Shows parents how to help their children deal with pressure from coaches, players, and other parents and develop a strong work ethic and team player.

In his classic book, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Patrick Lencioni laid out a groundbreaking approach for tackling the perilous group behaviors that destroy teamwork. Here he turns his focus to the individual, revealing the three indispensable virtues of an ideal team player. In The Ideal Team Player, Lencioni tells the story of Jeff Shanley, a leader desperate to save his uncle’s company by restoring its cultural commitment to teamwork. Jeff must crack the code on the virtues that real team players possess, and then build a culture of hiring and development around those virtues. Beyond the fable, Lencioni presents a practical framework and actionable tools for identifying, hiring, and developing ideal team players. Whether you’re a leader trying to create a culture around teamwork, a staffing professional looking to hire real team players, or a team player wanting to improve yourself, this book will prove to be as useful as it is compelling.

In addition to developing athletic prowess, team sports present a great opportunity for nurturing critical social skills in young athletes. With plenty of advice on bestowing praise, tempering unwanted behavior, and supporting kids and teens on the field, Harry Sheehy shares lessons and wisdom learned from more than two decades of working with young athletes at Williams College and Dartmouth College. Encouraging parents to get involved, Sheehy demonstrates how sportsmanship can help instill important life values that extend beyond the game.

Through numerous examples from sports, highlighted by interviews from distinguished players and coaches around the world, de Rond shows what team leaders can learn by focusing on the individuals within them.

Lead each person on your team up the learning curve. What's the secret to having an engaged and productive team? It's having a plan for developing all employees--no matter where they are on their personal learning curves. Better morale and higher performance happen through learning, argues Whitney Johnson. In over twenty years of coaching, investing, and consulting, Johnson has seen that employees need continuous learning and fresh challenges to stay motivated. The best bosses know this, and they know how to make it happen by thoughtfully designing people’s jobs around the skills they have today as well as the skills they'll need to be even more valuable tomorrow. That's how entire organizations stay competitive in an unpredictable, rapidly changing business environment. In this book, Johnson explains how to become one of those bosses and how to build your A-team by: Identifying what your employees already know and what they need to learn Designing their jobs to maximize engagement and learning Applying a seven-step process for leading each person up their learning curve We all want opportunities to learn, experiment, and grow in our jobs. When our bosses work with us to help us leap to new challenges, the result is a team that knows how to thrive, no matter what the future holds.

Leadership and management lessons from the sports world. The world's elite athletes and coaches achieve high performance through inspiring leadership, mental toughness, and direction-setting strategic choices. Harvard Business Review has talked to many of these high performers throughout the years to learn how their success translates to the world of business. If you read nothing else on management lessons from the world of sports, read these 10 articles by athletes, coaches, and leadership experts. We've combed through our archive and selected the articles that will best help you drive performance. This book will inspire you to: Improve on your weaknesses, not just your strengths Take care of your body for sustained mental performance Increase your confidence and manage your energy before an important event Turn a struggling team around Understand the limits of performance metrics Focus on long-term goals to overcome setbacks Understand where the analogy of sports and business doesn't work This collection of articles includes "Ferguson's Formula," by Anita Elberse with Sir Alex Ferguson; "Life's Work: An Interview with Greg Louganis"; "The Making of a Corporate Athlete," by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz; "The Tough Work of Turning a Team Around," by Bill Parcells; "How an Olympic Gold Medalist Learned to Perform Under Pressure: An Interview with Alex Gregory"; "Mental Preparation Secrets of Top Athletes, Entertainers, and Surgeons," an interview with Daniel McGinn by Sarah Green Carmichael; "SoulCycle's CEO on Sustaining Growth in a Faddish Industry," by Melanie Whelan; "Life's Work: An Interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar"; "Major League Innovation," by Scott D. Anthony; "Looking Past Performance in Your Star Talent," by Mark de Rond, Adrian Moorhouse, and Matt Rogan; "Life's Work: An Interview with Mikhail Baryshnikov"; "How the Best of the Best Get Better and Better," by Graham Jones; "Life's Work: An Interview with Joe Girardi"; "Why There Is an I in Team," by Mark de Rond; "Life's Work: An Interview with Andre Agassi"; and "Why Sports Are a Terrible Metaphor for Business," by Bill Taylor.

Praise for Team Players and Teamwork "In the new edition of Team Players and Teamwork Glenn Parker updates his landmark compendium on the essential effect of cross-functional teamwork to encompass the added complexities of globalization facing team leaders and team members in the twenty-first century. Anyone participating on or managing members of a cross-functional team will benefit from reading this essential guide to successful teamwork." -Jeffrey W. Warmke, vice president, global project management and leadership, Daiichi Sankyo Pharma Development "Glenn Parker has the unique combination of sound thinking and clear writing. In his recent version of Team Players and Teamwork he succeeds in taking this combination of skills to a higher level." -Sivasilam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan, president, Workshops by Thiagi, Inc. "Glenn's book is a must-read for team leaders and team members who are looking for a comprehensive set of tools and ideas to help teams perform more effectively. Glenn offers practical wisdom-based on years of first-hand experience-that is unparalleled in the field of team dynamics." -Robert Hoffman, executive director, organization development and talent management, oncology business unit, Norvartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation