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Welcome to The Growth Compass!
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Here’s where we are headed today:
Mike Shanahan on coaching and toughness⚡
Lou Holtz and other mental fitness posts 🥇
Favorite posts I found this week 🏆
Free mental fitness links 👇
Mike Shanahan on Coaching and Toughness
"If you're in coaching, the journey is never easy, but you've got to fight through it. You're going to have the highest highs and the lowest lows."
"Tough times don't last, tough people do."
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3 Things: Navy SEAL Resilience Training, Drew Brees and Leadership, and Intentional Living
1. MENTAL FITNESS: Shane Battier and Being a Glue Guy
Shane Battier was invisible 98% of the time on the court. He did the math - only 2% of the time did he actually touch the ball.
And yet he was a two-time NBA champion and one of the most valued teammates in the league.
Here's what I find fascinating about this: we obsess over the players who score. The highlights. The stats that show up in box scores. But championships aren't won by five stars. They're won by guys willing to do the work nobody sees.
Boxing out. Taking charges. Sprinting back on defense. The unsexy stuff.
Battier called it "champions are made when no one is watching" - and he lived it literally. No one was watching him for 98% of the game. But his coaches knew. His teammates knew. And when he didn't play, they felt it.
Every team needs a glue guy. The question is: does your team value them?
Here's how to embed this in your culture:
Name it - Call out the glue guy role publicly. Make it a position of honor, not a consolation prize.
Measure the unsexy - Track charges taken. Deflections. Screens that lead to open shots. If you only celebrate points and assists, you're telling your team that's all that matters.
Ask the question - In your next team meeting, ask: "What are you doing in your 98%?" Make everyone answer. The best teammates will have a list. The ones who don't? That's your coaching opportunity.
Impact doesn't require glory. But it does require intention.
Are you building a team that values the 98%?
2. TEAMS: Lou Holtz’s 5 Rules
Lou Holtz built his teams and his career on five rules. Simple to understand. Hard to live.
"Don't tell people about your problems. Ninety percent don't care, and the other ten percent are glad you got them."
Here are the five rules:
Control Your Attitude → Attitude
Your attitude is the only thing you fully control when everything else falls apart. Success isn't about circumstances - it's about how you respond to them. Average people blame conditions. Champions create conditions.
"You can succeed when no one believes in you. You have no chance if you don't believe in yourself."
Sacrifice + Eliminate Excuses → Passion to Win
Passion requires giving up comfort, convenience, and complaining. Champions don't explain why they can't - they find ways they can.
"Get rid of all the excuses. Can you live with losing? Can you accept mediocrity? That tells me everything about you."
Focus on What You Can Control → Purpose
Keep your mandate simple: two things that matter most, executed relentlessly. Focus on constants (your effort, preparation, attitude), not variables (scores, circumstances).
"We had two mandates: graduate athletes and win. Don't complicate it. What are your two mandates?"
Be a Dreamer, Don't Maintain → Growth
You're either growing or dying - maintaining is the beginning of decline. The moment you protect what you have is the moment you start losing it.
“My biggest regret? After reaching the top at Notre Dame, I tried to maintain instead of grow. The moment you maintain, you're finished."
Make Good Choices → Character
Do what's right so people can trust you - without trust, there is no team. Show people you care - walk in thinking "there you are," not "here I am."
"Everyone asks three questions: Can I trust you? Are you committed to excellence? Do you care about me? Follow these three rules and you'll always get yes."
Email me if you are interested in the free poster / graphic for this one.
3. WHAT I’M CHEWING ON: Being a person of character
I was listening to Ryan Holiday this week and there was a line that stuck with me:
We all know what is right. The hard part is knowing what is right and doing what is right.
We don't admire MLK Jr., Gandhi, and others because they had more knowledge than us. We admire them because they had the courage to stand up for what they believed in.
Knowing isn't the hard part. Doing is.
How many times do we know exactly what we should do - and still don't do it? We know we should have the hard conversation. We know we should hold the standard. We know we should put in the extra work even though we are tired.
The gap between knowing and doing is where character lives.
This week I'm asking myself: What do I already know I should be doing that I'm not?
Maybe you should ask yourself the same thing.
Free Mental Fitness Links 👇
For coaches and leaders:
For athletes and performers:
All of these posts and more are in the Coaching Vault.
That's a wrap for today. If you want to spread the joy, make sure to refer the newsletter to someone you think would benefit!
What I am reading and listening to:
🎧Podcast: Tom Brady | Champion Mindset
What'd you think of today's edition?
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