“Ninety percent of success can be boiled down to consistently doing the obvious thing for an uncommonly long period of time without convincing yourself that you're smarter than you are.” - Shane Parrish
“The main thing is the main thing.” - David Cottrell, leadership expert
Coaches have ownership of teaching the game and sharing life lessons that help players succeed away from the court. Often, those lessons passed down from coaches who influenced our worldview.
Sharing some of those lessons are both a privilege and an obligation. That doesn't mean that we're perfect, only that we're working to improve.
Warren Buffett recommends a "top down" process (25-5), compiling a big list of twenty-five or so, filtered to a manageable, memorable five. If you want an expansive list, consider Kevin Eastman's "Why the Best Are the Best." Here's a one paragraph summary from ChatGPT Plus:
"Kevin Eastman’s “Why the Best Are the Best” is a coaching manifesto built on craft, humility, and standards. Eastman argues that elite performers separate through unseen habits: obsessive film study, deliberate note-taking, and teaching the game back to others. He emphasizes role clarity, consistent language, and constant skill sharpening, treating every day as development day. The best carry a beginner’s mind, accept hard coaching without resistance, and build competitive advantage through transparent routines, not shortcuts—ideas that translate naturally from NBA locker rooms to high school gyms. The book delivers dense, practical mental models for coaches who want to design systems, reduce errors, and cultivate teams that compete with curiosity, accountability, and a team-first identity."
1. In basketball and in life, the best performers have the capacity to deliver more intensity and consistency over time. They "play harder for longer" and do the "unseen work." They recognize that success comes from "a marathon not a sprint." The Success Equation reflects this:
ACHIEVEMENT = PERFORMANCE x TIME
"Champions do extra."
Success stories like LeBron James arise because of his commitment to practicing his craft and self-care (sleep, nutrition, training, mindfulness).
2. Recognize the power of "negative thinking," meaning don't give away games (work) by bad decisions. The "mental model" is inversion, meaning invert the bad. The Killer S's are selfishness, softness, and sloth (laziness). The opposites are teamwork, toughness, and tenacity.
3. Model excellence. Because "mentoring is the only shortcut to excellence," leaders have to represent excellence in preparation, practice, and performance.
Dad taught positivity saying, "you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."
4. Seek balance. Courage balances recklessness and fear. Confidence balances arrogance and doubt. Wisdom balances information and ignorance. Finding work-life balance presents a great challenge for those obsessed with success or self-indulgence.
5. Commit to lifelong learning. Learn across domains. Study success and failure. Abraham Lincoln said that he learned from everyone, often what not to do. Some of history's most "successful" people like Ulysses Grant and Winston Churchill, overcame abject failures earlier in their careers. Adversity is inevitable...and opportunity.
Lagniappe. Werner Herzog's best advice, "Read. Read. Read. Read. Read."
Lagniappe 2. What's on your leadership plate?
Nick Saban said, "Everybody talks about leadership, but I think it's also important how many guys on a team need to be led."
— Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness (@coachajkings) December 23, 2025
The best teams are player-led and have many leaders.
• They own the process.
• They lead the process.
• They hold each other accountable. pic.twitter.com/2P4qbVGZsx
