Tag Archives: Cooperation

Never close your lips to those to whom you have opened your heart

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“Never close your lips to those to whom you have opened your heart.”

—Charles Dickens, 19th Century English writer & social critic

Image of a man and woman in a coffee shop

Image from rawpixel on Unsplash

The alchemy of relationships, particularly close, caring relationships, is very special. Things like trust, respect, cooperation, and love aren’t so easily captured and kept in good repair.

One way to keep and enhance these heartfelt relationships thriving is to place considerable value and time in open and authentic dialogue, in which each party wishes to forward the relationship and the other individual.

When disagreement and conflict occur it is not the time to withdraw and slip into silence. This form of silence can be a death blow to a previously heart-warming relationship.

EXERCISE:

What current personal or professional relationship is most in need of open dialogue to keep and expand the open-heart feelings that may be slipping away?

Vital to Every Operation is Cooperation

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“Vital to every operation is cooperation.”

—Frank Tyger, Editorial Cartoonist

Image of a team

Image from BK Forex

What do elite Navy Seals, your favorite sports team, and a top surgical team have in common?

They are all examples of the impact and synergy of cooperation.

In these situations, the acronym TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) couldn’t be more appropriate and true.

I experienced this personally in the writing of my book, The Quotable Coach: Daily Nuggets of Personal Wisdom. Those helping me pull off this project included hundreds of people such as family, friends, editors, loyal readers, and of course, the insightful minds of those quoted.

EXERCISE:

Where is a booster shot of cooperation and teamwork required to pull off some vital operation in your world?

A Single Leaf Working Alone Provides No Shade

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“A single leaf working alone provides no shade.”

—Chuck Page, American Politician

Image of a single leaf along with today's quote

We’ve all heard phrases such as:

“It takes team work to make the dream work,” and “Together everyone achieves more. (TEAM)”

Instead of responding with “I know,” “Of course,” or “DUH!,” I suggest we each take a moment to revisit the idea more closely.

Most would agree that cooperation, collaboration, dialogue, alignment, and agreement are virtuous interpersonal qualities and characteristics.

How often do you exhibit these qualities rather than preferring to be “right,” go it alone, or perhaps actually undermine the efforts of those around you?

It’s OK to do an honest assessment of the personal tendencies we all prefer to hide and keep to ourselves.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can you put your personal or professional agenda aside and join the other leaves on your tree of life to achieve more of the extraordinary outcomes you desire?