Basketball - Reinventing Ourselves

Fragility is real. Nassim Taleb wrote Antifragility, which discusses systems that improve under stress.

Teams struggle with fragility - fatigue, injury, mismatched parts. The long season exposes most. Ray Dalio compares it to evolution. 

Evolution is 'antifragile' because it "rewards" organisms able to adapt to their environments.

Basketball is literally not the same game created by Naismith. Rules changes, player development, strength and conditioning, injury and load management - everything changes.

Arguments exist that even postseason basketball is not the same as regular season basketball. The intensity is high and the game is officiated differently. 

AI can provide some clarity:

“Price makes news” a market term applied to officiating

Fans say:

“Refs are letting them play”

But what’s actually happening:

• Players play more physically
• Contact increases
• Fouls stay similar
• Marginal calls feel different

The narrative becomes:

“Playoff whistle is different”

Clean synthesis

Officiating doesn’t change as much as the environment around it.

The best way to make our teams "antifragile" is creating depth, in which "redundancy" allows for more rest, better performance at the margins, and a smaller dropoff with fouls, fatigue, injury. The best teams and coaches "evolve" during the second season. 

Lagniappe. Learn to use different AI engines for different work. ChatGPT does well (in my experience) with systems, analogy, and philosophy. Gemini and Pilot (products from Google and Microsoft) work especially well with components of their ecosystems. Claude.ai (from Anthropic) has a reputation for superior writing and editing. 

What we "get" from AI (a 'hallucination') isn't always correct and varies widely with the "prompt" - our request for AI information. Here's a three paragraph take on fragility and playoff basketball from Claude.ai. 

Taleb's central insight in Antifragile is that some systems don't merely withstand stress and volatility — they actually improve because of it. Basketball, particularly playoff basketball, is a near-perfect laboratory for this idea. Teams that have been battle-tested through adversity during the regular season — injuries forcing role players into expanded roles, losing streaks demanding tactical adjustments, close games requiring late-game execution — often arrive at the playoffs more antifragile than teams that cruised through an easy schedule. The chaos didn't just not break them; it made them better. The 2016 Golden State Warriors, for all their regular-season dominance, were arguably less antifragile than the Cavaliers that year — Cleveland had been forged in difficulty, and when the series got genuinely hard, they had the adaptive capacity to come back from 3-1.

The playoff format itself is an antifragility engine. A seven-game series is specifically designed to introduce enough variance and stress that the more resilient team — not just the more talented one — tends to emerge. Stochastic shocks (a star getting hurt, a referee call shifting momentum, a hostile road crowd) separate teams that respond and adapt from teams that crack. Coaches who are antifragile thinkers — Doc Rivers in his prime, Gregg Popovich, Erik Spoelstra — actually use adversity as information, adjusting schemes mid-series in ways that make their team progressively harder to beat as a series extends. Teams that rely on a single system or a single star are, in Taleb's framework, fragile — one disruption and the whole structure collapses.

At the player level, antifragility distinguishes good players from great ones. Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Nikola Jokić share the quality of playing better when the game is hardest — when defenses load up, when the moment is biggest, when fatigue accumulates. Taleb would call this the opposite of a "turkey" — an entity that mistakes an absence of visible stress for permanent safety. Fragile players have great regular seasons and disappear in the playoffs (see: countless "regular season All-Stars"). Antifragile players treat the increased pressure of playoff basketball not as a burden but as the very condition that unlocks a higher level of their game. The playoffs don't reveal character so much as they reveal structure — and Taleb's framework gives us a precise vocabulary for what we're actually watching when we see who rises and who wilts.

Leadership Principles That Work for Basketball

"Good artists borrow; great artists steal." - Picasso

I'm here for that... Check out Dr. Connolly's 14 Principles

Dr. Fergus Connolly has worked with top organizations across business,  military special forces, and sport. 

Read his PRINCIPLES carefully and consider how to use them. These three resonated for me: 

1. "Protect your attention ruthlessly. Not every distraction deserves a response." (The ability to focus is a superpower.) It works in the classroom and on the court. It's a vital element of coaching and coachability. 

We can't "multitask" efficiently. A computer's processor allows it to switch rapidly between multiple tasks. The human brain cannot. That's a reason why sports psychologist Bob Rotella tells golfers not to work on mechanics during competition. Focus on the task at hand. 

2. "Win through better reasoning, not louder voices." There's an old saying that "an empty barrel makes the loudest noise." Others have said it well, like Shakespeare:

Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5, “It is a tale, Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.” 

Volume isn't validation.

Learn what to embrace and what to ignore, separating signal from noise. 

3. "How you speak to yourself determines your capacity to lead."

The voice we hear most often is our own. Our attitude, choices, and effort flow from our ability to filter and apply from that firehose of information. Nobody can drink from a firehose. Sorting allows us to transform thoughts into action. "I should work out today" becomes "I'm working out when others are not." 

Lagniappe. "As a grandfather, I consider it my right and responsibility to dispense hard-earned wisdom, whether it’s requested or not." - General Stanley McChrystal in "Character"

Lagniappe 2. Make it happen. 

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A post shared by Sam Martin (@sammartinpeakperformance)

  

Do "Pep Talks" Work?

Why can we remember "art" better than "life" sometimes? What inspirational messages do you remember from your playing or coaching days? 

One I remember vividly was after a two point loss to the defending state champions. Coach Ellis Lane read us the riot act for about 45 minutes. He told us that we lost because their jerseys said, "LEXINGTON..." and that "the better team lost." The message wasn't that we were losers but that we choked because we didn't believe in ourselves. He told us "WE won't lose to them again."

In the rematch, we crushed them 70-52 at their gym. You could hear a pin drop in the fourth quarter. And in the Sectional Final, we beat them in overtime in Boston Garden. Belief is powerful. 

What matters more, the "professionalism" of doing everything the right way - at home, in school, on the court - or artificial injection of connection and confidence? 

Coach Mike Krzyzewski of the US Men's National Team asked the team to take a moment to think about what it would be like to stand before the Olympic Final. He told them to reflect on the one person who was most responsible for helping them get to that moment. He dismissed them. When they returned to their rooms, each had their Olympic uniform laid out on their bed. Imagine that moment. 

Do pregame "Pep Talks" make a difference? Here's AI input: 

The concept of the "pregame speech" is a staple of sports cinema, but in reality, its effectiveness depends heavily on arousal regulation—the science of getting an athlete’s heart rate and focus into the "sweet spot" for performance.

1. The Anatomy of a Great Pep Talk

According to Motivating Language Theory (MLT), an effective talk generally balances three specific types of communication:

• Direction-Giving (Uncertainty Reduction): Clarifying the plan. "We focus on the transition game; we stick to the man-to-man defense." This reduces anxiety by providing a sense of control.

• Empathetic Language (The "We" Factor): Acknowledging the difficulty of the task and the bond of the team. This builds social cohesion.

• Meaning-Making (The "Why"): Connecting the game to a larger purpose or legacy. This is where the "Churchill-esque" rhetoric lives.

2. Is There Evidence It Works?

The short answer is yes, but with a "decay" factor.

• The Psychological Boost: Studies in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology suggest that motivational speeches can increase self-efficacy (the belief that one can succeed). High self-efficacy is one of the strongest predictors of athletic performance.

• The Physiological Response: A high-energy speech triggers the sympathetic nervous system, releasing adrenaline and increasing heart rate. For sports requiring explosive power or aggression (like football or sprinting), this "up-regulation" is beneficial.

• The Over-Arousal Trap: For sports requiring fine motor skills or high concentration (like golf, archery, or even quarterbacking), an intense pep talk can actually decrease performance by causing "noise" in the nervous system and tightening muscles.

3. Sustainability of "Competitive Fury"

Competitive fury is a high-octane fuel, but it has a very small tank.

• Biological Limits: The "adrenaline dump" experienced during a high-intensity speech usually lasts between 15 to 30 minutes. Once the initial surge wears off, athletes often experience a "crash" or a period of emotional exhaustion.

• Cognitive Narrowing: Intense fury narrows focus. While great for running through a wall, it is terrible for making complex tactical adjustments. If a team relies solely on "fire," they often struggle in the second half when the game shifts from emotion to execution.

• The "Habituation" Problem: If a coach gives a "speech of a lifetime" every Tuesday, the brain stops responding. The most sustainable performance comes from intrinsic motivation and consistent habits, not external emotional spikes.

The Verdict

The best leaders—much like Fergus Connolly might argue—don't rely on "fire and brimstone" to create fury. They use the pregame moment to operationalize wisdom: reducing the chaos of the game into 2-3 actionable cues that the team can execute even when the initial adrenaline fades.

I was never responsible for "consequential" pregame messages. What were the most memorable and meaningful messages I gave? 

1. To Cecilia Kay (current A-10 player) - "You're the best player I ever coached. It's good that you're moving on to other coaches who can take you further." She became a Boston Globe and Boston Herald "Dream Team" player. 

2. To an eighth grade team - "You don't play for me. Don't play for the city, your school, or your family. Play for the girls next to you." 

3. After a devastating loss (as an assistant) - "That was unacceptable effort. How you play is how you live your life." About six months later a player came up to me saying, "That how you play reflects how you live you life" stuff really got to me." 

4. At a breakup dinner for middle school girls (as an assistant) - "There's a famous quote from a legendary football coach (Amos Alonzo Stagg) asked about his team. "Ask me in twenty years and I'll be able to give you a better answer." So far, so good. 

5. Our best player (Samantha Dewey, Richmond, A-10) was out with a family obligation and we were playing a rival in the second game of a back-to-back, having won the first by two points. I asked the girls, "Sam isn't here. Make one more play each, get one more rebound each. Do that and you succeed." A substantial underdog, we won. "One more." 

Messages work when they stick. They stick when they're simple, credible, specific, and emotional. 

Lagniappe. Make it about service.  

Most people think leadership is about control.

But the best leaders know it’s about service.

It means leading with your heart and with a selfless mindset 👇 pic.twitter.com/vQ6s1mrCxk

— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) April 24, 2026

Lagniappe 2. Chris Oliver shares. 

😍 this zone action.

Get the ball into the middle of the zone with
✔️ Pass to wing
✔️ Wing balls screen
✔️ Wing to top pass
✔️ Roller cuts into space pic.twitter.com/sg95KkaGyW

— Chris Oliver (@BBallImmersion) April 17, 2026

 

Basketball - "Big Time" and Neighborly Advice

"Make the big time where you are." Don't worry about the next job to the exclusion of doing this one well. 

Service separates "theory" from practice. Our "coaching practice" spans a variety of areas - player development, test scores, letters of recommendation, or physical metrics like vertical jump, bench press, or timed mile.

We are judged daily by our character and competence. 

Separate ourself with excellence in servant leadership. 

Blend Greenleaf's "servant leadership" with core philosophies. 

• Serve the community.
• Model excellence. 
• Develop new leaders.  

As coaches, we are the keepers of the story and an architect for dreams. 

That's the same regardless of the venue. Give the kids and the programs our best. 

"Don't let what you can't do interfere with what you can."

Development is hard. Winning is hard. Do hard better. 

Lagniappe. Correcting mistakes separates excellent from good. Great advice from Mike Neighbors.

Coaches: This is simply one of the best coaching ( and leadership) articles I have ever read from my friend @Coachneighbors, the newest assistant of the @DallasWings. I am going to read it three more times today. https://t.co/mguGJE9qIQ via @NYTimes

— Fran Fraschilla (@franfraschilla) March 28, 2026

Circular Thinking: The Loop That Kills Learning

We say we want the truth. Most of the time, we settle for something easier, a story that sounds good but explains nothing.

When thinking starts running in circles

You see it when cause and effect get tangled up:

We’re losing because we’re playing badly. We’re playing badly because we’re losing.

That’s not analysis. That’s a loop.

What circular thinking really is

Circular thinking uses the conclusion as the reason. It feels convincing. It sounds strong. But it doesn’t teach you anything.

• “He’s a winner because he wins.”

• “That’s a good shot because it went in.”

• “We didn’t execute because we didn’t execute.”

None of that is cause and effect. It’s not insight. It’s just verbal word salad.

The draft pick trap

Here’s a classic example:

“He’s a first-round pick, so he should be playing.”

That’s a circle.

• Why is he playing? Because he was drafted high.

• Why was he drafted high? Because he’s good.

• How do we know he’s good? Because he’s playing.

High draft picks get more minutes and more chances to fail. Teams want to prove they were right about their choices, so the loop reinforces itself.

A better question is:

What is he doing, on this floor, in these possessions, that actually helps us win?

Now you’re looking at things like:

• Shot quality: EFG%

• Turnover rate

• Defensive assignments held

• Rebounding percentage

You’re turning vague labels into concrete behaviors.

Where it hides in basketball language

Circular thinking slips into everyday phrases:

• “We lost because they’re better.”

• “He’s clutch because he makes big plays.”

• “Our defense was bad because they scored a lot.”

Those lines sound fine, but they don’t advance the story.

Swap the loop for cause:

• “We can be a lot better.” As Joe Mazzulla put it: “We had 17 turnovers and allowed 13 offensive rebounds.”

• “He’s clutch because he creates separation late and consistently gets to his spots.”

• “Our defense broke at the point of attack (no containment) so we ended up in constant rotation, always at a disadvantage.”

Coaches hate to hear, "I know, I know." It’s about what you do, not just what you say you know.

Why we slide into circular thinking

Circular thinking is comfortable. It:

• Protects ego – If the story sounds fine, we don’t have to change.

• Simplifies complexity – Messy problems get reduced to neat slogans.

• Ends the conversation – No more questions, no more digging.

But it also:

• Kills feedback – There’s nothing specific to improve.

• Hides root causes – The real issues stay buried.

• Prevents change – If nothing is identified, nothing is fixed.

How to break the loop

Use a simple, Feynman-like discipline:

1. Name the outcome “We lost.”

2. Research the mechanism “We had 18 turnovers, which led to 22 transition points.”

3. Go a layer deeper “We struggled to handle pressure, loose handles, and too many guys standing instead of relocating to open space.”

4. Prescribe the work “Daily pressure-handling; clear outlet spacing rules; constraint drills that punish standing still.”

Now the story isn’t just what happened. The story is how we’re going to change what we do so the outcome changes.

A better standard

Don’t just describe the result. Diagnose the cause. Circular thinking protects decisions. Clear thinking improves them.

Lagniappe. "Trust but verify." We have to dig deeper and find out what players understand.

Huge teaching point! Never assume!

"It's not what you tell your players that counts. It's what they hear."
-Red Auerbach pic.twitter.com/SzmMNX5z0Q

— Bob Starkey (@CoachBobStarkey) April 27, 2026

Basketball - More Options May Not Always Mean Better Ones

Change is hard. Most of us stick with the "status quo." Rolf Dobelli in "The Art of Thinking Clearly," argues that relates to "loss aversion." If we change from the standard option and it turns out poorly, then we face regret.

"This is how we've always done it."

"The devil you know...

"Why rock the boat?"

This shows up in a lot of ways, but less so in basketball. When it's not working, coaches and players ask "what's the next option?"

Consider the transfer portal, which effectively created:

• Free agency
• Shorter development windows
• Roster volatility as the norm

One coach says it simplified his life. He just asks a guy he wants, "What's your number?" 

The reality is stark. Current Situation (2026): Roster turnover is equally aggressive this week. Programs like Texas (women's team) are already reporting losses of over 60% of their scoring and minutes.

According to Grok, ss of ~7:45 PM ET Tuesday (April 7, 2026), trackers show ~1,600+ Division I men's basketball players have entered the transfer portal since it opened at midnight ET. Others have reported that over half of men's D1 players are in the portal with the numbers rising.

Chuck Daly was right that players have three concerns:

• Minutes - playing time
• Role - including shots
• Recognition: $

For college athletes in a time of uncertainty, they're taking the risk for the reward now, before the rules change or before rules exist. "The grass is always greener..."

Lagniappe. Challenges are around every corner. Not everyone wants you to succeed...some openly want you to fail. What unseen (to you) obstacles exit? Arrogance. Complacency. Entitlement. 

"...you grow up with this sense of entitlement, as if the whole world revolves around you. And…if I wanted to be a better husband, a better father, a better coach, I had to get rid of that type of entitlement.”

No titles have ever been won with entitlement.
You don't deserve… pic.twitter.com/36whkoJnMz

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) April 19, 2026

Basketball - Share and Navigate Hard Conversations

"Share something great." Find a great recipe, quote, movie, book, life hack, or a great play. Share relentlessly. Don Meyer was a great coach and an amazing sharer. Answered questions online...

Coach Michael Neighbors is a sharer, including many "Things I Have Stolen." 

Here's an abbreviated list from Leadership Expert Jeff Janssen. 

1. Character - Based Credible Coaches are people with great character. 
2. Competent - know the strategies and skills of their sport
3. Caring - real passion for players and coaching 
4. Confidence Builder - their athletes feel good about themselves 
5. Communicator - talk and listen well 
6. Consistent - consistent philosophies and moods 

Seek to be a "better coach than I was yesterday." Strive to model excellence, "utilize strengths" and "attack weaknesses." 

When we find something that resonates for us, "steal it and make it ours." Become one of the "good guys" whose players celebrate "the team experience." 

Believe that we can teach players to defend the pick-and-roll and to defend teammates. Believe that we can teach players to excel on the court and off the court. Believe we can help players care about success in basketball and in the classroom. 

There's an "inside view" from people intimately familiar with a team's process - players, coaches, selected 'advisors'. There's also the "outside view" from fans, writers, and other "backseat drivers" - some of whom have considerable expertise but incomplete information. 

Outsiders identify what they see, what could be missing (e.g. hard to defend actions, disciplined spacing, on-court communication, etc.) and will be questioned about their intent or motivation. 

Lagniappe. Use better prompts to get better coaching input from AI, here Google Gemini. 

Prompt: Coaching is about relationships, including "hard conversations." Using principles from 'radical candor' share how a coach might tactfully respond to parental concerns about their child's playing time. For example, include three dos and don'ts and realize some will not be listening...

At its core, Radical Candor is the intersection of Caring Personally and Challenging Directly. When a parent approaches a coach about playing time, the "Radical" part is being honest about the child's current skill level, while the "Candor" part is doing so without being a jerk.

Here is how to navigate those high-tension conversations using these principles.

---

The Radical Candor Approach

In this framework, silence or "sugar-coating" is considered Ruinous Empathy, which ultimately hurts the athlete because they never learn what to improve. Conversely, being blunt without empathy is Obnoxious Aggression.

Three Dos

• Do: Focus on the "Future State." Instead of justifying past benching, frame the conversation around the specific growth required to earn more time. This moves the conversation from a complaint to a roadmap.

• Do: Schedule a "Cooling Off" Window. Radical candor requires presence of mind. Implement a "24-hour rule" after games so that both parties can move out of an emotional state and into a collaborative one.

• Do: Provide Objective Benchmarks. Use data or specific technical milestones. "I care about your child’s development, and right now, their defensive rotation is at a level that limits their safety/efficacy in high-speed play."

Three Don'ts

• Don't: Discuss Other Athletes. Radical candor is about the individual relationship. Comparing a child to a teammate is a shortcut to "Obnoxious Aggression" and creates a toxic culture.

• Don't: Use the "Feedback Sandwich." (Positive-Negative-Positive). Parents often listen for the "bread" and ignore the "meat." Be direct about the performance gap immediately, then pivot to how you will support the child in closing it.

• Don't: Take it Personally. When a parent isn't "listening," they are often in a state of protective bias. Maintain your "Care Personally" stance by staying calm, even if they become confrontational.

---

Navigating the "Non-Listener"

When a parent is too emotionally invested to hear the truth, the coach must shift from feedback to boundary setting.

If the parent refuses to acknowledge the performance gap, a tactful response looks like this:

"I hear how much you want [Child's Name] to be on the field; I want that for them, too. However, my responsibility to the team and to [Child's Name]’s safety is to play those who have mastered [Specific Skill]. I am happy to keep working with them on this, but my decision on playing time stands for now. Let's touch base in two weeks to see their progress."

Summary Table: Feedback Quadrants

Quadrant	Coach's Response Style	Outcome
Radical Candor	Clear, kind, and evidence-based.	Growth and trust.
Ruinous Empathy	Avoids the truth to keep the parent happy.	Stagnation and confusion.
Obnoxious Aggression	Blunt, dismissive, or insulting.	Resentment and conflict.
Manipulative Insincerity	Passive-aggressive or talking behind backs.	Total culture breakdown.

Basketball - Find Voices that Resonate

Basketball throws a firehose of information at coaches, players, and fans. NBA coaches filter that into lessons worth sharing and studying. 

Their insight often flows across sports and into daily life. Look for messages that harmonize and expand upon our own. Allow theirs to add value to players willing to buy in. 

"I liked our competitiveness."

Players and coaches value being considered competitors

Things to improve - turnovers, allowing offensive rebounding

When losing, see 'silver linings'. When winning, 'sliver linings'?

"Guys care about winning." 

Desired outcomes can drive the process.

"...made some plays"

As Mickey Mantle said, it's what you do when you're not striking out. 

"...communicated, kept them off the free throw line, out of transition"

"Distills to no easy baskets." 

"Anybody who doubts D. White doesn't care about winning..."

In addition to competing, be known as a winning player, giving the game what it needs.

"...impact winning in so many different ways."

Coaches look beyond the box score for contributions.

"Competitive character..." a lot goes into this 'ferocity'

• Focus
• Energy
• Resilience
• Optimism
• Consistency of communication
• Intensity
• Toughness
• YOU - making you (the other guy) better

"...be at our best as much as we can...be the best version of ourselves"

Only compare ourselves to whom we were yesterday.

"...great communication, great body language..."

Much of our communication is nonverbal. Do that better.

"Experience shows up in...poise on a day-to-day basis"

Honor the process. Progress is cumulative.

...tomorrow's a big day, we have to get better..."

Champions disallow complacency in search of better ways. 

"...physicality at the point of attack was good..."

"...a series is going to take on a life of its own..."

"This is what you sign up for..."

"do what we have to do for however long it takes..."

The best teams play harder for longer - Dave Smart

Lagniappe. Chuck Daly reminds us to find advantage - numbers, creating two on ones, forcing scramble. 

"Always play against a team that's in recovery"

- Chuck Daly pic.twitter.com/kWEjNufnix

— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) April 27, 2026

Leadership, Keeping a Basketball Leadership Journal, and More

Leadership is like a muscle. When we don't exercise it, it atrophies. Develop a strategy to maintain and expand leadership. 

What Do Leaders Do?

• Facilitate execution within organizations.
• Coordinate people, strategy, and operations.
• Identify and solve problems. 
• Carry out missions assigned by higher authorities. 
• "Make future leaders."  

Basketball example: Coach Krzyzewski - five fingers become a fist, far stronger than any individual finger.  

Growing Leadership 

As coaches, how do we train leaders? Intentional and distributed leadership exposes players to leadership. 

• Model excellence
• Teach communication skills 
• Be positive
• Assign leadership opportunities (lead drills, explore short topics)
• Provide feedback  

Basketball example: Dean Smith taught principles with a quote of the day and concepts of the day. "A lion never roars after a kill." 

Leadership Culture

Everyone can lead. Cal rugby coach Jack Clark expects all players to lead with leadership traits - punctuality, hard work, no distractions. 

Create the expectation that leadership comes with the job. Remove the requirement that you need titles to lead. 

Basketball example: Teach servant leadership in the mold of Don Meyer and Dick Bennett. 

Leadership Journal 

Leadership journals don't have to be elaborate. Write down opportunities for leadership, how they carried out leadership, and the results. 

Adam Grant doesn't explicitly create a template for a leadership journal in his Organizational Psychology books. If he did, it might include:

• The leadership opportunity (situation)
• What did I do? (Take a timeout, let them figure it out)
• How did it turn out? 
• Would I do something different next time? 
• What's the NBA - "next best action?"  

Basketball example: Group reading and study... e.g. Jay Bilas's "Toughness," James Kerr's "Legacy" or Michael Useem's "The Leadership Moment" are examples. 

Share Examples and Outcomes

In a game against a strong opponent, a team had a solid lead (high teens) with about four minutes left. Opted to substitute in reserves and the lead rapidly dissipated although we still won. Decision intent - good, allow players to get experience against better players. Decision outcome - poor, resulted in confidence loss not growth. A more limited approach would be better. 

Basketball-adjacent: Jocko Willink shared the experiences of a SEAL Team leader in "Extreme Ownership." An operation in Iraq went FUBAR including deaths because of communications problems. Willink took full accountability and offered to resign. He was kept on. 

Study Excellence

The books below share experiences in sport and society based on leadership inputs. 

Key New Zealand All-Blacks rugby lessons:

• "Leave the jersey in a better place." Legacy ownership. 
• "Sweep the sheds." No job is below you. 
• "Old men plant trees in whose shade they will never sit." You have a responsibility to your community.
• "Better people make better All-Blacks." Character matters.

San Francisco 49ers under Bill Walsh:

• Be accountable to the "Standard of Performance" in all jobs.
• Coaches are expected to teach and monitor attention to detail. 
• Champions behave like champions before they are.
• "The process creates the outcome." Teach. 
• Leadership includes emotional discipline. Do it right all the time.

Presidential Leadership (Lincoln, the Roosevelts, Lyndon Johnson)

• Hard work accompanies leadership. 
• Personal challenges forge the best leaders. 
• Big themes (Preserve the Union, Preserve Democracy, the New Deal)
• Collaboration is necessary to achieve greatness

Reading List:

• Legacy by James Kerr
• The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh
• Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin  
• Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Lagniappe. Do the impossible with less than ideal conditions in the least time available to the satisfaction of everyone. 

This may be the best (most important 🤷‍♂️) paragraph I have written in 25 years. pic.twitter.com/YOAjw6Zi8S

— Brian McCormick, PhD (@brianmccormick) April 16, 2026