Struggles of the Legends

Gregg Popovich’s San Antonio Spurs are 4-21. 

Bill Belichick’s New England Patriots are 3-11.

Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans are 6-5.

Mike Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers are 7-7.

Buck Showalter’s New York Mets went 75-87.

Many of the most accomplished and highest-regarded coaches in sports are struggling this year — and it has some critical reminders for us.

As coaches, executives and leaders, we often see the titans of our industries hoisting trophies and receiving various other accolades, then wonder what specifically they do to establish their cultures of discipline, accountability and excellence.

But even the truly elite have down seasons, stretches where their strategies don’t seem to work, where their messages don’t appear to get through to their players, employees or team members.  

The reality is that there’s no magic key to coaching and to leadership, no one-size-fits-all strategy or vision that will work for every group out there every single year.

Even the greatest to ever do it can look bad at times and can see their teams appear disorganized, lacking grit, unable to executive the task at hand.  

It’s important to remember that hard times and in an inability to attain the coveted result aren’t an indictment of our overall effectiveness — or a statement that we’re not qualified to do the job.

As cliché as it may sound, our leadership career is an extensive journey that will feature triumphs and twists, achievement and adversity.

Our success and larger impact can’t just be gauged by taking a random snapshot of a game, business cycle or even a single season.  

As 2023 draws to a close, some of us are likely exactly where we want to be, while the majority have greater ambitions for the year ahead.

Regardless, we’d be wise to keep in mind that a bad stretch doesn’t define us, nor will it ever tarnish our larger legacy.

Learn from the hardship, grow — and remember that even the greatest to ever do it have had a bad stretch as well. 

Shift Left: How to Turn Security into Review 

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Vanta helps SaaS businesses of all sizes manage risk and prove security in real time.

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