Babe Ruth was one of the greatest baseball players of all time. His record of 714 home runs remained unbroken for decades until Hank Aaron finally surpassed him. The Babe was the idol of sports fans but, in time, age took its toll, and his popularity began to wane. Finally, the Yankees traded him to the Braves.

In one of his last games in Cincinnati, Babe Ruth began to falter. He struck out and made several misplays that allowed the Reds to score five runs in one inning. As the Babe walked toward the dugout, chin down and dejected, there rose from the stands an enormous storm of boos and catcalls. Some fans actually shook their fists. Then a wonderful thing happened. A little boy jumped over the railing and, with tears streaming down his cheeks, he ran out to the great athlete. Unashamedly, he flung his arms around the Babe’s legs and held on tightly. Babe Ruth scooped him up, hugged him, and set him down again. Patting him gently on the head, he took his hand and the two of them walked off the field together.

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Early in my career, I worked for a boss who, every time he returned from vacation, measured the productivity of his staff by the number of reports and memos he had waiting from each person. It didn’t take long for his staff to realize if you wanted to impress upon him that you had worked hard in his absence all you had to do was fill his inbox with reams of paper.

My boss, like a professor who grades term papers by their weight, mistook activity for achievement. What’s worse, his actions encouraged his people to spend time on the useless exercise of papering his inbox. It became a game people played to pacify a misguided manager.

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A great man once said, “Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.” The man credited for uttering those words? Dr. Seuss.

But how right was the author of those wonderful children’s books? In my estimation, he hit the nail on the head.

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One of the traits I think is important in a leader is consistency. It’s not always easy to assess in job candidates, but it certainly shows itself (or not) over time. Webster’s defines consistency this way: “steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.”

A consistent leader has a steadfast adherence to the same principles each and every day. It doesn’t matter the situation in which he finds himself, the response will be guided by a core set of values that is predictable by the people who follow him. Nor does it matter who his followers are — he’s the same to all audiences. There’s an authenticity to a consistent leader that others can see and feel. read more…

Last week, I had occasion to return to Chicago, which was my stomping grounds for nearly a decade in the 1990s and early 2000s. While I was there, I spent time with a former colleague, reminiscing about the good old days. We were both still in our 20s when we began working together nearly 20 years ago.

I was amazed at how quickly the two of us were able to catch up talking about our respective families and careers. Here’s a guy I’ve only seen a handful of times in the past decade, yet it was like I had seen him just yesterday. With the formalities of families and jobs behind us, our discussion turned to storytelling about our time together at a company that shall go unnamed.

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Recently, I wrote about the importance of consistent, dedicated effort on a daily basis, quoting Woody Allen, “90 percent of success is showing up.” Some might ask, as they have, “Doesn’t it take more than having your butt in a chair?”

Of course it does. Consider a student with perfect attendance. She’s at school each and every day attending classes. But if she isn’t engaged and willing to learn, making an effort by doing her work, she’s not going to be successful. The same is true of any employee. Showing up is the first step and, according to Woody Allen, it gets you 90 percent of the way to success.

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If you spent any time at all watching the 2012 Summer Olympics, you undoubtedly noticed young Gabby Douglas. Gabby is a 16-year-old U.S. gymnast who won a gold medal in both the individual and team all-around competitions. The charismatic teenager is now featured on the front of Corn Flakes cereal boxes.

So, how does a mere teenager reach the pinnacle of her sport? That’s what I was wondering, so I dug a little deeper. At age 14, Gabby moved from Virginia to Iowa to train under renowned coach Liang Chow. Notice I didn’t say the Douglas family moved to Iowa. No, Gabby made the move by herself and lived with a host family in Des Moines. She was just 14!

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I was watching a movie recently in which the lead character was up for a prestigious award. While she was visiting an elderly shut-in, the subject of the award came up. The shut-in confidently stated that the woman deserved to win the award. But the nominee wasn’t certain she was worthy of such recognition, so she questioned the elderly woman. “Why do you think so?” the nominee asked. “Because you just show up and that is to be commended” came the certain response.

You see, to the elderly shut-in, nothing was more important than having someone show up each and every day. The fact that the woman delivered her meals each day was probably less important than the company she provided.

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There is no “I” in team, but there is a “me.” How many times have you heard someone utter that phrase tongue-in-cheek? I’m sure it has been at least a time or two.

Now think for a moment, have you ever worked with someone who really does put the “me” in team? My guess is that one or two people come to mind. I know I have worked with one or two and it’s not a lot of fun.

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I’m not much of a golfer. In fact, I’m no golfer at all. But my youngest son has caught golf fever and, as a result, I got to watch the final round of the British Open on television. The golf didn’t interest me as much as the mental aspects of what transpired.

If you didn’t see it, Adam Scott had a four stroke lead with four holes to play. He had just birdied hole number 14 to extend his lead and had been playing brilliantly all day. He looked to have the victory in hand.

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