Essentials Vol. 3

Three reminders that winning environments are built when leaders take ownership, invest in people, and create real connection.

Author

Zach Brandon
December 19, 2025

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

Why Excuses Are Easy to Find

Context

Following a tough loss earlier in the season and while being on the road internationally to play in England, Vikings’ head coach Kevin O’Connell addressed his team with a simple, but pointed message. He reminded them that excuses are always available if you’re looking for them.

Lesson

Excuses are always available. Travel. Injuries. Schedule. Bad breaks. The question isn’t whether they exist, it’s whether you give them power.

If you’re searching for reasons, you’ll always find them. If you’re searching for solutions, you’ll find those too.

One of the most reliable separators in high performance is ownership, especially when it would be easier to explain yourself, justify the outcome, or point to circumstances.

Why People Drive Process

Context

Joe Bohringer, an executive leadership coach and longtime MLB executive (which includes being a World Series champion with the Chicago Cubs), offers a sharp reminder about the relationship between people and process in our conversation on my podcast.

"People drive process.” — Joe Bohringer (former MLB executive and current executive leadership coach)

www.linkedin.com/posts/zach-brandon-40169573_people-drive-process-joe-bohringer-activity-7407497685450055680-03tl?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAA-VtQEBCLZ8SwNeziSE_L7S85SeiR6I6dk

Lesson

Process only works when the people running it care enough to protect it. Great people don’t tolerate sloppy standards for long. They ask better questions. They push for improvement. They raise the floor.

Leaders sometimes look for the perfect system when what they really need is to invest in the people inside it. The right people will either fix the process or force you to.

Fostering Team Connection for the 2006 Miami Heat

Context

Dwyane Wade shares a story from the 2006 season about Pat Riley stopping everything to address a deeper issue within the team. Riley realized they didn’t truly know one another.

Shoutout to Tommy Sheppard for passing an assist on this clip.

Lesson

When players know each other and when they actually care, hard conversations become easier and effort becomes more consistent.

Connection doesn’t guarantee winning, but a lack of it guarantees limits. The teams that last are the ones willing to build trust before they need it.

“A connected team is a dangerous team.” — Torey Lovullo

A bonus thought I shared this week…