✅ The Popovich Standard: Leadership That Lasts

⏳ Read Time: 4.5 min

🧭 What’s in this newsletter?

• 🗣️ What They Said: What legends like Coach K, Steve Kerr, and Adam Silver revealed about Pop’s leadership legacy.

• 🔬 Pop’s Culture Playbook: The three pillars that made the Spurs’ culture the gold standard in professional sports.

• ✅ Five Takeaways: Practical ways to apply Pop’s leadership style to your team or staff today.

• 🏁 Conclusion: A challenge to lead yourself first — the way Pop always did.

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🏆 Anecdote: What Others Are Saying

After a Game 6 loss to the Houston Rockets, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green interrupted a reporter’s question to share about Gregg Popovich and the impact Pop had on him in just one Olympic summer together.

This, of course, was coming on the heels of Pop announcing his retirement from coaching. That’s pretty high praise from someone who’s a fierce (and often too fierce) competitor.

An ESPN feature on Popovich’s entire career is littered with quotes from coaching and basketball greats about what they feel made Pop such an effective coach. Here are just some of them.

And finally, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.

Unique. Values-based. Humility. Honesty.

Entire books, studies, and organizational research have been performed on what makes the San Antonio Spurs special. They’ve become the banner pro sports organization.

But could it be that it’s a very simple concept that drove their organization? Something that’s so simple that it’s easy to miss?

Earlier this year, Todd McShay had Howie Roseman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Philadelphia Eagles, on his show. Roseman told a story about the best advice he received. It came from R.C. Buford, the longtime GM of the San Antonio Spurs and Gregg Popovich’s running mate in San Antonio.

It’s easy to see the systems, the organization, and the processes, and miss the quality of the people and leadership leading the organization.

Lead yourself first.

It’s the epitome of how Pop led. Be the best person that you can be. Encourage others to do the same. Be a great teammate.

This is the first and primary responsibility of every coach.

So, below, we’ve included a few snapshots of what Pop used to do with the Spurs, and collected five practical takeaways every leader can use in their leadership.

🔬 Popovich’s Culture Playbook

As many of you know, we’ve built our own Culture Playbook. It’s the system, language, and tools we use when NCAA ADs, Coaches, and team leaders bring us in to help develop their team's culture. We built this version of the playbook to give it to any coach in the country.

However, enough has been written about the Spurs over the years so that we can get a peek into the Spurs’ and Popovich’s Culture Playbook, and a few things stand out.

1. The Importance of Personal Relationships

Pop was asked about his coaching legacy before a 2013 NBA Finals loss to the Miami Heat.

“What’s my legacy? Food and wine. This is just a job.”

Much has been written about Pop’s famous team dinners. The ESPN article linked there calls them the “secret” to the Spurs dynasty. But Pop used these team dinners before to give space and time for players, coaches, and staff to get to know each other honestly, not for any agenda but for relationships.

These meals were intentional acts to build trust and camaraderie among players. They communicated, “You matter. Not because of what you do for us. But because you are.”

2. Embracing the Process

Steve Kerr mentioned Popovich's “Pound the Rock” mantra above, emphasizing the importance of diligence and patience in leadership. He instilled in his team the value of focusing on fundamentals and gradual improvement, resisting the allure of quick fixes.​

Slow, quiet, steady consistency, every day.

3. Prioritizing Character

Beyond tactics and strategy, Popovich believed in the significance of personal relationships. He often stated that being a good human being was paramount, setting a standard for character and integrity within the team.​

Unwavering standards with quiet consistency. That was the Pop way.

So, what can we do in our leadership, whether we are coaches, athletic directors, businesspeople, or teachers? Here are five ways you can implement Pop’s leadership into yours.

✅ Five Practical Takeaways: Lead Like Pop

1. Make Relationships the Mission
   Pop didn’t separate performance from connection — he wove them together. Take time to know your people outside of their roles. Schedule time for real, agenda-free connection.

2. Lead with Consistency, Not Volume
   You don’t need to yell to hold people accountable. Pop showed us that quiet consistency builds more trust than unpredictable intensity ever could.

3. Preach the Process, Not the Outcome
   Success doesn’t come from chasing wins. It comes from doing the small things right every day. Remind your team: we don’t skip steps.

4. Character First, Always
   Pop built his teams on people, not just players. Prioritize integrity and humility in your hiring, recruiting, and development. Culture starts with who you let in.

5. Be the Example Before You Teach It
   Before Pop demanded anything from others, he modeled it himself. Leadership begins with self-leadership — start there every day.

🏁 Conclusion: A Simple Standard That Lasts

Popovich didn’t need slogans to shape his culture — he lived the standard.
He listened more than he talked. He valued people over plans. And he built teams that didn’t just win — they stayed.

Want to build a legacy? Start by leading yourself.

You’ve seen Pop’s Culture Playbook. Now here’s ours.

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