Insights on Drive, Sleep, Fulfillment, Energy, and Culture

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Over the past two years, The Daily Coach has conducted a range of interviews with coaches, executives, and other leaders about staying driven and sustaining excellence, improving the quality of our sleep, and redefining success and fulfillment.

For this week’s Saturday Blueprint, we put together some of our favorite quotes on these subjects from our guests, along with insights on energy auditing and Coach John Wooden’s timeless approach to culture.

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On staying driven and sustaining excellence:

Well, I think, number one, you have to have a passion for what you want to do. You need to find something you trulyenjoy. You must be willing to learn and understand that whatever you do, it's not about you—it's about the people or the occupation you serve. I've always seen myself as a caretaker. I don’t think you need to be a big leaguer to be in the big leagues. You can be a major league person, coach, teacher, advisor, or leader, regardless of your status or title. 

My passion, and what kept me going, was the game and the drive to help just one player or person. That gave me the incentive to keep going. It’s never felt like work for me. I think a lot of people feel trapped in what they do, but I never felt that way. I never thought, "I have to get to the big leagues." You get out of it what you put into it. 

Make no mistake—people will test you, and you’ll face challenges. Many people with goals and aspirations give up too soon when they hit bumps in the road. But if you truly have passion and understand it’s not about you, you keep going. You keep going because it’s the right thing to do.

― Dave Trembley, Former Baltimore Orioles Manager

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On improving the quality of our sleep:

One is just building in the wind-down routine. It sounds like a small tweak but going from being reactive becomingproactive to giving yourself five or 10 minutes to actually process your thoughts and wind down will change how you integrate sleep into your day to day. 

Secondly, invest in sleep tools and build a travel sleep kit to optimize your sleep environment on the road. Your sleep environment should be dark, quiet, cool and comfortable. 

The low-hanging fruit is we minimally need seven hours per night. It’s O.K. if you’re not at seven. If you’re getting five or six, I’d say prioritize even getting 15 minutes or 30 minutes more this week every single day. It’s the difference between an A and a B student. Small adjustments in your sleep duration and sleep habits will add up. If you can start with getting 15 minutes more sleep tonight, you’ll get a win.

― Dr. Cheri Mah, Sleep Physician and Adjunct Lecturer at the Stanford Sleep Medicine Center

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On success and fulfillment:

You know, when you’re young and just starting out and you’re hungry, all you think about is winning. It’s, “How can I win? How can I score more points? How can I win?” Looking back, I wish I knew then what I know now. That’s why young people can really learn from their elders, why they can really learn from the great coaches and executives, even if they’re retired now. 

Pick their brains. Read their books. I placed way too much value on winning, you know what I’m saying? To the point where I didn’t spend enough time with my family. I didn’t spend enough time with my friends. My balance was completely out of whack. I didn’t take good care of my health because I was so caught up in that mindset of, “I’ve got to win. I’ve got to win. What can I do to win?” 

Now, at this point in my life, I’ve realized I can win and still be healthy. I can win and still have a balanced life. I can win and still prioritize my loved ones. 

So, I would always encourage coaches at any level: Make sure at the end of the day, when you win that trophy andeverybody’s so excited, that you turn around to hug somebody and there’s someone there to hug. Don’t sacrifice the things that really matter just to get that trophy.

― Lin Dunn, Hall of Famer and Indiana Fever Senior Advisor

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On energy auditing:

Businesspeople are always obsessed with time and their calendars. In sports, great coaches and great athletes are obsessed with their energy. 

When I came out of the agent business into a more traditional business environment, I thought this was so fascinating.People would show up at meetings and they’re mad they’re there. They go back-to-back-to-back and get to the meeting, the moment that really matters, and they’re not prepared because they don’t have the kind of energy to show up the way they want. 

I promise you Serena, LeBron, Kobe, Brady are going to ensure they have the energy they need for the moments that matter… The audit is, what gives us energy, personally and professionally? What drains our energy, personally and professionally? What’s neutral? 

We need to pull back and make sure we have the things that give us energy.

― Molly Fletcher, Keynote Speaker and Best-selling Author

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On Coach John Wooden’s culture:

There was nothing more important than being on the team. He created a culture, an identity and a style of, ‘We have a collective sense of effort and purpose, and we’re going to get this done. If you’re not interested, that’s fine. There’ssomebody else who is.’ It was a privilege to play for him. Of all of the different things he said, none of it made any sense to me as a teenager. Later on in life, everything he said did come true.

― Bill Walton, In Loving Memory

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