Teamwork and Leadership Bloggings

Fun Practical Leadership Video (Quick Animated Story)

Practical Leadership Story - Great for Developing Leaders

My passion is developing leaders (both the actual process of developing leaders and the leader being developed). I love coming across impactful practical leadership stories that demonstrate how easy it can be to make a big difference as a leader. Here is one such story.

The DMV is the perfect example, the poster child, for poor customer service. In this video developing leaders will learn how making a few tweaks can make a big impact on an organization.

This practical leadership story is told by Ken Blanchard. As Blanchard states, "it's always the leader." 

Other video posts you might like:

Leadership and Bad Customer Service Video from Domino's Pizza Store

Anyone Can Be a Leader - Powerful Video

Positive video that every leader in business, the home, church, or wherever must watch.

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Mike Rogers
Founder of Teamwork and Leadership

Late to a Meeting? 5 Tips to Make it Worse!

Find Yourself Late to a Meeting? 5 Tips

So your late to a meeting. So what right? If you really cared about being there on time you wouldn't have been late to the meeting in the first place, correct? Here are five tips to make things even worse. They work every time - guarantee it!

1. Don't bother even preparing for the meeting. Don't read the agenda that was sent ahead of time, or do any of the other pre-work you have been asked to complete. If you happen to see yourself on the agenda and find yourself not prepared this is a good time to let everyone know that you have been so busy lately that you didn't even have a minute to look at the agenda and prepare. Then explain that the reason you were late to the meeting was due to how busy you are.

2. If you are going to be late to the meeting, make sure no one knows. Giving the meeting leader advance notice that you might be late, or calling to say that you are going to be late is just too respectful and polite. Why would you want to do that? If you have to notify someone that you will be late it's a good idea to over-promise and under-deliver. In other words if you are really 20 minutes from where the meeting is taking place, say you will be there in 5 minutes. That way people are waiting for you longer, but know that you will eventually get there.  

3. Let everyone know that you are late by making a loud entrance. This is especially effective if you can find someone else who is late who you can talk and laugh with while walking down the hall into the meeting and then while you are opening the door. The benefit to a loud entrance is bringing attention to yourself and that you are late. Now the meeting leader can go back through the entire agenda and catch you up on everything discussed to that point.

4. Provide a real lame excuse as to why you were late for the meeting. Here are a few you might find helpful:

• "The bartender wouldn't let me leave."
• "Is it Spring forward, or is it Spring back?"
• "Is it Fall forward, or is it Fall back?"
• "Your watch must be fast...really."
• "You should have told us to be on time."

5. Ask lots of questions that were discussed earlier in the agenda before you arrived. It is important that you understand what you missed right? So asking lots of questions will ensure that though you were late to the meeting, you don't miss anything. People will just have to understand that your needs and time are more important than theirs. 

Do you have any additional tips, insights, comments or stories on how to make it worse when late to a meeting? I would love to here them. Please comment below.

Related posts I thought you would like:

Importance of Being on Time - Fun Leadership Story

8 Important tips to help you waste time in meetings

Funny Conference Call Video - What annoys you most about conference calls?

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Mike Rogers
Founder of Teamwork and Leadership

Powerful Personal Leadership Story - Video

Personal Leadership Story

You can find other personal leadership stories by going here: Leadership Videos and Leadership Stories Series

Everyone once in awhile I come across a truly inspiring personal leadership story that I have to share. Personal leadership is about taking charge of your own life. The title of "leader" is not nearly as important as who you are, what you are becoming, the obstacles you are overcoming and the way in which you share your story. Personal leadership is motivating to those who watch. It is inspiring to those who need inspiration. And by the example of the personal leader it creates a following of other personal leaders.

One of the most important personal leadership traits is perseverance. Personal leaders endure adversity and overcome obstacle after obstacle. This story demonstrates the power to overcome such obstacles. I hope you enjoy it and find as much inspiration from it as I did. Let me know what you think by commenting below. I really want to hear what you think.

Other personal leadership stories you might enjoy:

Compassionate and Caring Leadership - Very Inspirational Video

Anyone can be a Leader - Powerful Video

Leaders Care - Inspirational Leadership Story - Video

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Mike Rogers
Founder of Teamwork and Leadership

Leadership and Integrity - Two Powerful Leadership Stories to Tell

Two Leadership Stories - Integrity and Leadership

For more great leadership stories visit our Leadership Stories Series Page.

There are many important attributes of great leaders; integrity is at the top of the list. Here are two leadership and integrity stories that you might want to share with your teams. Both stories have something very interesting in common.

Story One

A number of years ago Al Capone owned virtually all of Chicago. He wasn’t famous for anything heroic, instead he was known for leading an organized group in illegal bootlegging, prostitution and murder.

Capone had a lawyer nicknamed “Easy Eddie.” He was his lawyer because he was very good. Eddie’s skills had kept Al Capone out of prison for a long time.

Capone showed his appreciation for Easy Eddie by showering him with every luxury in life that could be enjoyed, including a gated mansion with servants. The estate he lived in was so big it filled an entire Chicago city block.

Eddie lived the high life and gave little thought to the evils that went on around him. But he had one soft spot in his heart. He had a son he loved completely, and he ensured he had everything in life to help him get ahead.

Despite Eddie’s involvement in organized crime, he tried to teach his son right from wrong. He wanted his son to be a better man than he was. Yet with all of his wealth and influence there were two things Eddie could not pass on to his son – his good name and example.

It was later that Easy Eddie decided to try to right all his wrongs. He went to law enforcement and told the truth about Al Capone in hopes that it would clean up his tarnished name and offer some semblance of integrity to his son. In order to do this he knew he would have to testify against Al “Scarface” Capone and the mob and that it would most likely cost him dearly.

He testified and within a year Easy Eddie's life ended in an enormous blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago street. In his eyes he had given the greatest gift he could to his son.

Police pulled from his pocket a rosary, a crucifix, a religious medallion and poem he had clipped from a magazine. The poem read:

The clock of life is wound but once,
And no man has the power
To tell just when the hands will stop
At late or early hour.
Now is the only time you own.
Live, love, toil with a will.
Place no faith in time.
For the clock may soon be still.

Story Two

World War II had created many heroes. One such hero was Lieutenant Butch O’Hare, a fighter pilot. One day his entire squadron was sent on a mission. After being airborne, he looked down at his fuel gauge and to his surprise realized that someone had forgotten to top off his fuel tank! As a result he would not have enough to complete his mission and get back to the ship. He was told by his commander to return to the ship immediately. He did so reluctantly and dropped out of formation. As he was returning he saw something that turned his blood cold; a Japanese squadron was speeding towards the American fleet. With the American fleet gone on a sortie the ship was defenseless. He had no time to bring back his squadron and he had no way of warning the fleet of approaching danger.

There was only one thing he could do and that was to divert them from the fleet. Not taking into account his own personal safety he dove into the formation of Japanese planes with his wing mounted guns blazing as he surprised one enemy plane after another. When his ammunition ran out he dove at enemy planes with the hope of clipping a wing and sending them in a downward spiral. Finally, the surprised and frustrated Japanese squadron took off in another direction.

Butch O’Hare and his battled fighter limped back to the carrier. Once he landed he told of his adventure. The film from the gun-camera mounted on this plane told the entire tale and showed the extent of Butch’s heroism. He had destroyed five enemy aircraft. Because of his actions he became the Navy’s first Ace of World War II and the first Naval Aviator to win the Congressional Medal of Honor. A year later at age 29 Butch was killed in aerial combat.

His hometown would not allow his memory to fade and today the O’Hare Airport in Chicago is named after his bravery.

So what do these two stories have in common?

Butch O’Hare was “Easy Eddie’s” son.

What else do these stories have in common? What makes it difficult to have integrity in leadership? We would love to hear what you think by commenting below.

For more great leadership stories visit our Leadership Stories Series Page.

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Mike Rogers
Founder of Teamwork and Leadership

Stop Procrastinating? 5 Tips for Overcoming Procrastination

Stop Procrastination - 5 Tips to Overcoming Procrastination

For more time management tips go to Time Management Tips for Leaders

Overcoming procrastination completely is impossible, hence the question mark in the title "Stop Procrastinating?" The reality is you can't do everything you have to do, so you have to procrastinate on some things. Here are five things to help you stop procrastinating on what matters.

1. Procrastinate The Little Things. As stated earlier, we all procrastinate every day because we can't get everything done. However prioritizing your tasks and understanding what the large things are and the small things are is key. Ask yourself three important questions when breaking out your tasks for the day: Why is this task on my list? If I don't get this done what will happen? and What is the most important task I can be doing right now?

2. Create Firm Deadlines. Without deadlines, procrastination is almost certain. You won't stop procrastinating though just because of a deadline alone, but you will be less likely to, especially if you use the other tips as outlined in this post. Deadlines provide something to aim at and help you stay focused.

3. Learn to say no! Much of the trouble we get ourselves into is our inability to say no. If what you are being asked to do is not of high value and not worth your time, then say no. Sounds simple right? Then how come most of us have a hard time saying it? Learning to say no will save you the time you need to work on the most important things things that bring the greatest value.

4. Stay organized. Want to add to feeling overwhelmed and never stop procrastinating? Then simply make sure you never plan, let your in-box pile up and keep your desk as messy as possible. Basic organization skills can go a long way in helping you feel like you can tackle the big things and overcome procrastination. Take at least 15 minutes a day to plan for the coming day, clean clutter and as things arrive in your in-box or on your desk either file, act or toss.

5. Reward yourself. Every time you complete one of those important tasks that you didn't procrastinate doing, then it is time to reward yourself. Rewards can be as simple as taking a walk around the building in the fresh air to taking someone you care about out to dinner. Rewarding yourself will reinforce the important behavior. It really works! Try it.

Overcoming procrastination is not easy, but it isn't impossible either. Following the above five tips will go a long ways in helping you stop procrastination. What other tips have you found helpful in overcoming procrastination? Please comment below. Thanks!

For more time management tips go to Time Management Tips for Leaders

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Mike Rogers
Founder of Teamwork and Leadership

5 Ways to Deal with Employee Mistakes

Employee Mistakes - 5 Things That Can Help You

I would like to follow up on one of our popular posts last month "Leaders make mistakes - do you admit them? 3 reasons you should." What do you do about employee mistakes?  Making mistakes at work is going to happen, right? How you handle employee mistakes is going to say a lot about you as a leader. I have seen my share of different ways of dealing with employee mistakes at work and they have run the gamut from shouting, to doing nothing.

Great leaders cultivate a culture in which employee mistakes are accepted and in many cases embraced as a way to learn and improve. Creating this kind of culture will result in fewer mistakes in the long run.

Here are five tips to help you deal with employee mistakes in a way that is fair and effective.

Note: These tips work with parenting as well.

1. Don't jump to conclusions. Good leaders understand that they must listen first. They also understand that mistakes at work happen and are part of the process of learning. The worst thing you can do as a leader is to go on a witch hunt with the intent of immediately punishing all who make a mistake. Really listening as to why the employee felt the mistake happened will provide you the perspective you need to help fix the mistake. Start your conversation with the employee by asking  what he or she felt happened and then be prepared to really listen.

2. Discuss the error; discuss your expectations. It will be important that you help the employee take accountability for the mistake. Discussing and highlighting the error and talking about what your expectations are helps them take accountability. It also helps them clearly understand what you think they should have done differently.

3. Discuss a plan. Making mistakes at work is never fun. I have heard on occasion a leader say something to the effect when an employee makes a mistake "this better never happen again." Well... duh! Of course, don't you think the employee knows that? Instead you have an obligation as a leader to work with your employee on a plan to discuss how it won't happen again. As a leader you are a problem solver, not just a direction giver. When an employee mistake happens, a plan needs to be mapped out to help them be successful.

4. Follow up with encouragement and confidence. As long as this isn't an employee mistake that has been repeated multiple times, it is important that your employee knows that you as a leader have confidence in him or her. You must encourage, not discourage. Tell them the magic four words: "I believe in you."

5. Ask yourself the bigger question(s). After an employee mistake is discovered and addressed, it is important then to ask whether there is something in your policy and/or procedures as a department or company that needs to be changed. Or is there something you need to reinforce and communicate so others don't make the same mistake.

Employee mistakes are a challenge for any leader. I understand it isn't easy. They can become personal, especially if they affect your results and/or bonus. Handling them appropriately is critical to your success and ultimately the success of your organization. When handled well they can result in learning and growing opportunities and happier staff. When not handled well organizations create a culture of fear and a lack of innovation.

How has where you work or worked handled mistakes?"What is the biggest mistake you ever saw made? How was it handled? Please comment below, I would love to hear your story and/or insight.

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Mike Rogers
Founder of Teamwork and Leadership

Inspirational Teamwork Story - Something to think about...

Enjoy This Inspirational Teamwork Story

In the daily grind of life we sometimes fail to recognize all of the good that is done on our    behalf. Here is an inspirational teamwork story I heard the other day that demonstrates that there are many working on a team that we often times fail to recognize for their good  work.

This teamwork story is about a US Naval Academy graduate and jet fighter pilot in Vietnam by the name of Charles Plumb. He had completed 75 combat missions when he was shot down. Plumb was ejected and parachuted into enemy hands afterwards spending six years in a Vietnamese prison. Fortunately he survived and today lectures on the many lessons he learned.

One day while eating at a restaurant with his wife a man came up and said, "Your Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

"How in the world did you know that?" asked Plumb. "I packed your parachute," the man replied. Charles Plumb in surprise and gratitude had to catch his breath.

The man then shook his hand and said, "I guess it worked!" Plumb assured him it had and said, "if your chute hadn't worked, I wouldn't be here today."

That night Plumb could not sleep. He said, "I kept pondering what he might have looked like in a Navy uniform - a Dixie cup hat, a bib in the back, and bell bottom trousers. I wonder how many times I might have seen him and not even said good morning, how are you or anything because, you see, I was a fighter pilot and he was just a sailor."

Plumb thought a lot about that man who had packed his parachute and the hours he spent at a wooden table at the bottom of the ship carefully packing his and others chutes. He held in his hands the chute; the fate of someone he did not even know.

Charles Plumb is now a motivational speaker telling this story to hundreds. He always ask his audiences after telling it, "Who's packing your parachute?"

In our life many people have a hand in our parachutes. Are we taking the time to acknowledge them, thank them, reward them? It is very easy to overlook the work of many. When an athletic team has won a championship do you ever hear them thank the trainer, the cook, the bus driver? Do they take the time to reward them too? It takes a lot of people to create a championship team.

Who on your team works on your parachute? We would love to hear what you think, please comment below.

If you liked this inspirational teamwork story, can you do us a favor. Please share : ) We are so grateful to each of you that read our blog and keep us going! Thanks!

Here is a link to Captain J. Charles Plumb's Web site if you would like to schedule him as a speaker or purchase one of his products. http://www.charlieplumb.com/



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Mike Rogers
Founder of Teamwork and Leadership

Understand What You Want! Critical Tip for Leaders and Life

Do you understand what you want?

How would you respond if someone asked you "do you understand what you want?" Seems like a simple question doesn't it? I believe it is probably the most important and meaningful question a leader can ask his or herself. And I believe it is probably the most important and meaningful question a leader can ask of those he or she leads.

Without an answer to the question "do you understand what you want?" we don't move towards what is important. We won't set purposeful goals, we won't create solid visions, we won't make good use of our time - ultimately we won't be very productive. While you may be plenty busy; being busy and being productive are two different things.

It's not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are you busy about? ~Henry David Thoreau

Being clear in what you want will steer your vision, fuel your passion and ultimately drive your execution. Once you understand what you want you are prepared to outline the steps to getting there. When you understand what you want your motivation will increase and you are less likely to procrastinate.

To understand what you want requires that you as a leader strive every day for greater clarity around what goals are most meaningful for you, the team and/or organization. It also requires you to assist those you lead to have greater clarity as well.

Do you understand what you want? Why is this question so difficult for some? What have you seen from experience when a leader isn't clear in an answer to this question? Please comment below. Thanks!



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Mike Rogers
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3 Funny Teamwork Videos You Might Want to Share

For more funny teamwork videos - click here.

Teams don't become great teams until they learn to work together. I thought you might enjoy these three funny teamwork videos we found recently. All three are done by a transportation company in Belgium by the name of De Lijn.

If you enjoy these videos, feel free to share! How do you get your teams to be great? What's your secret sauce? Would love to hear from you in the comments below. 

Funny Teamwork Video #1

Funny Teamwork Video #2

Funny Teamwork Video #3

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Mike Rogers
Founder of Teamwork and Leadership

Leaders make mistakes - do you admit them? 3 reasons you should.

Did you know leaders make mistakes? 

Important newsflash: leaders make mistakes! Okay, maybe not news to you, and    certainly not news to me either. But how many actually admit they make mistakes? My experience has shown that some leaders admit it; some don't. When leaders make mistakes they have everything to gain by admitting them. When they don't, they have plenty to lose.

But that is difficult for some, why? It's kind of a "human thing" to appear better than what you really are. However, that can be a big mistake. Here are three reasons to start admitting your mistakes the next opportunity you have.

1. You build trust. Leaders who admit mistakes build trust. In fact it is a real quick way to build trust. Admitting your mistakes demonstrates that you are human and endears people to you.

2. You gain respect. Leaders that admit mistakes show that they take accountability for their actions. In a world of leaders that make excuses, try to point the finger at someone else or lie, it is a breath of fresh air to have one that does none of that.

3. You learn. If a leader doesn't believe he or she ever makes mistakes, how can he or she learn from them. Leaders ought to embrace mistakes and learn from them.

Are there any of you out there who make mistakes and admit them? What benefits have you seen? Please comment below. Let's talk. Thanks!

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Mike Rogers
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