Yesterday I joined a team of directors.

The people are all people I know and respect, but I don’t know them well, nor do I know how they work together as a team.

Since I know that I can be socially awkward, especially when I am a little nervous I’m looking for suggestions to help make the transition smooth. The Bible gives some wise advice that I am embracing:

If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 1

Try to live at peace with everyone! Live a clean life. 2

Some of you know me better than others.  
- Some of you are my closest friends and family.
- Some of you have known me for years; and others for a short time.
- Still; others of you only know me by what you read.  

So, to each of you let me take a moment to reveal something about myself.

If there is one thing I am most proud of in my life — one trait that I am want most to be known for — it’s that I am unpretentious. I am genuine.  
WYSIWIR: What you see is what is real.

As Major League Baseball’s Spring Training ended each team made decisions about problem players.  They asked and answered:
“Do his assets exceed the sum total of his deficits?” 
“Do his strengths outweigh his weaknesses?” 

Your workplace has the same challenges.  Building a team of competent employees is a challenge.

You can’t change someone’s personality, but you can implement strategies to help them perform professionally and more competently while on the job.

Most Common Types Of Problem People And Strategies To Help Them Succeed: 1

The non-communicative person.
Ask open questions that force her to explain what she thinks.

Tom Coughlin, head coach of the Super Bowl winning New York Giants, spoke about the importance of having a player like quarterback Eli Manning in a leadership role for the Giants.

The New York Times quoted Coughlin: “Eli stood up in the team meeting the other day and said a lot of things that were responded to not only by the young kids, but by the veterans as well…I think that the information gathering and sharing of information from someone who has been there and succeeded, that can be extremely valuable.”

A clutch play is a moment in time when what needs to happen happens when it’s most needed. Clutch plays don’t just happen in sports.  Clutch plays happen in the lunchroom, living room, boardroom, and bedroom.

We can count on her. She has poise.
He produces in the clutch. He’s reliable.

Be careful not to count on previous reliability.

Previous Success Doesn’t Guarantee Future Success

This past Sunday the former Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch dropped two passes, and former Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady threw an interception, missed an open receiver and looked panicked.  They play for the New England Patriots, and lost.

Did you watch the Super Bowl?

Here’s a short summary:
Eli Manning was poised.  
Tom Brady looked panicked.
Aaron Hernandez dropped two passes.  
Mario Manningham caught the one that mattered most.

As you can imagine Manning and Manningham play for the Super Bowl winning New York Giants.

Winners Win

NFL players are generally assumed to be the best players in their sport in the world.  While some would argue that the Giants and the New England Patriots were not great teams, they were successful and won when it mattered most.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this week Shawn White road the GREATEST snowboard run in recorded history!  Watch it!

In honor of Shawn White’s courage and determination and hard work, if you want to have a Gold-Medal winning friendship I’ve got some advice. 

“Wait a minute!”  I know, this week I’m writing about Pro Bowl quality friendships, but I’m diverting the metaphor for today.

I know mixing my metaphors is a no-no, but he got a perfect score!

Locate The Trouble Spot – Try to assess what has gone wrong. Ask yourself, “How did we get into this mess?”

My Nook Color to Android Tablet Challenge has been the third time I completed the task.

My mission was to bless my dad with the same options to expand his Nook Color’s power as I was enjoying. The bonus was that I was able to offer you, mysilentscream readers, the secrets to my success.

As I finish this week I’m left with a desire to share four truths about completing a project. I’ve been blessed with many good role models, high expectations and caring support, but with that in mind I know that when I take on a challenge I still have to do the work.

Yesterday I wrote about my determination to maximize the capabilities of my new Nook Color [NC]. Commenter Angi of peepsarecool complained about the cliffhanger.  Sorry about that everyone.  As I replied, “Would it help if it’s a tale of woe, angst, fear, failure and ultimately success?  It’s like many classic novels.”  =D

Thanks for reading, and now back to our tale of woe and Nook.

Since I was unwilling and a bit timid about the possibility of turning my gift into garbage I read extensively about the ways to mod a NC by booting the Android Operating system from an SD memory card.

My wife Amy and I love to read.  In the Spring I bought Amy a Kindle book reader.  Amy didn’t need a touch screen, so the Kindle with a 6″ display with a non-glare screen and great battery life was perfect for her.  She loves it.

Amy read on her Kindle outside in the backyard all Spring, Summer and Fall while enjoying the garden without any inconvenient glare.

A couple years ago I found a great deal on an Android phone.  I thought I would like it’s touch-screen.  I liked a touch-screen even more than I thought I would.  Frankly, I’m not certain I can easily ever have a phone without a touch screen again.