Approximately a 3-minute read

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably noticed I've been doing a lot of walk-and-talks lately. I've been getting requests to share the transcripts with you, and I thought this newsletter would be the perfect place to do so. Here are the three transcripts from last week's walk-and-talks; I hope they are helpful!

-Justin

And if you want the videos, I post them regularly (for now) on Instagram: @justinsua​

The Power of Paying Attention

As a leader, there's power in paying attention. It's not about some grandiose speech or having a perfect process. The best coaches and leaders I've been around are master noticers.

And it's often the small things that they do: A little check-in, remembering something that somebody said last week, noticing when somebody's off just a tick, and acknowledging the quiet progress somebody is making.

It's not flashy, just small and consistent.

These types of leaders are present because they understand that those little things build trust. And when someone feels that they can be trusted, they're going to be the best version of themselves

When You Don't Need to Change

Last week I was on the phone with a professional athlete; his process was good, mechanics were good, just the results weren't ideal.

So I asked him what he needs to change, and he said, "nothing."

I responded with a follow-up question: "What do you need to not do?"

He said, "What I don't need to do is I don't need to try harder."

That's what a lot of young athletes do. When things are going sideways, they will fall into action bias. They're not getting results, so they think, I've got to overhaul everything. And as a result, it actually makes things worse

A great process, great mechanics, and a great strategy don't guarantee results, but they increase the probability of it. However, you can do everything right and still come up short. The margin between failure and success is razor thin.

So if your process is sound and everything is looking good, but you're not getting the results, just know that's part of the process. That's part of life and sports.

The math is going to math, and you might not be seeing the fruits of your labor yet; just let it play out a little longer.

Leadership Tip: Put Down Your Sword

I recently asked a Hall of Fame Head Coach what his key to leadership is, and he gave me what he calls his four-word secret.

I said, "You're the kind of person whose singular decision can affect the entire organization. So how do you protect yourself from your own ego? How do you not block great ideas that don't come from you?"

His answer surprised me. It didn't come from a leadership book; it came from his wife during a disagreement at home. She told him to put his sword down.

I asked him what that means, and he said, "When my sword is up, I'm defending. I'm attacking. I'm trying to protect my idea. I'm trying to protect my experience and expertise." And ultimately, he said he's trying to protect his ego.

But when he puts his sword down, he's signaling that he's open.

He goes on to say that in his experience, great teams don't win because the leader is always right; they win because they execute on the best idea. And sometimes that best idea doesn't come from the leader; it comes from somebody else.

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