Most Recent Writings
How a Culture of Character Fueled the Spurs’ Success under Gregg Popovich
While hall of fame players undoubtedly played huge roles in the Spurs’ success, it was a team culture built on character, and crafted by head coach Gregg Popovich, that served as the foundation for one of the greatest runs of winning in recent NBA and pro sports memory.
Tom Brady, the Legion of Boom, and The Ripple Effect of Intangibles
The more a team can understand the traits that are crucial to team and individual success, the more they can improve their hit rate of acquiring players that find success on their teams and at their level of competition.
Ignore the “Unimportants”: Why was Cooper Kupp Overlooked?
As Los Angeles Rams All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp was preparing for the 2017 NFL Draft, he was largely overlooked by most scouts and teams because he went to a small school and was labeled as slow at a position where the NFL covets speed. In 2021, he put together one of the all-time greatest wide receiver seasons in the history of the league and is widely considered one of the best and most impactful players in the NFL.
Building the 2004 Boston Red Sox: The Rise of David Ortiz, Theo Epstein’s Creativity, and Winning the World Series
Former Boston Red Sox scout Victor Cruz talks about how the Red Sox built a world series championship team, the explosive impact of adding David Ortiz, and how Theo Epstein's creativity led to the epic title run of the Boston Red Sox in 2004.
Chris Ballard Building a Winner in Indianapolis on “Colts Character” and Collaboration
You can sense Ballard’s humility in that nothing is really about him and he has no ego when it comes to sitting in the GM chair. He has everyone focused on building a better football team, and it ends there. As an evaluator, Ballard is not looking for the “sexy” player. He’s just looking for football players and people that can make his team better.
An Inside View of Pete Carroll's Leadership at USC Football
In the organizations that have built championship cultures and win consistently, nothing happens by chance. Everything the players see, feel, and experience is designed to reinforce the core values, philosophies, and beliefs of the leader and the culture he/she is trying to build.
Colts GM Chris Ballard on his Team Building Philosophy and Decision Making Process
Ballard has become one of the leading team executives in considering character as part of the evaluation process, and the recent success of the Colts shows how character can be used to building a winning team, even in a highly competitive environment where talent has a tendency to overshadow most teams’ decision-making when it comes to acquiring players.
