Author Jon Gordon has been a team player ever since he played football as a child. As an adult, his mission is to improve all kinds of teams, from corporate boardrooms to football fields. A frequent public speaker on teamwork, Gordon shows his principles at work in the actions of a fictitious coach based on his real-life coach and mentor, Richie Moran. Gordon may go one attempted pass too far when he recommends that his made-up characters read his earlier books, The Energy Bus and The Power of a Positive Team. However, you can’t fault the book’s emphasis on his solid teamwork principles and on every team member’s commitment to the group’s mission and greater good.
“Teammates are forever.”
Tim sat next to Coach Richie’s hospital bed and held the dying man’s frail hand. He’d played for the coach 30 years ago as a college kid on a football scholarship. Eventually, Tim hugged the coach’s wife, Patty, thanked the coach once more, and headed for the airport, promising to visit the hospital again.
Even after the passage of so much time, Coach Richie continued to have a tremendous positive influence on Tim and his teammates. The Coach’s military background had deeply influenced the way he coached his young players. Tim thought about Coach Richie’s favorite message, “Teammates are forever,” and wondered how to continue to embody the Coach’s impact on his life and the lives of his friends.
Follow the 7 commitments of a team.
As Tim considered the coach’s philosophy, based on love and strong values, he thought sadly about the team of employees he led at the company he founded and owned.
He recognized that, despite his best efforts, he was not making his employees better. They usually did only the bare minimum, producing bad results that were only getting worse, and many people were quitting. He was deeply concerned. ...
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