Hard work doesn’t guarantee success. It guarantees an opportunity. Hard work gives you a chance to compete, a chance to improve, and a chance to be ready when the moment arrives. Earn the opportunity before you ask for the result.

“I want to win, don’t get me wrong. Don’t get that twisted at all. I want to freaking win, but not at the expense of us skipping steps in the process.” Mike Brown captures a challenge that athletes and coaches face every day: wanting a result so badly that you become impatient with the actions required to achieve it. That impatience can change how you compete. You start forcing opportunities. You abandon your responsibilities. You stop communicating because you’re frustrated. Your attention becomes occupied by how things should be going, and you lose connection with what the game needs from you. In my performance system, I use the term ‘intent’ often. I describe a ‘high intent’ as approaching your performance purposefully, positively, and proactively. That includes having the discipline to keep executing important actions when they haven’t yet produced the outcome you want. For a basketball player, that might mean sprinting back on defence after another missed shot. Moving decisively off the ball when you haven’t received a pass for several possessions. Communicating with teammates when you’re disappointed with your own performance. These actions give your desire to win somewhere useful to go. One technique I use to help players do this is a Match Script (or Game Script): three specific actions that direct their attention and effort during competition. A basketball player might choose: “Scan before receiving. Sprint back on defence. Communicate early.” The player mentally rehearses these actions before competing and uses them as reminders during the game, especially when frustration or pressure pulls their attention towards the score. The script can’t guarantee a win, but it can help a player stay connected to the behaviours that give their team a better chance. Brown’s message also matters for coaches. If we ask players to trust the process, we have to keep recognising and reinforcing its important steps—even when the scoreboard hasn’t rewarded them yet. Want to win, sure - and bring that ambition every day. But keep asking: what does the game need from me now. ************************************** My new book, Compete, teaches ambitious competitors to execute actions with a high intent irrespective of the score

Here’s a few I can think of… Dismissing progress because the results aren’t there yet. When you start chasing a goal because others tell you it’s important. When you’re getting results but you feel empty inside. When the pursuit of something pulls you away from things that are more important.

Notice when you need to recalibrate your definition of success.

Trust yourself, the process, your preparation and your teammates 🧠🚀

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This was an absolute blast. Thank you for having me Coach Rogers.

Give them a say in their own development. Let them run with decisions to create space for reflection and growth.

Raising athletes is my greatest joy. Raising boys who are passionate, aiming as high as they can, learning to navigate ruthless challenges, learning how to execute failure etc… SO BLESSED. It’s simple, not easy.

When players are afraid to fail, they become tentative. Real growth requires being willing to struggle, make mistakes, and push through difficult things. If players are always afraid of failure, they’ll keep choosing what’s easy over what makes them better.