The best cultures don’t happen by accident.
They’re built with intention.
Dan Lanning said they spent 4 months defining the DNA of their program before ever putting it on a wall.
4 traits:
Connection - because players fight harder for people they truly know.
Growth - win or lose, it's “growth week.” The standard is always improving.
Toughness - handling hard without flinching.
Sacrifice - being okay with the team winning even when you don’t get the spotlight.
That’s leadership.
Not just demanding standards…
but building an environment where people want to live them out.
After helping so many kids get scholarships i am excited to announce JS Recruiting. As a d1 player college coach and trainer i bridge development tZero bs just an authentic plan and guaranteed guidance and feedback from college coaches
50+ years in baseball. 17 as an MLB manager. over 2,500 games from the dugout.
I won Manager of the Year and also lost more games than I want to count.
I led teams through losing seasons and took a team to the World Series.
The biggest difference was leadership.
If I could go back to my first day as a leader, here are the 5 lessons I'd whisper in my own ear:
Lesson 1: Be a window when it's good, a mirror when it's bad.
The leaders I respected most shared every win and absorbed every hit.
What this looks like in practice:
• Wins: name the people who made it happen
• Losses: say "that's on me" before anyone asks
• Locker room: spotlight the effort before the outcome
Your team will fight harder for a leader who deflects credit and absorbs blame.
Lesson 2: Nobody hands you trust. You earn it before you coach it.
Early in my career, plenty of coaches tried to fix my swing.
I tuned out every one I didn't trust.
Get to know your people before you try to develop them.
Their hobbies, their family, what makes them tick.
Then the coaching lands.
Lesson 3: Shower well after every loss.
After a losing streak in Colorado, our team president asked me how I kept the clubhouse together.
This was my rule:
• Self-evaluate honestly, were we prepared, did we execute?
• Shower well, wash off the grit, grime, and angst before you walk out
• Be present for whoever you're going home to
Tomorrow is a new opportunity. Don't drag yesterday into it.
Lesson 4: Lead transformationally, not transactionally.
Transactional leaders ask: what can this person do for me?
Transformational leaders ask: how do I put this person in a position to win?
The first builds compliance.
The second builds careers.
When your people start chasing growth instead of your approval, you've crossed over.
Lesson 5: Stay humble before life humbles you.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those who are humble, and those who are about to be.
Discipline keeps you in the first group:
Skill gets you in the room. Humility keeps you there.
50 years taught me leadership isn't about you.
It's about the people you serve.
@Rockies
@JustScoreBaske1 I agree. Leadership is too important to leave it’s development to chance.
Sports are one of the best places to develop leadership. Coaches that take the time to develop leadership in their players are investing in our collective future.
I am not ashamed of my journey. My life will be a testimony.
But if I could offer a word of advice to any freshman, sophomore or junior athlete in high school it would be to just listen bro. All them adults in your life not just talking to talk. They been here longer. They done bumped they head already. They trying to save you from doing the same thing.
Do not make the mistake of thinking your talent alone is enough. It’s not. Talent open doors. Character and grades keep you there. And if you already messed up, if your GPA not where it should be, if your name been in rooms for the wrong reasons… don’t quit. Keep digging. You can climb out the hole the same way you dug it.
Class of 29, 28 and 27 hear me.
Take your grades serious. Choose who you hang around wisely. Protect your name. Word spreads fast if you a crash out. Respect authority. Nobody riding for you like your parents and coaches. Work hard when nobody clapping.
Do not wait until senior year to lock in. That GPA do not lie.
I’m still figuring it out myself. I’m struggling but I know God got me.
Be intentional. Lock in early. Pray. Show up ready to work.
I’m learning the hard way that my future is being built in the small decisions I make today.
Start now.
Like many others, been saying it for years.
Anyone who discourages your child from playing multiple sports does not have your child’s best interests in mind.
Period.
Gearing up for a new season with our locker room reveal 🔥
Huge thank you to everyone who made this possible, especially our wonderful athletic boosters who bought matching bags for everyone! 👏🏻 We are grateful for your continued support of our student-athletes. Let’s go!
Outgunned and outnumbered, he fought off a German assault alone—on top of a burning tank destroyer.
Maj. Audie Murphy is a legend in U.S. military and Hollywood history.
This is the story of WWII’s most decorated American Soldier—and how he earned the Medal of Honor.
@gregberge Jesus taught us to leave the flock to find the one lost sheep. He never taught us to focus on the easy ones.
It’s not leadership If you only apply it to the easily lead. That’s management.
Coaches need to be teachers and show what right looks like.