Actionable insights on coaching, leadership, culture, and teams

June 2, 2023

Howdy Y’all,

This week’s Highest Level includes:

• How happiness turned around the Texas Rangers
• Spoelstra's winning habits elevating the Heat
• Performance coaching in the professional esports

Let's go!

EB

How Happiness Turned Around the Rangers

The Texas Rangers are enjoying their best season in a decade after being one of the worst teams in baseball the past few years. So how have the 2023 version of the Rangers turned things around so quickly in this early season while having their top players out with injuries?

According to players and team leaders alike, the answer is simple. The players are happy.

Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe on the effect of happy players in Texas

First-year Rangers manager Bruce Bochy on creating a happy work environment

The change in leadership with Bochy and his new coaching staff have also been a huge part of the turn around.

Lowe on the flexibility of the new leadership

This article from The Score highlights the importance of a positive work environment and culture in creating a successful team. When players are happy and motivated, they are more likely to perform at their best. The Rangers have created a positive environment where players feel supported and encouraged, and this has been a major factor in their success.

Read the full story on the Rangers turn around from Travis Sawchik.

Winning Habits Elevate Spoelstra and the Heat

Obvisously Erik Spoelstra has been a leader in my focus recently with the Miami Heat getting to the NBA Finals. It's hard for any leader not to have a huge amount of respect for his leadership, especially given his team's ability to continually defeat "more talented" teams on their way to an Eastern Conference championship this year.

In my reserach for my Erik Spoelstra leadership case study, I came across a great article from NBA.com on Spoelstra's winning habits and a team culture where players are willing to work hard and sacrifice for the team that have been key in the Heat's success.

Some of the winning habits that set Erik Spoelstra apart include:

• Attention to detail: Spoelstra is known for his attention to detail and his ability to get the most out of his players. Kevin Love said "He inspires us to be great. The level of preparation and professionalism that he has is such a part of what we do...He has the mental makeup for us to continue to be on board and just grind this thing out."
• Relationship building: Spoelstra has a strong relationship with his players and they respect him for his work ethic and his dedication to the team. He is always available to talk to his players and he is always willing to listen to their concerns. He also makes sure to celebrate their successes and to offer them encouragement when they are struggling.
• Positive team culture: Spoelstra has created a positive team culture where players feel supported and encouraged. He believes that a positive team culture is essential for success and he works hard to create an environment where players feel comfortable taking risks and where they feel like they can contribute to the team.

I also have to include my favorite quote from the article here from Spoelstra on the privilege of adversity. And I just love the way Spoelstra continually frames any challenges and struggles to his teams as "the privilidge of adversity" or "The beauty of the struggle". Great imagery to communicate to the team.

Spoelstra on the privilege of adversity:

These are just a few of the winning habits that have set Erik Spoelstra apart as one of the best coaches in the NBA. He is a demanding coach, but he is also a fair coach and he is someone that players respect and want to play for, and that any leader can learn from.

Check out the NBA.com article "Erik Spoelstra's trust in winning habits sets him apart from other coaches".

Performance Coaching in Professional Esports

This past year I worked with professional esports organization Sentinels as a strategic advisor to ownership and as performance coach to the team and players. This work consisted of advising the organization on team building efforts, meeting 1-on-1 with players and coaches, and daily "mental management" workshops while in-person for team bootcamps.

Here is a short video that gives a little insight into my work with the Sentinels Valorant team as their performance coach during 2022's LCQ tournament.

Check out the full video of my work from the bootcamp with Sentinels.

Thanks for reading and see you next time at the highest level.

Dominate Today,

Evan

Find me on Twitter or my website.

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