A Coach's Diary

The most valuable lesson I learned this week is that one of the keys to being a better communicator is to speak slower, less, and with more confidence. In the video above, Codie Sanchez talks about how we can be a better speaker or communicator. She says there are 7 speaking patterns that quietly sabotage us. Trap 1: Excessive Hedging You are graded on your competency and confidence. Excessive qualifiers — too much talk and qualifiers — limits your credibility. Say less and say it more confidently. If you’re going to hedge, be smart and strategic about it. Trap 2: Over Explaining Smart people love clarity, and they hate being misunderstood, so they talk too much trying to avoid both. Keep it short and simple. Easy. Meaningful. Compelling. Deliver the correct idea precisely and pause and let the silence do the work. Shorter sentences. Concrete nouns. No jargon. White space. Speak slower. Remove filler words. Trap 3: Talking Too Fast When we get anxious, our heart rate rises and our brea...

Daniel Denison is a leading researcher on organizational culture and founder of Denison Consulting. His work focuses on a simple but powerful idea: culture is not soft — it drives measurable performance. Denison’s research identifies four traits of high-performing cultures: Mission – Do we know where we’re going? Consistency – Do we have shared values and systems? Involvement – Are our people empowered and engaged? Adaptability – Can we learn and adjust quickly? One line that captures his philosophy is: “Organizational culture is a powerful driver of performance — and it can be managed.” That’s important because it communicates that culture isn’t accidental. It’s shaped by what leaders clarify, reinforce, and model every day. High-performing teams are clear about their purpose (Mission), aligned in how they operate (Consistency), empowered at every level (Involvement), and willing to adjust when needed (Adaptability). When one of those areas is weak, performance suffers. For teams, thi...

Dan Gould is a highly respected American sport psychologist who challenges coaches and leaders by asking: “How do we develop better people through sport?” Winning and performance matters, but Gould’s research shows that sport is most powerful when it intentionally develops life skills — not accidentally. One life skill that he emphasizes that also helps with performance is this: Performance is not just about the pressure you face. It’s about how you interpret it. Two athletes can enter the same championship game. One thinks: “If I mess this up, everything falls apart.” That’s a threat mindset. The other thinks: “This is what I’ve trained for.” That’s a challenge mindset. The situation is identical, but how they see it is completely different. The performance outcome often follows how you perceive it. When athletes see pressure as a threat, heart rate spikes, muscles tighten, thinking narrows, and mistakes increase. When they see it as a challenge, energy becomes fuel, focus sharpens, a...

The most valuable lesson I learned this week is that we should take a breath — or 3 — between meetings. In an interview with Emma Grede, podcaster and author Jay Shetty said everyone should take a breath between meetings or before a meeting so we don’t carry the baggage from the last meeting into the next one. Most of us walk into a new meeting carrying with us what happened in the last one — especially if something bad happened — and we don’t give ourselves a second to decompress or regroup before we throw ourselves back into the storm. Pause and calm your energy by taking a few breaths between high impact meetings so you can be fully present. He then named 5 habits high performers practice: 1 - Thankfulness — If you aren’t thankful for where you are at, you will never be — no matter how much you achieve. Be thankful. 2 - Insight — Learn one new thing — or one new insight — every day. 3 - Mindfulness or Meditation — Schedule meetings or check-ins with yourself at the beginning, mid...

Adam Grant is an organizational psychologist at University of Pennsylvania and author of several best-selling books, including “Give and Take.” His research focuses on what makes teams effective and cultures thrive. One of his most quoted lines on teamwork is: “The most meaningful way to succeed is to help others succeed.” Grant’s research shows that the highest-performing teams aren’t built on talent alone — they’re built on a culture of contribution. In strong cultures, people don’t just ask, “How do I win?” They ask, “How do WE win?” He distinguishes between givers , takers , and matchers .  Takers look for personal advantages and want more than they give. Matchers trade evenly and give back what they get. Givers look for ways to add value to others — making the people and teams around them better. Givers aren’t doormats. Grant is clear: successful givers set boundaries. They protect their time and energy. But they show up ready, they do their job with excellence and integr...

Rainer Martens, the father of modern coaching education, famously challenged the "win-at-all-costs" mentality with a simple, disruptive motto: "Athletes First, Winning Second." What made him a legend was that while many focus on "winning at all costs," Martens revolutionized the field by arguing that the best way to win is actually to put the athlete’s development first. Martens argued that when winning is the only objective, performance actually suffers. Why? Because the fear of losing creates paralyzing anxiety. However, when the focus shifts to the development of the athlete — physically, psychologically, and socially — the scoreboard often takes care of itself. To Martens, a "winning mindset" is about three core psychological skills: Realistic Self-Confidence: Martens defined this not as "hope," but as a realistic expectation of success based on preparation. Energy Management: You can’t reach peak performance if your energy is to...