Briggs analysis. Our personality should never
Having integrity means choosing to be my best self in that moment. This means when given the chance, I will not lean on the justifications that cause all the “reasonable” compromises we all like to make. It means that I will put that cookie down because I am too old to “deserve it”. It means that I
Fatigue is an integrity eater but insecurity also corrodes our ability to be our best self. If I think back to all the conflict and dysfunction that I have experienced in any team situation, it is because of some form of insecurity I have. When I am insecure, I am less likely to be honest about important
Nothing undermines out integrity like fatigue. It becomes increasingly more difficult to make solid decisions as we become more tired. When I am tired I am happy to just get through the day. I am much more likely to stress eat or cur corners when I am thinking more about my next break or day off than
Our ability to be a great teammate is directly connected to our personal discipline. I have noticed that my discipline in various areas is really a matter of being true to myself. What I mean is that my discipline is really dependent on my commitment to make the right choice in the right moment. Everyone likes to
When we compromise in one area, were are very near to another compromise. Some might describe this as a slippery slope analogy, and that might be true for some people and circumstances. However, I think circumstances are more like cockroaches in that when you see one, you know there are many more hidden nearby just out of
Great teams know each other enough to stay positive about them. Great relationships require a healthy curiosity about the other person. Not an annoyingly prying barrage of questions and not a curiosity that requires over-sharing. A healthy curiosity simply notices something about a person and cares enough to ask them about it rather than making up a
Team dynamics cannot stay positive when we make decisions about the hearts of our teammates without talking to them. Our brain likes to fill in blanks. When we see something we don’t like or don’t understand, there is no guarantee that our brain will fill in those blanks about the motives of others with something positive. This