Kevin Eastman, Corporate Speaker & Former NBA Coach & Executive: Why The Best Are The Best
Release Date: 11/03/2020
Daniel Coyle - The Culture Playbook: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups & How To Apply Them To Your Own Team (w/ Oliver Winterbone)
Coaching Coaches
My guest today is , best-selling author of , , and his newest book that was released this week, . In this episode, Daniel shares insights he’s learned about how to build a strong culture, what some best practices are around hiring and team building, and what he’s learned from consulting with the Cleveland Guardians. My co-host today is , Director of Coaches and Executives at Wasserman, one of the premiere talent management companies in the world. He previously worked for the Oklahoma City Thunder and University of Florida Men’s Basketball program in various roles. The Athletic named him...
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Paul Oyer, Stanford – Economic Value of Tradition, Reckless Spending in Sports, & The Most Insane Stat You’ve Ever Heard
Coaching Coaches
My guest today is , a professor of economics at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He’s also the author of . Paul and I start with the most insane statistic I have come across in my entire life. Then we blow through a number of topics, including gambling, the NIL, the effects of conference realignment within college athletics, public financing of private stadiums, why coaches get huge buyouts, and most importantly, why I was serving a huge need by reselling a boatload of UF football tickets when I was in undergrad. This was a fun conversation on the future of sports related to a...
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Francesca Gino, Harvard - Steve Kerr, Exploring Your Curiosities, & Embracing Your Rebellious Side (w/ Oliver Winterbone)
Coaching Coaches
My guest today is , a professor at Harvard Business School focused on why people make the decisions they do at work, and how leaders and employees have more productive, creative and fulfilling lives. Harvard is well-known for their case studies being used by colleges and companies all over the world, and when I saw she wrote a case study on Steve Kerr, I had to get her on the podcast. Our conversation today starts with lessons learned from studying and talking to Coach Kerr. Then we shift to the topic of her best selling book, . She was one of the most impressive people I’ve talked to...
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SPECIAL: Jeff Seder – The Best Moneyball Story of All-Time (via The Meb Faber Show)
Coaching Coaches
Today’s episode features a conversation between and on . In my last episode with Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, we touched on the incredible story of Jeff Seder and how utilizing data led him to go all-in on American Pharoah and later tell his employer, “.” Wise words considering the horse would go on to become the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. Meb was kind enough to allow me to release the episode on my feed here for you to listen to. That being said, if you enjoy the episode and want to repay the favor to Meb, or are looking for a podcast on investing and what’s going on in the...
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Seth Stephens-Davidowitz: Moneyball For Your Life
Coaching Coaches
My guest today is Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, author of . I’m not sure if there’s someone whose work is more fascinating to me than Seth. His first book, , looked at how our Google searches reveal our true selves with topics like racism, child abuse, This book looks at what the data says on how to live a better life. We touch on parenting, finding a spouse, being a sports fan, what sport your child should play if they want the best chance to get a college scholarship, and how much of an athlete’s success is nature vs. nurture. His work is as fun as it is insightful and I’m sure you’ll...
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Seth Stephens-Davidowitz: Moneyball For Your Life
Coaching Coaches
My guest today is Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, author of . I’m not sure if there’s someone whose work is more fascinating to me than Seth. His first book, , looked at how our Google searches reveal our true selves with topics like racism, child abuse, This book looks at what the data says on how to live a better life. We touch on parenting, finding a spouse, being a sports fan, what sport your child should play if they want the best chance to get a college scholarship, and how much of an athlete’s success is nature vs. nurture. His work is as fun as it is insightful and I’m sure you’ll...
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GUEST INTERVIEW: Preston Greene and Shane Perkins – The Mindset of A World Champion
Coaching Coaches
Today’s episode features a conversation my good friend recently had with world champion cyclist, . Preston is the strength coach for the University of Florida men’s basketball team and one of the most well respected strength coaches in all of college athletics. Shane is a professional track cyclist who won the Bronze Medal in the 2012 London Olympic games and also won 2 world championships. In this episode, Shane talks about how he trained his mind and mentally prepared to perform, the importance of being coachable as an athlete, and what separated the great coaches from the others...
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David Shaw, Stanford Football Head Coach: Developing Players On & Off The Field
Coaching Coaches
My guest today is David Shaw, head coach of the Stanford football team. In this episode, he talks about what it’s been like to coach players like Andrew Luck and Christian McCaffrey at an elite academic institution like Stanford and lessons he’s learned working with guys like Brian Billick and Jon Gruden. Coach Shaw has been pursued by NFL teams and shares advice on how he thinks about his professional career, what makes him happy in life, and what one NFL GM said was the reason he pursued him.
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Michele Gelfand, Author & Cultural Psychologist: Is Your Culture Tight or Loose?
Coaching Coaches
Click HERE to watch the video referenced in the intro.
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Becky Burleigh, University of Florida Soccer Coach: Who Are You Becoming As A Result of The Chase?
Coaching Coaches
My guest today is Becky Burleigh, the head soccer coach at the University of Florida. She’s also the co-founder of What Drives Winning, which unites the top minds in sports. In 25 years at Florida, she has led UF to a NCAA Championship, two NCAA College Cup appearances, 14 Southeastern Conference titles and 22 NCAA Championships berths. She has 507 total wins, putting her third all-time in Division-1 soccer.
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My guest today is Kevin Eastman, a corporate and sports team speaker and previously spent 13 years in the NBA as both a coach and executive. He was a top assistant to Doc Rivers with the 2008 NBA World Championship Boston Celtics, and most recently served as an assistant coach and Vice President of Basketball Operations with the Los Angeles Clippers. He’s also the author of Why The Best Are The Best: 25 Powerful Words That Impact, Inspire, And Define Champions.
In this episode, we discuss how his passion for learning helped him break into the NBA, what makes Doc Rivers such a successful coach, the mentor/mentee relationship between Doc Rivers and Ty Lue, how Ray Allen’s preparation led him to become one of the best 3-point shooters of all-time, and the examples of extraordinary leadership he has seen during his corporate consulting work.
Show Notes:
(1:36) - Episode begins with Kevin’s background
(7:15) - How Doc Rivers handled the first team meeting with the Boston Celtics after they traded for Kevin Garnett & Ray Allen
(11:00) - How Doc Rivers builds his staffs with elite assistants who “didn’t know it all”
(13:50) - The mentor/mentee relationship between Doc Rivers & Ty Lue (read a great article on this here) & how Ty Lue worked hard to become a great coach
(25:15) - What coaches should be aware of when trying to get a job or interviewing
(34:45) - Ray Allen’s preparation before every game in his career
(43:45) - Why accountability is so important and how Doc Rivers & Kevin Garnett exemplified that
(46:30) - How the Boston Celtics’ players all sacrificed
(49:00) - How to get your players to sacrifice more if it isn’t in their DNA
(53:45) - The difference between a winner’s ego and loser’s ego
(56:25) - Must listen story of how Doc Rivers motivated the Celtics during the 2010 season by hiding $2,800 in the Staples Center after beating the L.A. Lakers during the regular season
(1:01:18) - Examples of leadership he’s seen during his corporate consulting work
(1:03:20) - Where to follow Kevin Eastman: Twitter | Website | Book
(1:05:40) - How he has utilized time during COVID to slow down
(1:11:45) — End of episode questions
End of Episode Questions:
1. What’s 1 book every coach should read?
2. Who is one person you’d want to hear as a guest on this podcast?
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Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra & L.A. Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank
3. What’s one area you’re looking to improve in over the next year?
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Refine his messaging in his public speaking and improve the depth of some of his relationships
4. What’s popular advice you hear people say that you think is wrong?
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The truth hurts
5. What advice do you have for young coaches who are listening to this?
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Go deeper into your craft, study it more, and be incredibly competent with your X’s & O’s. Also, think of adjustments you may need to make during games when you watch them.
6. What’s the darkest moment you experienced professionally and how did you overcome it?
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He doesn’t view things that happen in life as dark, they’re just things that happened you have to stop, think about what was your part in that happening, and move on.
Favorite Quotes:
“The most successful people in the world have a curiosity gene and know that they don’t know it all.”
“Preparation trumps pressure. You’ll have butterflies when you really, really prepare well. You’ll have fear when you’re not prepared well.”
“There are two types of people in this world: there are know-it-alls, and there are learn-it-alls.”
“Once you know your leader believes, it’s a little easier for you to believe.”
“I believe that you should bring your winner’s ego to everything that you do because it gives you confidence.”