The Teammate Tuesday Blog
Welcome to the Teammate Tuesday blog—Lance Loya’s collection of good teammate musings. These short, insightful pieces offer a unique glimpse into the art of being a good teammate. They are sure to improve teamwork and inspire you to become a better version of yourself.
8 Things That Don’t Matter to Good Teammates
To good teammates, mindsets matter. So do morals, manners, and motives. In fact, almost everything matters to good teammates—the optimal word being almost. Here are eight things that don’t matter to good teammates: 1. Who gets the credit. It...
The Not-So-OK Corral
The most famous shootout in American history happened on this week in 1881. Despite lasting a mere thirty seconds, the gunfight at the O.K. Corral turned Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday into household names. On a cold fall afternoon in the boomtown of...
The Giving Team
Sixty years ago this month, Harper & Row (HarperCollins) published the beloved children’s book The Giving Tree. When I think of books that illustrate important aspects of being a good teammate, this is a book that comes to mind. Written and...
My Friend Jerry
Charles Darwin said: “A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth.” I am certain Darwin was referring to my friend Jerry when he spoke those words. Several years ago, a man in his 70s approached me after a game I had coached. He...
Facilitating Cliques
Poor facilitation can cause the best intentions to unintentionally yield the worst results. This is especially true when it comes to team dynamics. My wife and I were at a restaurant Friday where a high school sports team had gathered for their...
Skunk Bear Don’t Care
“People watching” is one of my favorite pastimes. I love observing public interactions, picking up on peoples’ idiosyncrasies, and seeing how they express their personalities through their fashion. Sometimes, this practice allows me to meet...
Don’t Let the Bad Teammate In
Tomorrow night, NBC will air the two-hour concert special Toby Keith: American Icon. The event was taped at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee on June 28 during a star-studded tribute to the country music singer-songwriter, who passed...
The Back-To-School Bully Blues
Schools where I live returned to classes this week. Yesterday, my daughters filmed their annual “First day of school and we’re gonna be good teammates this year” video—a family tradition ever since my children’s book Be a Good Teammate was first...
Infusing Olympism
The games of the XXXIII Olympiad are nearing their end. More than 11,000 athletes from over 200 countries made their way to Paris to compete in the world’s preeminent sporting event. I enjoy following the Olympics. Like many of you, I find myself...
Cricket Teammates
A few months ago, I started sharing short videos on social media featuring unique insights about the art of being a good teammate. The videos, aptly named “Good Teammate Insights,” have been steadily gaining attention. I was trying to record an...