There are some teams you remember because of what they accomplished. And then there are teams you remember because of how it felt to be part of them. I have coached many teams who could be categorized in one of those two descriptions. I would like to highlight two of them.

When I coached at the University of Colorado, we had a player who rarely saw the court. Let’s call her Mel. Mel wasn’t on the front page of the sports section. She wasn’t leading the conference in scoring or rebounding. Reporters didn’t gather around her locker before or after games. Fans didn’t ask for her… Read more »

Before I ever stepped into a boardroom, stepped on stage, coached a Division I basketball team, or founded a leadership company, I learned some of my most important leadership lessons in an unlikely place—an old hayloft above my grandparents’ barn. If you’ll indulge me for a moment, I’d like to take you there. Picture an… Read more »

There were over 50 of us that summer. Pickup trucks and family vans lined the gravel driveway of my grandparent’s farm in Ohio. My cousins were already claiming victory and that they would have the winning team. You could hear basketball bouncing on the pavement and splashes in the pool. People were literally pitching tents… Read more »

Every time you hit a new mark in life, the potential to fall prey to the comfort trap appears. It happens in school, as students become more comfortable in the upperclasses. It occurs in sports as athletes gain confidence in their sport.  And it happens in employment as leaders better themselves in their craft. It… Read more »

Every coach has experienced it. A team starts the season firing on all cylinders. Communication is sharp. Energy is high. Players trust one another. They are excited to be there and work with their teammates. Everything is in sync and the scoreboard reflects the success.   Then something changes. Those silent signs begin to take shape… Read more »

I grew up in a large family. If you’ve ever been part of a big family, you know what that means. Differing personalities. Competing perspectives. Changing agendas, with each trying to prioritize their own. Dizzying schedules, especially around sports. Occasional chaos around the dinner table, if you can actually eat together. And somewhere in the… Read more »

Recently, I found myself in a conversation with a senior leader whose team was struggling on all fronts. Collaboration was slipping. Performance had dipped. Morale was low. Everyone wanted recognition, yet no one seemed willing to put in the work required to get there. The leaders were tired, the team was frustrated, and progress felt… Read more »

The year has been complicated and stressful for many. Global unrest, social injustice, political division, and the government shutdown have all caused distractions and disruptions for many. With the holidays fast approaching, it’s hard to wrap our brains around expressing gratitude when many of us are exhausted.

When something goes wrong on a team, there are always two choices a leader can make: point outward or look inward. I call this the difference between “blaming out” and “blaming in.” Blaming out is the instinct to look around for who else caused the problem: another department, another individual, a market downturn, an underperforming… Read more »