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“Great teams are made when they are forged in the fire of conflict, and through confrontation they come out stronger.” – Michael Gervais

In order to be a great team, there needs to be challenge. Overcoming obstacles is the best way to build a strong team. It will (ultimately) bring the team together and give them confidence the next time that they are facing a difficult situation.

One important barrier that teams must constantly face and overcome is having difficult conversations with the team. Whether this is disagreeing with each other when it comes to taking the next action step, or calling team members out/holding them accountable for something that they said they would take care of but didn’t, facing this conflict head on can be very difficult.

In going from a good team to a great team, team members cannot be afraid to bring up difficult discussions and they must be willing to be uncomfortable for the greater good of the team.

This is easier said than done because most people (myself included) don’t like conflict, so we try everything we can to avoid it. But if you do this, it will lead to mediocrity. As long as you’re not name-calling and as long as the person you’re questioning knows that you’re disagreeing with them for the greater good of the team, then it will help the team move forward. Healthy conflict with team members you love and trust is necessary to become great.

Arrogance is the one of the ugliest character traits that anyone can have. If you are arrogant, you exaggerate your own worth and have a sense of superiority compared to those around you.

How can you overcome arrogance? Practice humility regularly.

C.S. Lewis said that “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it’s thinking of yourself less.” Stop only thinking about yourself – there are always other people that will be affected by your decisions.

Once you become self-aware enough to realize that you’re not as important as you think you are, you have a chance to learn from others. Understand that you don’t know all of the answers. Take ownership when things don’t go according to plan instead of pointing fingers. Try hard things that push you out of your comfort zone and allow you to “fail” regularly. Stop saying “I” and start saying “we” when you or your team are having success. And realize that nobody is completely self-made. Everyone has at least one person in their corner who has been a positive influence in their life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.” Take this same mindset and apply it to your life. You can learn something from anyone. They have more knowledge or experience than you in something. Stop being arrogant and start being more open-minded. LISTEN to others. You will go further in life (and be better liked) if you can add a little humility and remove arrogance from it.

Listen and ask questions. “We have two ears and one mouth so we can listen twice as much as we speak.” – Epictetus

“Kind words do not cost much, yet they accomplish much.” – Blaise Pascal

The more joy that you can spread, the better the world will be. Don’t choose to be mad, sad, or grumpy. Don’t choose to be indifferent or standoffish. Choose to brighten someone else’s day. Hopefully they can do the same for someone else and begin a chain reaction. If you everyone started being nicer to each other, the world would be a better place.

Don’t ever catch yourself saying, “I deserve…”

Whenever I hear that phrase it immediately triggers me. You may want something, you may have worked hard for something, but you don’t “deserve” anything. That feeling – the feeling of entitlement – leads to dangerous mindset. Once you start feeling entitled, you begin to appreciate things less and take what you have for granted. Suddenly, what you have isn’t a blessing, but a right to have it. Instead of feeling grateful, you feel unsatisfied. A sense of entitlement can lead to a rotten life.

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” – Benjamin Disraeli

“Happiness is not ready made. It comes from your own actions.” – Dalai Lama

“Happiness is not a goal, it is a byproduct.” – Eleanor Roosevelt

“Happiness is like a butterfly…the more you chase it, the more it will evade you, but if you notice the other things around you, it will gently come and sit on your shoulder.” – Henry David Thoreau

Be happy with what you have, but don’t be satisfied. Stay hungry. Keep striving for better (and remember that more and better are not synonymous). Do not take for granted how lucky you truly are.