Tag Archives: connection

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San Antonio Spurs’ Culture of Sustainable Superior Performance

Gregg Popovich

Image Source: Flickr Spurs-Magic080

As seen on Fox Business

Earlier this month, Gregg Popovich, head coach of the San Antonio Spurs basketball team, won his 1000th NBA basketball game, making him the 9th NBA coach in history to achieve this feat. Popovich adds this to a long list of achievements including five NBA titles with the Spurs and three NBA Coach of the Year honors.  This is his 16th season as the Spurs head coach.

How has he been so successful?

Like all great leaders, Popovich creates a culture that produces sustainable superior performance.  Here are four factors that contribute to making the Spurs’ culture a source of competitive advantage.

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To Connect at Work, Do Not Yell or Dominate

Yelling in Meeting

#73 Don’t Be a Yeller or Dominator

Yelling and dominating is disconnecting. Don’t do either of them if you want to connect at work.

When he was the head coach of the Chicago Bull’s basketball team, Phil Jackson once told a young Michael Jordan that Jordan needed to pass the ball more to his teammates. Jackson explained that everyone needs time in the spotlight to shine so that together the team would win. When Jordan complied, it helped the Chicago Bulls team win six NBA championship titles over a period of eight years. 

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Connect Outside of Work

Happy People

#71 Connect Outside of Work

Individuals have different levels of felt need for connection. Some people require a much greater quantity and quality of connection than others in order not to feel alone.

If you need much more connection than most people, it may be unreasonable to expect that your need for connection will be fully met in the workplace. In such cases, it may be wise to seek ways to meet your need for connection outside of work. Consider becoming involved in community groups and developing a group of friends with whom you regularly interact.

This is the seventy-first post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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To Connect, Reflect Before Offering Improvements

Reflect before offering improvements

#70 Reflect Before Offering Improvements

Author/executive coach Marshall Goldsmith recommends that when someone offers an idea, suggestion, opinion or plan, take time to reflect before offering a suggestion to improve it. Many people are in the habit of quickly adding their better idea by saying “but…” or “however…” Habitually doing this undermines connection, commitment and engagement. When it’s the other person’s idea, he/she will implement it with greater enthusiasm and energy so consider if your enhancement really matters before offering it.

This is the seventieth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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Leaders Need to Walk the Halls

Visiting Employees in the Field

#69 Walk the Halls

Howard Behar, the secret weapon of Starbucks, tells leaders to “walk the halls.” Howard, former President of Starbucks North America and Starbucks International, played an instrumental role in growing Starbucks then came out of retirement to help turn Starbucks around when it went off course. “Walk the Halls” is similar to “Management by Wandering Around,” or “MBWA,” a term coined by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman in their book In Search of Excellence. Walking the Halls is all about getting out of your office, getting to know the people you are responsible for leading and listening to them.

This is the sixty-ninth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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To Connect, Favor Inclusiveness

Inclusiveness in Business Meeting

#68 Favor Inclusiveness

When you are setting up a meeting, lean toward inclusiveness.  If there is someone who you believe may want to attend, invite him/her. You might send a brief note to that person indicating that you understand if other commitments take precedence over the meeting but want to keep him/her “in the loop.” Doing so is a great way to make the person feel valued.

This is the sixty-eighth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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What Marcus Mariota Teaches Us About Success

Marcus_Mariota_v._Colorado_2014

Marcus Mariota throws a pass while playing against Colorado in 2014. Photo courtesy of Alex Thies.

As seen on Fox Business

Marcus Mariota’s list of accomplishments is impressive. Although his Oregon Ducks football team ultimately lost the national championship game to Ohio State, the young quarterback can still claim a Heisman Trophy, Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl victories, and numerous other awards earned in just a few short years. His success as a quarterback places him in an elite group of individuals who have reached the pinnacle of their fields.

But how do people like Mariota become so successful? Are there certain characteristics these people share that set them apart?

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Connect With Your Body Language

Happy man and woman at work

#67: Connect with Your Body Language

When interacting with others, be sure that your body language is connecting with them by being still, making eye contact while looking away at times so as not to glare or communicate too much intensity, relaxing your facial muscles, uncrossing your arms and leaning slightly forward.

If speaking with someone through a video call, the same principles apply. Stay focused on the person you are speaking with and avoid multitasking or getting distracted by notifications that pop up on your screen. It’s easy to tell when someone is no longer looking directly at the camera and has become distracted by other things.

This is the sixty-seventh post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.

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The Secret to Keeping Your New Year’s Health Resolution

Keeping New Year Resolutions_Woman Tired After Excercising

By Michael Lee Stallard and Katie Russell. As seen on Fox Business. 

Are you working on a New Year’s resolution to be healthier? ‘Tis the season for diets, gym memberships, and locating the running shoes that somehow got buried under a pile of other items in the deepest recesses of your closet (we won’t judge).

We all know the odds. Approximately 8 percent of New Year’s resolutions are actually kept, according to research from the University of Scranton. Yet somehow, year after year, we hope that our resolution will defy the odds and be one of those 8 percent.

Obviously, preparation is essential. You will find it hard to stick to your new diet if you haven’t prepared by filling your pantry with the right type of food. But even those who prepare often find themselves on the verge of giving up.

So what’s the secret to success? How do those who achieve their goals keep going, even when they feel like giving up?

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How to Reconnect Your Team

Business Team Discussion to Reconnect Team

#66 Reconnect Your Team

On a monthly basis at the beginning of a meeting, ask your direct reports to share something on their mind. It can be anything they care to share with the team such as something they did outside of work that other team members might be interested in or something that’s going on at work that they want the team to know about. Give each person five minutes to share.

This is the sixty-sixth post in our series entitled “100 Ways to Connect.” The series highlights language, attitudes and behaviors that help you connect with others. Although the language, attitudes and behaviors focus on application in the workplace, you will see that they also apply to your relationships at home and in the community.