It has been about a week since the last blog post – but I haven’t been wasting my time (or not getting out of BED – for those that read previous posts!)The last week has been about tackling the things that I have left / ignored and not wanted to do. It has also been about facing up to my business weaknesses and making a plan to do something about it.I was reminded of this when working wi...

Teamwork doesn't just happen. A successful team requires commitment, hard work, openness and honesty. In this regard, the skills that are present in a successful team are not dissimilar to those required for a successful relationship. In both, the expectations, desires and needs of the members will change over time due to increased knowledge, experience and changing circumstances. Succes...

Lesson 8. Remember that each team has different rules to live by. Working with a large variety of teams under development has reminded me of one small but crucial detail when working with teams – they are all different. This was highlighted with Jake on the weekend at the beach. While we were happy to let Jake frolic on the dog beach, other dog owners were not. While just is scolded wh...

A different style of post today. I thought I would include one of my favourite inspirational video clips on Youtube. I use this video as a basis for discussion on team coaching, development, goal setting and personal leadership style. I think I love this video so much because of a question the coach asks an individual player on his team – ‘Are you going to give me your best?’  In ...

Lesson 7 - Learn the things that you shouldn’t do in the team There are many disadvantages to running your own business, but one advantage is being able to work the way you want; particularly when the subject of this blog is asleep at my feet. Lesson 7 follows on from Lessons 1, 5 and 6, and relates to behaviour that is not accepted by the team. As Jake has developed from a puppy in o...

Lesson 6. Trust is built over months, not seconds. It took me quite a while to realise this, but the relationship between a dog and its owner is all about trust. There are certain things that I expect Jake to do, and there are certain things that he expects of me. When those expectations are met and not broken, we have started to build trust. For me, trust is a fairly simple thing to de...