So, whether or not you want to be a leader, you are already leading. The question is whether or not you are willing to be responsible for your leadership and the direction it is leading. You see, someone is always paying attention to the way you are acting and deciding whether or not to play your game.

If you are a complainer, a blamer, a justifier, e. tal, you can open the door for a teammate to follow that lead. If you are excited, passionate, unselfish and supportive as you go through your day, that’s a path a teammate could choose to follow.

For the past 30 years, I have worked with hundreds of teams and thousands of athletes, employees and entrepreneurs. I remind them that there is no excuse to come to practice/work with a bad attitude. You have a choice of how you are going to be. When you were recruited/hired there is an inherent promise you made to give your best every day. As the old country song says,”Nobody promised you a rose garden.” And, no one owes you anything.

I have noticed how much young people in the workplace complain about the position they have in their organization and the rate of pay they are receiving. They should consider that they are probably paid more than they are worth in the beginning. But, they have a college degree you say. That fact is merely what kept their application from being thrown into the circular file.

It is said that it takes 18 months for a new employee to become a fully functioning member of the organization. Freshmen athletes in college often struggle and the difference between a freshman and sophomore is monumental. I am not even talking about their statistics. I am talking about their experience of going through their second year as opposed to their experience the first year.

Experience is the great teacher. It is a process of trial and error. It is actually being thrilled about learning from our failures rather than trying to avoid them and not learning anything.

Take time to peruse our blog archive for more. And, don’t forget to check out the Coaching Bookstore for Coach Todd’s books. They will support your efforts.