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The Idea: Understanding Performance

Note: This newsletter uses examples of athletes, but you could easily replace every use of the word “athlete” with “coach” or “leader.” Think about these ideas in your context.

Ask any elite athlete about performing at their best.

We’re talking elite. The best of the best. Often, it’s hard for them to explain what makes them great.

It’s hard for them to communicate how they get to their best because they lack self-awareness. It’s come so naturally to them. They’re so talented. They haven’t had to ask themselves hard questions and reflect to get there.

On 99% of the teams we work with, the most “talented” players are often the furthest from healthy mental performance. The best mental performers are often the less talented players who have had to work much harder than the talented players to get where they are. They’ve had to seek out every single edge.

That’s what makes the greats genuinely elite. They have both the talent and are elite mental performers. They’re so elite that we know them by a single name.

Jordan, Serena, Tiger, Phelps, Roger, Nadal, Brady, Gretzky.

And you have more modern examples.

Steph, Scottie, Biles, Ledecky.

And thus, our understanding of peak performance for years came mainly from anecdotes from those greats.

Thanks to increased research on athletic performance in the last 30 years, we understand more about elite psychology, mental performance, and greatness than ever before.

We are closer than ever to understanding healthy elite performance. But it can still be hard to communicate.

At BETTER, our mission has always been to empower student-athletes and their experience by pouring into their leaders. That is not changing. We still believe there is much room to grow in helping coaches and athletic directors become better leaders.

But, through no pursuit of our own, we’ve gotten to work more directly with athletes the last few months than ever before. Unlike ever before, we’re getting to test our ideas and their impact on direct performance.

Over the next few weeks, we will share some of what we’ve learned. We want to share the tools, visuals, and language we use to help athletes become healthier in their understanding of their performance.

And we’re starting with our idea of what it means to be a 100X Elite Performer.

Anecdote: Commitment vs Contentment

We’ve found that the place you have to start is by painting a picture of the goal. Where does peak performance come from? What are those greats doing that allows them to perform at an elite level?

To start this journey, we want to introduce you to the language and visuals we use to convey the goal.

We paint pictures of athletes in extremes. Think about the spectrum above.

We talk about them like they are committed.

Committed: Win at all costs, obsessed with performance, success only comes from outcomes, results

OR we talk about them like they’re content.

Content: They’re fine where they are. They have a strong understanding of themselves and their values. They are super talented, but maybe not maximizing their talent.

We leave little room for nuance in the middle, where most athletes land.

And these things are not mutually exclusive. For example, consider this athlete.

By nature of being extremely committed, they cannot be content. It’s the “mamba mentality” or being “alpha.” If you are going to be highly outcome-focused, then whenever you lose, it causes you to question your sense of self. The flip side, of course, is this athlete.

An athlete that is very content with who they are tends to be less committed because they do not need their performance to define their sense of self.

The image of performance we use is this.

It’s an athlete that can step onto the field, the court, the course, and the weight room and be highly committed to being the best they can be. But, their performance isn’t feeding their sense of self. They’re not dependent on their performance to understand who they are and know where their worth comes from.

Here’s Scottie Scheffler talking about this exact idea using different words.

@golfoncbs

“I’m trying to answer your questions and I’m trying to get home.” #themasters #golf #fyp #scottiescheffler

Research: The Quest.

Here’s Steve Magness, best-selling author and guru on healthy performance, talking about how elite athletes’ attitudes towards their performance change over their careers.

thegrowthequation

View more on Instagram

So, in other words - even Olympic-level swimmers start highly committed and move more towards a place where they’re maximizing both their commitment and contentment.

Putting it all together:

So, now, what should we do with this idea? As an athlete, a coach, an athletic director, and a leader, how can this idea influence my leadership today?

1. Encourage Self-Awareness in Performance
   Take time after each game, practice, or project to reflect on the process and outcome. Encourage your athletes or team members to recognize what they did and why they made specific decisions. Understanding their approach is the first step to improving it.

2. Balance Commitment with Contentment
   Teach athletes or team members to be fully committed to excellence while staying grounded in who they are outside of their performance. This will reduce pressure to define themselves solely by wins or losses, leading to healthier, more consistent performance.

3. Model Healthy Performance Behavior
   As a leader, model the ability to push for high achievement without tying your self-worth to outcomes. Talk openly about your failures and successes, helping others see that both can be valuable learning experiences.

4. Create Space for Honest Conversations
   Foster an environment where it’s safe to discuss mental and physical performance challenges. Athletes and teams should feel comfortable sharing their struggles with commitment, confidence, or balance without fear of judgment.

5. Prioritize Growth Over Outcomes
   Whether you're an athlete, coach, or leader, focus on continuous improvement rather than just results. Encourage yourself and others to see every challenge as an opportunity to grow, regardless of the outcome. This mindset shift fosters resilience and long-term success.

Conclusion:

Now is the time to take action. Start by fostering self-awareness and recognizing how commitment and contentment can coexist to enhance your performance or leadership. Lead by example, and create space for open, honest conversations about growth. By focusing on progress over outcomes, you’ll elevate your performance and inspire those around you to reach new levels of excellence.

Team Talks

One of the significant topics coaches ask us about is messaging.

Chances are, if we see a Head Coach’s name pop up on our phone, and they’re in-season, they want to share where their team is in their season and ask how to craft a message to maximize performance.

We know you’re tired of scrolling through YouTube, Instagram, and X (Twitter), looking for a motivational video that you hope and pray will resonate with your team.

We were asked so much that we created a more permanent solution.

And that’s Team Talks.

What are Team Talks?

Team Talks are short, 10-minute-or-less videos to use with your team, focused on mindset, leadership, and performance. They’re evidence-based ideas with stories to capture your team’s heart. Each video comes with an exercise to make the lesson stick. They are used by state, conference, and national champions. We have Team Talks on:

• Adversity

• Accountability

• Teamwork

• Discipline

• Mindset

• Elite Performance

There are currently 18 (the length of a typical season). We will build the library over the next few months to have thirty-six.

Team Talks set you up with the right message at the right time for your team.

And for a limited time, we’re offering them a 25% discount. Get Team Talks today.

The Culture Playbook + Cohorts

Coaches have access to a lot of coaching content. What they lack are systems.

The Culture Playbook is 10 leadership ideas with the exercises you need to install the ideas and culture into your program. It’s the exact system we use to help coaches build their programs around mindset, leadership, and performance. We’ve used it at schools like Oklahoma, Mississippi State, and Florida State.

Since the Culture Playbook was released almost a year ago, nearly 1,000 coaches have purchased and are using it for their programs.

You can get it for your program today.

Culture Playbook Cohorts

We are offering Culture Playbook Cohorts if you’re interested in exploring the Culture Playbook on a deeper level.

We’ve had a few dozen commitments over the last week and aren’t starting with very many cohorts, so reserve your spot today!

Monthly Calls + Powerful Content + Practical Application + Community = Accelerate Your Growth

If interested, simply DM Seth or Kevin on Twitter.