Most of you have read or even listened to me talk about The Leadership Challenge and how I sing the praises of the Five Leadership Practices:

• Model the Way
• Challenge the Process
• Inspire a Vision
• Enables Others to Act
• Encourage the Heart

I usually speak to groups using the early space program and the Apollo 13 mission as an excellent example of these practices. We show clips from the movie and audios of JFK, but this time it was different.

This time we got first hand accounts of the mission and the trials and tribulations that were involved in the actual mission. This time we partnered with the commander on the mission Captain James Lovell.

At a conference in Las Vegas, NV commander Lovell shared with an audience of 260 the first hand accounts of his ordeal in space. TeamBuilders was honored to partner with one of Americas greatest heros tying back his experience to the Leadership Practices. As I listen to listen to him I could not help, but connect a lot of what he was saying to the books on business that we have all been reading to make ourselves successful.

When describing the situations and the outcomes of the mission he said that success was depended on three key factors.

1. Dealing with change any organization or its members that cannot deal with, adapt to, and take advantage of change will not make it today. They obviously where not happy with change during that mission, but they also knew that complaining about it and hoping it goes away wasnt going to fix it. Change is inevitable and change requires different solutions and different processes. As TeamBuilders has shared with many of you its about doing different to do more. We must Challenge the Process The Leadership Challenge

2. Understanding the situation and doing something about it. - Hope is not a plan and when adversity strikes we have to dig dip and hit it head on. How many times in our business are we approached with challenges that impacted our business? We dont hope to improve market shares, we dont hope the economy is going to get better, but we Confront the Brutal. Yet Never Lose Faith Good to Great

3. Commitment to a Common Goal Regardless of rank or job function everyone new what had to be done and no one questioned when they were asked to do something. The goal was clear and the commitment was strong. Ego was checked and every action, decision and behavior was for the success of the Mission, which by the way changeddrastically. Commitment and Attention to Results The Five Dysfunctions of a Team

So, what am I babbling about? We read, we go to self-improvement seminars, we go to team development and in house training, but do we understand why? I actually was asked in a session by a gentleman, can we hurry up and get through this teambuilding stuff and get back to work? All of this stuff is what makes us better when we get back to work and if it doesnt then shame on us.

As I close this months letter I would to say how proud and impressed I am with our clients and the hard work you have out into just being better. I have seen so many of you grow over the past eight years and we at TeamBuilders are proud to have been part of that. I will leave you now with one simple thought and hat is the definition of a TEAM. Ask yourself if this is your group? Until next month

A team is members of a diverse group of people who struggle for shared aspirations (a common goal) with measurable performance and accountability.