Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision

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“Teamwork is the ability to direct individual accomplishment toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.”

– Andrew Carnegie, Scottish-American industrialist

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Let’s face it: when it comes down to it, we’re all a bit selfish. Who hasn’t thought “What’s in it for me?” from time to time? People rarely will do something if there’s little or no personal pay off.

It seems that all truly great teams understand this, and add this special factor of shared accomplishment to their own individual success. Even the acronym TEAM has been described as “Together, Everyone Achieves More.”

Exercise:

How can you tap into the individual and collective motives of your personal and professional communities to obtain the uncommon results you desire?

#114: “Success is a journey, not a destination.”

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– Arthur Ashe, professional tennis player

To reach the end of our lives, at the very least, is to leave our physical world and perhaps enter a new level of existence. To some, the end of our lives is a more definitive end – death, with nothing beyond.

Life is one game I am not in a big hurry to finish. Taking pleasure in each step along this journey seems like a very good strategy.

How many people do you know who wish their lives away, by skipping steps in their journeys, by looking forward to the end of the work week, the end of the school year, or the opportunity to retire from a dead-end job?

Exercise:

How can you either change the game of your life, or shift your perspective, to make the most of each moment?

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#113: “The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little extra.”

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“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is the little extra.”

– Jimmy Johnson, football coach and broadcaster

Image from news.com.au

Many years ago, I read a book called The Slight Edge, with the fundamental premise that the little extra makes a big difference in life.

In golf, it can be one stroke over the course of a four day tournament that wins the match. In a race, it can be a single step or fraction of a second that makes the difference. And in a horse race, we have all heard the phrase “winning by a nose.”

Exercise:

Where in your professional and personal life can you put forth that extra effort, to realize the extraordinary?

Choose this area now and tell someone close to you, so that you will receive the extra support you may need.

#112: “One’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”

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– Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr, doctor and writer

Yesterday I attended a barbeque with friends and family. My father, at age 85, attended, as did a little three-and-a-half year old boy named Luka. Luka enrolled my dad and others into playing baseball.

I actually got to see Luka’s mind and abilities expand over the hours – resulting in significant pleasure and joy for everyone there.

Exercise:

How have you embraced the pleasure and joy of learning for yourself, and expanded your world?

What ideas do you have to share with others, to expand their worlds too?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#111: “Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”

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– Mark Twain, author

This quote reminds me of the one about climbing the ladders of life: we must be sure that the ladder is leaning against the correct wall.

As true as this may be, we must also be vigilant, placing one foot in front of the other to progress to our goals.

In my many years of coaching, I have seen some people continually set the same goals and objectives, putting in only modest effort and making minimal progress. In our rapidly moving world, an individual or organization that makes little or no progress often gets left behind by their competition.

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

Exercise:

What booster rockets, high-test fuel and massive action would it take for you to reach your goals faster and amaze yourself?

Join Me Today to Learn How to Build Purposeful Relationships and Network Effectively

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At 7pm EST today, I’ll be a guest on Diane Cashin’s Radio Show “Creating Velocity in Your Life.” Cynthia de Lorenzie, CEO of Success in the City, and Gale Paige, a female veteran, will be guests also.

Join the four of us as we explore the power of developing your networking strategy to achieve your goals.

We will be discussing:

  • Defining “relationships with a purpose”
  • Making time to meet with your leaders, mentors and peers
  • Leveraging your network for mutual benefit
  • Becoming a thought leader by using the power of social networking

At 7pm EST today (Tuesday 9th October), you can:

#110: “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.”

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– Attribution uncertain

Have you ever picked an apple from the trunk of a tree? Me neither! The sweetness of life can only be found when we go out on those proverbial limbs and take a risk.

We must face failure, change, getting hurt, and looking foolish in order to explore our visions and reach beyond our grasp. How else can we experience all that life has to offer?

Exercise:

Where are you playing it too safe, and missing out on the sweet fruits of life?

What are the limbs of life that you can climb out on, to reach what you deeply desire?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#109: “There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going.”

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– Beverly Sills, opera singer

I tend to believe in the quote by Gary Player, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.”

Look at how we celebrate the great achievements of individuals and groups in sports and business: these people have put in the work to reach places worth going. How do you get to Carnegie hall? Practice, practice, practice.

Exercise:

Where do you intend to go in this world that will make the journey worth all the effort?

What will be your long and winding road to success that will be worth the trip?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#108: “Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle.”

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– Herman Melville, author

The word “mishap” seems a bit more open to interpretation than other words such as mistakes, errors, and failure. Whichever word you currently use to identify life’s bumps in the road, it is our human ability to interpret these events that makes all the difference.

When we grab the blade of these events, we are stopped, defeated, or overcome. We tend to stay down and never do or try that again.

When we grab the handle, though, we see these events as opportunities to learn from, and improve our life and the world.

Exercise:

What mishaps have occurred recently in your life?

How can you grab the handle, so the lessons you’ve learned will serve you in the future?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#107: “Often the greatest enemy of present happiness is past happiness too well remembered.”

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– Oscar Hammling, writer

Many of us long for the good old days, the years of our youth – where things seemed simpler and the stresses of the modern world didn’t knock on our door, call us on our phone, or enter our email inboxes.

We selectively go into our memory banks and replay all those reruns of family vacations, personal adventures, and winning moments … without any of the commercials that were there all along.

Exercise:

Consider the Kodak experience at Disney World. Perhaps “making memories” is what our days are for. With this perspective in mind, how do you intend to live this day?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.