Everyone talks about what the team tolerates.

Low standards. Bad attitudes. Lack of effort. The saying goes: "You get what you tolerate."

But here's a question I don't hear asked enough: What are you willing to tolerate?

Not your team. You.

I talk with coaches, athletes, and executives all the time. They're quick to identify the problems around them - the players who don't buy in, the staff who aren't committed, the culture that's slipping. But when I ask about their own standards, the room gets quiet.

Here's the truth: all accountability starts with self-accountability. Real discipline starts with self-discipline.

Are you tolerating your own inconsistency?

Are you tolerating your own shortcuts?

Are you tolerating the gap between what you say and what you do?

Your team will never rise above your personal tolerance level. If you let things slide for yourself, you've already given everyone else permission to do the same.

The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. And the first person who walks past it is usually you.

Before you audit your team, audit yourself. Before you demand more from others, demand more from yourself. The mirror is always the first place to look.

What are you tolerating that you shouldn't be?

Ben McCollum shares what it feels like to be around first-place people and a first-place culture.

"I went to Northwest Missouri State, and my first practice with Steve Tapmeyer - best coach I've ever been around - I sat there and I'm like, 'This is what first place feels like. This is what a first-place culture feels like. This is what first-place people feel like.'"

That was the wake-up call. He realized what first-place people have:

"They've got an extreme work ethic. They've got an edge to 'em that other people don't - a competitive spirit."

Then he quoted John Thompson: "You can tame a fool a lot quicker than you can resurrect a corpse... We want guys with a little edge to 'em."

You can coach skills, but you can't coach competitive spirit. You don't want to consistently coach their effort and attitude.

The last thing they look for: Energy givers.

"Over the years, we found that guys that are moody don't make it in our program."

"If you're moody, if you have low energy, if you suck the life out of the building - you don't make it."

Talent isn't enough. Your energy matters. Your attitude matters.

Successful people have a competitive edge, they bring energy, and they look to consistently get better. They raise the standard through what they do.

Every team has energy vampires - people who drain the room just by walking in. They complain. They sulk. They let their mood dictate everyone else's experience.

First-place cultures don't tolerate it.

Ask yourself: Am I an energy giver or an energy taker? Do I lift the room or drag it down? Is my attitude something I control - or something that controls me?

You can't resurrect a corpse. But you can choose to show up with energy, edge, and effort every single day.

I heard Roy Williams say something recently that stuck with me:

"Be led by your dreams, not pushed by your problems."

Williams won three national championships at North Carolina. Every single year - even the years when his teams weren't quite good enough - his goal was to win it all. He didn't let circumstances dictate his vision.

Williams used to put a picture of the arena where the national championship would be held in the locker room before the season started. Every time players opened their locker, they saw where they were going. That's being led by your dreams.

The distinction reminded me: there's a difference between running toward something and running away from something.

When you're pushed by your problems, you're reactive. You're playing defense. You're focused on what's wrong, what's broken, what's holding you back. "Woe is me" becomes the soundtrack. You spend your energy on obstacles instead of outcomes.

When you're led by your dreams, you're proactive. You set the target - legitimate goals, even if you're reaching a little bit - and you let that vision pull you forward. The problems don't disappear, but they become smaller because you're focused on something bigger.

I've been reminding myself: What's the vision? What is the picture that is leading me right now? Can I see it? Am I reviewing the positive and the goal instead of the negative?

Problems will always be there. The question is whether they're driving the bus or just along for the ride.

Source: Roy Williams on Michael Jordan and the Mindset of Champions | How Leaders Lead with David Novak

For coaches and leaders:

For athletes and performers:

All of these posts and more are in the Coaching Vault.

What I am reading and listening to:

📚 Book: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni

🎧Podcast: Roy Williams on Michael Jordan and the Mindset of Champions | How Leaders Lead with David Novak

🎥 Video: The Mental Edge MLB Players Are Using (Stoicism)

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