⏳ Read Time: 4 min
Quick Note: The Game Within
We’ve been asked a lot in recent weeks about our work with athletes, primarily by parents of high school athletes, high school coaches, and even athletes themselves.
Our working title for the entire mental performance pathway is “The Game Within”—we’ve written about it extensively in this newsletter and detailed each part.
We don’t have every piece ready for an athlete to do on their own. But we’ve shared the first part (“Addressing Fear”) so much that it's easy to share with anyone.
If you want to see it to use with one of your athletes or an athlete you know, reply to this email. We are happy to share it with anyone. No strings attached.
📌 What’s inside:
🔁 The myth: Motivation as messaging
🧠 The research: What actually drives motivation
💡 5 ways to lead for lasting motivation — without saying a word
📖 The Work Beneath the Work
You can have your Ted Lasso. We’ll take Coach Eric Taylor.
We’ve all seen the movie moment.
The coach storms into the locker room at halftime, delivers the perfect speech, and the team explodes onto the field inspired.
Say it with us. Clear Eyes. Full Hearts. Can’t Lose!
It’s beautiful. It’s dramatic, it’s cinematic. But here’s what they don’t tell you in coaching school:
This is mostly a myth.
We can’t quite put our finger on where it started (probably a combination of Vince Lombardi and some famous sports movies), but coaches have come to believe that clips like this one are what leadership is. They think this is motivation.
And that’s certainly one part of motivation. Listen, there is certainly something to firing your team up. But, we get asked to help with “messaging” so much that we’ve started to ask:
“Do coaches think that choosing their messaging is their primary leadership?”
Quick Aside: Yes, there has been research done on whether or not pregame speeches are beneficial. We’ve read it. There’s not much, and more needs to be done.
TLDR version is: Pregame speeches can and will impact how your athletes FEEL. It’s unclear if they impact performance. In fact, when measured against performance, pregame speeches have been found to be just as harmful as they are helpful
Here’s what most coaches miss when they get inspired to be like Coach Taylor in the clip above:
Motivation doesn’t come from words. It comes from belief.
If your team doesn’t believe in you, no speech will save you.
If they do, your “messaging” will be more effective.
That’s the real secret:
The most powerful motivator isn’t the message — it’s the messenger.
The truth is, the best halftime speeches are lived, not spoken.
They’re built over months of consistency, honesty, and care — long before you ever open your mouth.
When your team believes in your leadership, your words have power.
When they don’t, even the best message falls flat.
We want to help you be the leader who doesn’t have to craft messages to motivate. Who you are motivates, regardless of what you say.
📊 Research Insight: Motivation Starts With Belief
Research in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 2000) shows that lasting motivation doesn’t come from external hype or rewards. It’s built when three internal needs are met:
Autonomy: People feel ownership of what they’re doing.
Competence: They believe their effort leads to progress.
Relatedness: They trust the people they’re working with.
Leaders who consistently meet these needs — who empower, develop, and genuinely connect with their people — don’t have to “create” motivation. They cultivate it.
We say again: Messenger > Message
🛠️ Putting It All Together:
💡 5 Ways to Lead For Lasting Motivation
Be consistent, not charismatic.
Yes, sometimes teams want emotional fireworks, but what they really need is emotional stability.
Consistency builds belief.
Connect before you correct.
People won’t be motivated by someone they don’t feel connected to.
Relationship always precedes results.
Let ownership drive energy.
Involve your players or staff in defining goals and standards.
Motivation rises when people help build what they’re working toward.
Model composure under pressure.
Calm is contagious.
Decide (and write down) the leader you want to be in those moments before you get there.
This practice helps in one moment. An entire Voice Guide will help you do this in every moment, not just the high-pressure ones.
Live the message before you deliver it.
Your actions communicated 100 times louder than your pregame talk.
When you’re team believes in you, they’ll believe in your words.
🏁 Conclusion: The Work that Impacts the Rest
Motivation isn’t a moment you create — it’s a byproduct of the leader you are.
Words inspire for a day.
Belief inspires for a season.
The next time you’re tempted to craft the perfect message, focus instead on being the kind of leader who doesn’t have to.
P.S. If you’ve already received and read PowerBook 2, you’ll recognize the connection here: true motivation begins with identity.
Pre-Order The Full Book: Lead Yourself First!
When you pre-order, you’ll get:
✅ Immediate access to the next two PowerBooks as soon as they’re released
🗒️ A downloadable implementation guide for PowerBook 1 - You Are The Culture
🎥 Access to our monthly leadership webinars inside the BETTER Community
📗 A physical copy of Lead Yourself First when the full section is complete
🛠️ Want to win more? Know Yourself First.
Just last week, nearly 400 leaders signed up for our 5-day leadership course based on your Voice!
It will be sent to your inbox starting the Monday after you take the assessment and run for that week.
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