Most Recent Writings
Evan Burk Brings a Fresh Viewpoint to Creating Connection and Leading Millennials
Marc Stcherbina sits down with Speaker and former NFL coach Evan Burk to discuss the changing face of business leadership, why the younger generation are looking for connection above all else, and how leaders can best create it.
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.
How Donovan Mitchell Uses Growth Mindset to Continually Raise His Level of Performance
I enjoyed this Donovan Mitchell interview on becoming one of the best players in the league, his desire to continue to improve, and wanting to earn the same level of respect Kobe Bryant had in the NBA.
The Importance of Clearly Defined Roles on a Team
Playing as a team and realizing potential of a team occurs only when everybody understands what their role is and is working in unison to accomplish the same team goal. The best teams enter each week not worrying about the standings, or what other teams are doing. They go to work with the sole focus on that week’s opponent, and what will be needed to be done as a team to win this game.
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.
Finding ‘Our Kind of Guys’: How Chris Petersen Built A Winning Team Culture on Intangibles and Character
Petersen’s success all starts with a complete understanding of who they want to be as a team, and the great alignment they were able to achieve in their player evaluation and selection process, all of which centered on having an emphasis on finding players with intangible character traits that aligned to the program’s core values.
Colts’ GM Chris Ballard on Admitting Mistakes, Taking Risks on Players, and Communicating with Honesty
In sports and in life, the best teams are the one that can come together and work with and for each other. It’s refreshing to hear an NFL GM acknowledge this. Of course you need talent to win, but the teams that truly elevate and exceed their capability are the one that create that collaboration with the locker room.
Brian Flores’ Lack of Authenticity at the Root of Miami’s Problems
This is a problem that has long plagued former New England and Bill Belichick assistants: a lack of authenticity in how head coaches lead, and trying too hard to become, or lead, in the same manner as Belichick did during their time in New England.
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.
What Makes a Great Entrepreneur: Passion, People, and Persistence
There is no one way to be an entrepreneur. Ideas for businesses or services can come from anywhere. What matters most is believing in a solution to a problem, and above all, the commitment, desire, and passion to overcome the rollercoaster of entrepreneurship and business to make it happen.
Kobe Bryant on The Consistency of Work, Self-Negotiation, and Learning from Great Muses
"Sports is the greatest metaphor we have in terms of dealing with life...In sports, you're faced with challenges moment to moment. You're faced with pressures and anxiety and communication, or the lack thereof. It's in the moment. You have to live it. And when you practice those things, you become better at it.”
Why Coaching, Culture, and Leadership Matter
Evan Burk answers the question "Is good coaching overly romanticized?" and talking about why coaching, culture, and leadership matter with Head Games Podcast
Situations Impacting Success (or Failure) and Sam Darnold’s Development
When you consider the success of any player, coach or team in the NFL, that success is often dictated by the entire situation, which includes the combination of the ownership of the team, the players being acquired and released and already on the on the team. In any given case, that combination of factors can have a profound impact on dictating whether any person or team is going to be have success in a particular situation.
Keep Your Eye Upon the Donut, and Not Upon the Hole
This is incredibly hard…but what brings me peace for today is the profound influence he had on my life, my perspective of the world, and the lives of so many people that knew him.
This -- fills my heart with immense gratitude and an abundance of love.
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.
Finding Innovative Ways to Provide Value as a Coach
As a coach at any level, it is always important to be a source of growing value to any team you are a part of. Here are a few innovative ways coaches can add value to their teams and coaching staffs.
How Steve Kerr Manages People by Defining Player Roles
Kerr’s ability to bring players together for a common goal, sacrifice for a greater purpose, and help the team realize their potential is the hallmark of the Warriors’ run of success over the past 6 years.