Great Teams Don’t Happen by Accident — Leaders Build Them 🏗️🌟

Leaders never want their teams to believe that the only way something will get done right is if they do it themselves. When that happens, trust erodes, burnout rises, and the organization becomes dependent on a single pair of hands instead of the collective strength of the team.

That’s why hiring right, training right, and building team spirit right aren’t optional — they’re the foundation of everything that follows.

Hiring right is both a science and an art. The science is selecting the right people for the right reasons. The art is making sure they fit the team they’re joining — not just in skill, but in attitude, values, and the way they show up for others.

Training right means more than teaching tasks. It’s giving people time to practice, coaching them as they discover their strengths, and helping them build confidence in what they can contribute. Training is where expectations become habits.

Building team spirit is where it all comes together. It’s the moment new employees begin to see themselves as part of something bigger — working with a shared purpose, watching each other’s backs, and learning how to win together.

That’s why the full 90‑day onboarding experience matters so much. It’s not a checklist. It’s a developmental runway. It’s where individuals learn how their skills blend with and complement the skills of the people around them. Daily practice, continuous coaching, and catching people doing things right create the muscle memory that leads to great habits.

Of course, even the best leaders make hiring mistakes. When someone struggles to fit, coaching comes first. Sometimes a team change helps. Sometimes it doesn’t. But waiting too long risks letting someone drift into isolation — and no one wins alone.

Because when teamwork and team spirit take hold, performance soars. Employees thrive. Customers feel the difference. Whether you’re winning hockey games or beating business competitors, the truth is the same: success belongs to the team that works — and wins — together today.

George Washington (1732 - 1799): American commander of the Continental Army, Founding Father, first president of the United States, and commonly known as the Father of the Nation.  

When You Invest in People, They Build the Future 🏗️🔧🌟

Before The Mirage opened, we were told to brace ourselves.

Experts predicted it could take a year before operations stabilized. We were warned to expect no‑shows, inconsistent communication, system glitches, policy confusion, and high turnover. In other words: prepare for chaos.

We chose a different path.

Instead of obsessing over what might go wrong, we doubled down on what could go right. We hired for attitude and trained for skill. We treated employees like guests. We invested heavily in new‑hire training. We communicated simply and consistently. And from day one, we made it a habit to catch people doing things right.

The results were undeniable.

Ninety‑eight percent of the people we offered jobs to accepted — and showed up. Our training investment paid off with higher‑than‑expected productivity and customer service. Clear communication kept everyone aligned. Trust grew quickly. And on the first anniversary of opening, nearly 90% of the original staff were still with us.

By six months, the property was humming. By twelve, business was so strong that Steve Wynn announced plans to build another 3,000 rooms to meet demand. That expansion led to Treasure Island less than four years later, and Bellagio — the first multi‑billion‑dollar resort — four years after that.

Here’s the part that mattered most:

Those new properties were staffed largely through promotion from within. Growth created opportunity, and opportunity created loyalty.

From the Golden Nugget to Mirage, Treasure Island, and Bellagio, we grew to 54,000 employees. They weren’t just part of the brand — they were the brand. Buildings attract guests once. Great employees bring them back.

We amplified what was great in our people. And they amplified the company in return. That message mattered then, and it still matters today.

Brendon Burchard (born 1977):  American high-performance coach, motivational speaker, podcaster, and author who has coached presidents, Olympians, and the Dalai Lama. 

Make It So Your Workforce Can Be Seen and Heard 🎯

Long before the crowds lined up outside The Mirage, long before the volcano erupted on cue or the white tigers took their place on stage, there was a quieter worry sitting in the back of my mind.

Everything about this project was enormous — the building, the expectations, the stakes. But the biggest challenge wasn’t the size of the resort. It was the size of the workforce. Thousands of new employees, many brand‑new to the company, some brand new to Las Vegas, all stepping into a company that promised to be different. My fear was simple: if we didn’t give them structure, clarity, and connection from day one, the scale of the place would swallow them whole.

So, we started small.

We broke every department into groups, each one no more than twenty employees. Each group had a leader — someone they met on day one, sat with at orientation, trained with, toured with, leaned on. In a building designed to impress millions, we created pockets of twenty where people could breathe, ask questions, and build trust. It made the Mirage feel human‑sized.

Then we did something even more radical. We told managers that if they asked employees to do something, they had to be ready to explain why. And if they couldn’t, employees had permission to say no. It wasn’t rebellion — it was discipline. It forced managers to plan, communicate, and think. It built respect faster than any memo ever could.

And we doubled down on the belief that employee satisfaction drives guest satisfaction. So, we built a back‑of‑house that matched the front. The nicest restaurant on the property wasn’t for guests — it was the staff dining room. We wanted employees to feel valued the moment they walked in the door, because people who feel valued take better care of guests.

We paid attention to what mattered early, because we knew that if we didn’t, we’d spend far more time later trying to fix what we ignored.

Starting strong isn’t a luxury — it’s the foundation for everything that follows. Plan well. Think critically. Set priorities with intention. Treat people right from the beginning.

Do it early so you don’t lose momentum today.

David Allen (born 1945):  American bestselling author and executive coach who specializes in personal and organizational productivity.

When Vision 🏔️ Turns Doubters Into Believers 🚀

The Mirage wasn’t just another opening — it was the first new casino Las Vegas had seen in 17 years. The city had been waiting for something bold, something that broke the pattern. Steve Wynn believed the time had come. A $650 million price tag. A promise of a new standard. A vision so ambitious that even seasoned operators wondered if the market could sustain it.

And the doubters were loud. A property that needed to generate more than a million dollars a day in revenue? Impossible, they said. Unsustainable. Reckless.

But inside the organization, Wynn’s conviction was steadying. He made you feel like the impossible was simply the next logical step. So we focused. We prepared. We built something we believed in.

Opening day — Wednesday, November 22, 1989 — arrived with a kind of electricity you could feel in your chest. The day before, Wynn worried the crowd might be too small. By 5 p.m., at the ribbon‑cutting with Siegfried and Roy and their white tigers, nearly 35,000 people were pressed against the entrance, waiting to see if the inside matched the spectacle of the volcano outside.

By midnight, more than 55,000 had poured through the doors.

At one point, Wynn turned and asked — only half joking — whether we should install turnstiles to control the surge. That’s how overwhelming the demand was. That’s how clearly the market answered the doubters.

And the million‑dollar‑a‑day question? The casino hit it. Consistently.

That opening didn’t just validate the vision — it ignited a building boom. New resorts, new jobs, new residents, new neighborhoods. For nearly two decades, Las Vegas expanded on the belief that if you build something extraordinary, people will come.

We tried to become better than we were, and suddenly everyone else was doing the same. That’s the quiet power of leadership: when you raise your standards, the world around you rises too.

Dream big. Back your vision with a real plan and a team that believes. And then step forward with courage today.

Paulo Coelho de Souza (born 1947): Brazilian lyricist, novelist (The Alchemist), and a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters.

Success Hides What You Don’t See Coming🔥

The night The Mirage opened, the energy on the Strip felt different — louder, brighter, almost vibrating. Crowds pressed in from every direction. Cameras flashed. The world was watching. And inside, we were running on adrenaline, pride, and the quiet hope that all our planning would hold.

For the most part, it did. But success has a way of hiding the things you don’t see coming.

The first sign came from something almost funny. Our brand‑new electronic room‑key system was designed to alert bellmen the moment a guest entered their room so bags could be delivered instantly. It was flawless in testing. But on opening night, guests were so mesmerized by the casino — the décor, the volcano, the atrium — that they wandered around for an hour before activating the sensor. The system waited patiently. The bellmen not so much. Technology perfect. Human behavior unpredictable.

Then things got less funny.

The casino was so packed that the slot team couldn’t empty machines fast enough. Coins piled up. Hoppers jammed. And then someone said the words no one expected to hear: “We’re out of coins.” An emergency run to the Denver Mint became the only solution.

And then came the gut punch. Our brand‑new HR/Payroll system — months in development — had a programming flaw. The first paychecks were wrong. Then the second. We shut it down immediately and hired 65 accounting clerks to run payroll manually for 8 months while waiting for a new system. Humbling doesn’t begin to describe it.

Other issues surfaced too — like realizing our warehouse couldn’t hold the food and beverage volume needed for the crowds. Forty refrigerated trailers lined the property until we could expand it.

Success felt incredible. But it also revealed every blind spot we didn’t know we had.

That’s the part success never teaches: to step back, stay humble, over‑communicate, and always build backup plans. Success can make you feel invincible — right up until it reminds you you’re not.

Stay alert. Fall back when needed. And be ready to respond today.

Bill Gates (born 1955): American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the software company Microsoft in 1975 with his childhood friend Paul Allen.

Enthusiasm Isn’t Optional for Leaders🔥

If you’re a leader, this quote is for you. Because no matter how you feel, your team takes its cues from you. In business, enthusiasm isn’t optional — it’s part of the job.

The tone and cadence of every shift you lead is shaped by the behaviors you model.

·     Excitement: If you’re not glad to be there, they won’t be either — and customers will feel it. Research from Gallup shows that teams with engaged, energized leaders see up to 23% higher customer satisfaction.

·    Inspiration: Your attitude should make people want to try hard and be their best. A simple “walk‑through pep talk” before a shift can lift performance by 10–15%, according to hospitality training studies.

·         Motivation: Leaders keep the team aware, attentive, and actively engaged. Something as small as noticing a detail (“Let’s reset this area before the rush”) signals standards and raises accountability.

·       Creativity: Every moment can be made special — and for someone, it is. A handwritten note, a quick role‑play, or a fun micro‑challenge (“Who can greet the most guests by name?”) can shift the entire mood.

You’re not there just to push paperwork and monitor budgets. Those tasks matter, but they’re not leadership. Get them done quickly so you can be with your team — walking the sidelines, reading the room, shaping the energy, coaching with color commentary, and yes, cheerleading.

Managing people is a full‑time, full‑contact sport. Even if you don’t get that same support from your own boss, this is the role you must play. It’s where numbers improve, projects move, and sentiment shifts. It’s where enthusiasm has its greatest impact.

Show up with excitement, inspiration, motivation, and creativity.

Play the part fully — and play it today.

Bo Bennett (born 1972): American entrepreneur (Archieboy Holdings), adjunct professor (psychology), author, screenplay writer, podcast host, success coach, and business consultant.

Respect 🏅 Lasts. Attention 📢 Fades.

We’ve all known people who chase attention — some for good reasons, others for purely self‑serving ones. Attention can draw a crowd, but respect will build a legacy.

Attention is cheap. Anyone can get it by being loud, dramatic, or compromising their values. But it fades as quickly as it arrives.

Respect is expensive. It’s earned slowly through consistency, character, and competence.

Knowing which one you value says everything about your integrity. It takes real self‑confidence to resist the lure of attention and stay grounded in what’s best for you, your colleagues, and your organization. It’s better to be overlooked for being authentic than celebrated for being someone you’re not.

Once you trade respect for attention, the cost is steep:

·       Dependence: You must keep performing to stay relevant.

·       Reputation damage: People may look at you, but they won’t look up to you.

·       Loss of credibility: Respect, once lost, is hard to recover.

Self‑respect acts as a filter. When you prioritize it, you naturally distance yourself from people who only value you for what you provide or how you entertain them. The attention you do receive comes from the right people, for the right reasons.

In leadership and business, attention without respect creates notoriety — a liability. Respect creates authority and influence — the foundation of a sustainable career.

Don’t be seduced by applause or empty praise. Be the person who respects themselves and others. Be proud of that and get noticed for the right reasons today.

Melanie Lee Robbins (born 1968) is an American author, podcast host, and lawyer. Robbins gained recognition for her TEDx talk, 'How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over'.