Here’s a few clips I’ve been thinking about this week…

Standards of Excellence

Context

Indiana head football coach, Curt Cignetti, describes his standards of excellence for his teams and what enables them to sustain success.

Lesson

Every moment presents you an opportunity and rep to practice honoring your standard. When leaders allow outcomes to dictate behavior, standards erode. When leaders stay anchored to their standard, consistency becomes a separator. Over time, habits are formed and, eventually, those habits form you.

Does the video match the audio?

Context

Former Washington Wizards’ General Manager and President of Basketball Operations, Tommy Sheppard, sat down with me on the most recent episode of The Threshold Lab podcast. This clip below is a reminder to every developing leader that meaningful careers take time and leadership is always on display.

Lesson

First, there is an “S” at the end of the word dues. You can’t fast-forward wisdom. It is earned through time, repetition, mistakes, and reflection.

Second, leadership can’t have a bad day. once you step into leadership, there’s no such thing as an off day. People are always watching the leader. Your presence, consistency, and integrity set the tone. Every day, leaders should reflect on one key question: Does my “video“ (actions) match my “audio” (words)?

Learning From Our Toughest Challenges

Context

Becky Hammon reframes adversity not as something to simply survive, but as something to study. In difficult moments, she emphasizes the importance of pausing and asking what the situation is trying to teach you.

Lesson

Difficulty often exposes what still needs development. Instead of resisting adversity, effective leaders ask: What capability is this moment asking me to strengthen?

Our challenges are rehearsals for the roles and responsibilities that lie ahead in our journeys.

A few bonus thoughts I shared this week…