🧭How Pete Carroll Turned USC into a Dynasty

Good Morning, and welcome to The Growth Compass. We are like the rising sun this morning, reminding you of new beginnings and the promise of a fresh new start.

Here’s where we’re headed today:

• Peyton Manning on preparation

• Why preparation is important

• How Pete Carroll used optimized practices to turn USC into a dynasty

• Ted Lasso talking about “practice”

Peyton Manning on preparation

“There were other players who were more talented, but there was no one who could out prepare me. And because of that, I have no regrets.”

- Peyton Manning

Why Preparation is Important

When you sacrifice your preparation or work ethic, you're not just hurting yourself, you're hurting your future self. You’re not setting yourself up to succeed.

It can be tempting to skip steps or just "wing it," but there are no shortcuts to success. Success is a long and winding road, and the only way to reach the end is by putting in the hard work and preparation that it takes to get there.

Putting the work in and staying committed doesn't mean that you can't have fun or enjoy the journey. In fact, I believe that enjoying the journey is just as important as achieving the goal itself. So be sure to celebrate your small wins along the way and enjoy the process.

Whether you're starting a business, pursuing a new career, or working to achieve a personal goal, the key to success is preparation and hard work. It's the willingness to put in the time and effort, day in and day out, even when it's hard or boring or frustrating.

When you do that, when you commit yourself to your goals and give it your all, there's nothing you can't achieve. Keep pushing forward, keep working hard, and I promise you, success will come.

How Pete Carroll Turned USC into a Dynasty

How are you preparing yourself for your week? What do you expect of yourself and others?

The human body and brain do better when we know what to expect and there is consistency. The habits and disciplines that we build can easily translate into our schedule.

Below is the example of the way Pete Carroll designed the USC football team’s practice schedule in preparation for Saturday games.

1. Tell the Truth Monday - Review the game tape and give honest feedback to the team

   • Who played well? Who didn’t? What should we take away from this experience?

   • Goal: Speak as one and move forward together

2. Competition Tuesday - Practice with passion, energy, and competition

   • Goal: Focus on getting better and competing with ourselves, not the opponent

3. Turnover Wednesday - Focus on what wins games

   • Look to force turnovers and not turn the ball over

   • Goal: Have a metric that matters and work towards improving it

4. NO Repeat Thursday - Focus on doing things the right way

   • This was a shorter practice focused on precision and flawless execution.

   • Goal: Practice how you will play with extreme focus

5. Review Friday - Fix issues and prepare for game day

   • Goal: Pay attention to all the details because they will matter

What I learned from this is:

• Look at the different mindsets brought into every day, some were more fun while others were more focused

• Each day has a theme and has a specific goal and outcome

• They measured the metrics that matter

Ted Lasso - “We talking about practice?”

I am a huge fan of Ted Lasso and always loved this scene of him doing his best imitation of Allen Iverson talking about practice. This video always cracks me up because he does such a great job imitating the famous press conference.

If you are a Ted Lasso fan, it also shows how much the characters have grown since Season 1 just looking at Jamie, Roy, and the other players on the team.

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