Art is theft.

In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being.

In the world of teams and teamwork I often find the belief that to work and communicate effectively, team members must be close comrades. In fact, this is a common misperception. Although team members don't need to know one another very well personally to perform as a team, they do need to know one another's abilities and potential contributions.

Five rather small dogs can be very powerful. If you can get a team pulling together in one direction, you can get enormous power out of them.1 What a great illustration about cooperation in the face of contrast and difference.

Effective team leaders work creatively with each team member to ensure they understand the following issues: Why this task is important to the organization. Why this team task is important to them personally. Why they (their role) are important to the team. Who the other team members are and why they are important to the mission of the team.

Although we might place our trust in the team, that trust is invested one person at a time. I, as a team member, must build trust with every other member of the team on an individual basis and vice versa.

High performance teams master the art of straight talk. They have learned how to confront issues and address behaviors without attacking or provoking one another.

Trust is the essential quality in any team relationship. Team members will not work interdependently with anyone they do not trust. And without interdependence there can be no effective division of the task, no leverage of the gifts and skills of individual team members, and therefore, no synergy. No trust, no relationship, no team.

Communication is the very means of cooperation.

Come to think it over, I don't entirely agree with it myself. Not everything I wrote yesterday appeals to me today. I am glad to learn what you think on the subject. The next time you are in the neighborhood you must visit us and we'll get this subject threshed out for all time. So here is a handclasp over the miles, and I am, Yours sincerely

We must first remember that today's relational successes are not measured on the scale of media—which ones to use and how many friends, fans, or followers one can accumulate. They are measured on the scale of meaning. Become meaningful in your interactions and the path to success in any endeavor is simpler and far more sustainable. The reason? People notice. People remember. People are moved when their interactions with you always leave them a little better.

The principle? Let Charles Schwab say it in his own words: "The way to get things done," says Schwab, "is to stimulate competition. I do not mean in a sordid, money-getting way, but in the desire to excel.