Don't limit your competition only to the ones you know. Keep an eye out for latent competitors too. Once you know what these people are doing, you can build a better mousetrap.

Spend more than 50% of your time leading yourself: your purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, and conduct. Create the circumstances of what you want to make happen, go before and show the way.

Vision is great for moving ahead, but you need to look at where you are before you continue forward. Regroup, readjust the direction of your sails, and then move on.

Pay more than lip service to the concept of teamwork. Gather everyone on your team as equals. Let the team set its own goals for success.

"Do as I say, not as I do" does not apply to work groups anymore. To keep teams motivated and focused you need to have moral authority in order to gain the same from your people.

Tangible results will follow from truly caring for everyone involved in the process. Every person matters!

Leaders can be found and placed at every level of an organization. Teams feel better about their performance when they feel valued for their contribution.

Sharing the wealth with everyone creates a vested interest for everyone to succeed. It's also a great avenue for accountability, and encourages people to innovate.

Team leaders don't lead teams. They lead collections of individuals who together make up a team. Everyone has different strengths, weaknesses, and needs. A team is only effective if their needs are identified and acknowledged, then enhanced.

If you're looking for individual pats-on-the-back rather than a team accomplishment, step back from leading teams. You will be very frustrated and the team members will feel used.