The art of winning
Coach Tara VanDerveer can teach us a thing or two about increasing the odds to be on our favor | Vol. 32
Hello Move Fast, Think Slow readers! Last week we dug into the 8th wonder of the world - compound interest. It might not be the 8th wonder of the world but there is plenty of evidence to show how powerful the philosophy and practice of compound interest is. Repeated focus is the way to win the future and create new value in your life.
What is fascinating about compound interest is how little it’s discussed or analyzed beyond the world of finance. It’s the type of thing I wish someone had told me about years ago. Give it a read if you missed it.
This week, we’re going to focus on the art of winning.
I tend to share wisdom as a source of guidance and insights from one gender and not the other.
This is short sighted.
It’s short sighted because this doesn’t reflect the full spectrum of me.
Women have and continue to play a positive role in driving support, wisdom, and teachings to my life.
I wouldn’t have survived or made it to a better place if it wasn’t for my Mother, Grandmother, and Sister.
If it wasn’t for teachers who got into the trenches with me as a young child. I wouldn’t be who I am today.
Then there are the mentors and bosses I’ve had the great fortune to learn from throughout my career. I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for them.
Then there’s my wife and the incredible women in her family. I wouldn’t be able to become a better version of me if it wasn’t for them.
That’s because whenever I am being me, it’s not just me. I am the collection of a lifetime of teachings and experiences. A collection of direct feedback on how to be better. A collection of positive support, being told it’s safe and okay to be who I am.
Why am I bad at sharing great insights from the opposite gender if this is a clear theme in my life?
Some of it is our culture.
Some of it is on me.
There’s always room for improvement.
Speaking of which, this week we’re learning from the winningest college basketball coach of all time, Coach Tara VanDerveer of Stanford. Coach VanDerveer has won 82% of the games she has coached. Let me repeat that because it’s insane: Coach has won 82% of the games she has led in her 45-year career. She just moved to #1 on the list as the winningest coach, above the legendary Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski.
She recently spoke to the New York Times and the wisdom she shared is just 🤌🤌🤌.
An added bonus for me is she’s all about stealing good ideas. A big area of focus in 2024 in MF/TS. So do yourself a favor, and consider how you can steal some of these ideas for yourself or the team’s you work with.
The art of winning is about understanding what it takes to achieve excellence.
Coach VanDerveer deeply understands this. She’s had a lot of practice at winning. And wins don’t just happen by accident.
Her thoughts on the team, motivation, learning, leadership, and perspective all hit the bullseye. 🎯
Getting teams to reach the upper echelon requires a commitment to high standards. But to get people who are very good at what they do and who have a lot of confidence in their skill set to reach for higher standards is no easy task. And Coach VanDerveer has done it consistently. Let’s find out why.
COACH SCHOOL
Here are insightful quotes from Coach’s interview.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE | YOU ARE ONE PART OF AN ECOSYSTEM
“Hire right. As my dad said, “You can’t win the Kentucky Derby on a donkey.” And not just players but staff. Be sure they complement you more than compliment you.”
“Have a vision for your players, and give them the tools. Maximize people’s strengths and minimize their weaknesses.”
LEAD BUT DON’T STEAL THUNDER
“Don’t be the center of attention. Don’t micromanage, and seek input.”
HUSTLE BUT TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
“Outwork the players on your team. Take care of yourself — eat and sleep right, and exercise — so you can take care of one another.”
BE F#$%ING OPEN-MINDED
“I am also not afraid to take risks and experiment. We ran one kind of offense for at least 12 years very successfully. When our team personnel changed, I studied the “Princeton offense” and thought it fit our team better. We won the N.C.A.A. in 2021 running that offense.”
GENIUS STEALS
“I’m a copier who gets ideas from other basketball coaches.”
PROGRAM TO THE PERSON
“They just understood what each child needed. I am that way, trying to understand what each player needs, and the needs are different.”
INSPIRED BY HER PIANO TEACHER (OPENNESS TO LEARN)
“She took me where I couldn’t get to by myself. That’s what a great coach does.”
“It wasn’t just that she was so good technically, it was that you wanted to please her.”
“And I learned that if you want to be better, don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
WHAT OTHERS HAD TO SAY ABOUT COACH VANDERVEER
When her peers were asked about Coach VanDerveer breaking the record, this is what a few had to say.
“Tara VanDerveer, when people talk about GOATS, she really is the best ever. With Tara, it’s not just the basketball. A lot of people don’t know how much she’s done to prop women up in this profession, to lift others up. - Colorado coach JR Payne
“Really from Stanford women’s basketball not only to the professional WNBA level but even just looking at the pedigree of alum from her program that go on to do amazing things that are littered throughout the executive side of the NBA and WNBA, you just can’t deny it.” - former player and current basketball broadcaster Ros Gold-Onwude
“The most remarkable thing about her is she’s done it for so long. And she’s remained at such a high level of excellence. And that’s her preparation, her attention to detail is the separator. And so obviously, they have the history to recruit, so they’ve had great players, but they are very disciplined. And their attention to detail is next level and that’s what makes her who she is.” - Oregon State coach Scott Rueck
She set such a high standard for everybody, for our whole profession. She recruits classy kids, she coaches classy. They prepare better than any team I’ve ever been around. They just do things the right way. She has set a great example. I think any young coach out there, that’s who you should watch.” - Oregon coach Kelly Graves
IN SUMMARY
Coach has won 82% of the games she’s led over a 45-year career for a lot of reasons.
The big theme we see is she has high standards but with humanity.
She puts forward strategies to win the games but with humanity.
She asks a lot from the individuals on her team but with humanity.
By humanity I mean she’s humble enough to know she doesn’t have all the answers. By humanity I mean she has empathy for others’ needs. By humanity I mean she knows being healthy is as important if not more so than “grinding.”
“Take care of yourself — eat and sleep right, and exercise — so you can take care of one another.”
The willingness to learn and adapt.
The vision to take people where they’ve never gone before.
The understanding that she can be at the forefront but should never steal the light entirely.
Let the record show, she’s onto something. In fact, she has nearly figured it all out.
APPLYING COACH’S WISDOM TO YOUR LIFE
Ask yourself these questions. You might be able to get a bit closer to what Coach has discovered as the core principles of success.
Are you being as healthy as you can be? Be honest.
Are there ideas or strategies that are working for your competition that you can steal?
Is there someone you can ask for help and feedback from?
Are you really connecting and understanding with the people you need to be most successful so the group can be successful?
Are you carving out time to read? To learn? To write out ideas?
Get a pen and paper. Give yourself :30 minutes. Write down the answers. And then, see how you can put forward a consistent plan of action. As written about last week, the consistent rituals over long periods of time is how to unlock value in your life.
IMAGES OF THE WEEK
Go forth. Stay safe. Ride the wave.
-Mitch