E134 - Alan Stein Jr, performance coach: Why mastering the basics matters

Alan Stein Jr. is a performance coach, speaker and author with a passion for helping others change behaviours. Alan spent 15+ years working with the highest performing basketball players on the planet including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Kobe Bryant. Alan has a masterful ability to translate what he’s learnt from these high performers and provide real value for others with simple, inspiring language. 

Alan shares what he's learnt from working with the best how and how they hone their off-court skills and what the rest of us can learn from them and implement immediately. We just know you are going to get so much from this conversation!

Alan’s book, Raise Your Game: High Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best is out now.

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**Navigating the High Performance Series: A Comprehensive Guide to Personal and Professional Excellence**

**Episode Overview:**

In this episode of the High Performance Podcast, Jake Humphrey and Professor Damian Hughes engage in a captivating conversation with Alan Stein Jr., a renowned performance coach, speaker, and author. Alan shares his insights on achieving high performance, emphasizing the significance of consistency, embracing basic principles, and setting meaningful goals.

**Key Insights:**

1. **The Essence of High Performance:**

- High performance is defined as consistently performing at one's best, aiming to be the best one can be rather than striving to be the absolute best.
- Consistency is a crucial ingredient for high performance, requiring individuals to show up and meet their standards in every aspect of their lives.

2. **The Power of Basics:**

- The best performers never get bored with the basics, recognizing that mastering fundamental principles is essential for long-term success.
- Basic principles are not necessarily easy, but they are simple to understand and can be applied in various contexts.
- Society often encourages skipping steps and pursuing shortcuts, leading individuals to overlook the importance of mastering the basics.

3. **The Importance of Non-Negotiables:**

- Establishing non-negotiable standards and routines helps individuals maintain consistency and achieve high performance.
- Non-negotiables can include habits, behaviors, and principles that align with one's values and goals.
- Alan's non-negotiables for his children focus on respect, honesty, and taking ownership of their actions.

4. **Learning from Elite Athletes:**

- Kobe Bryant's dedication to mastering the basics, even during mundane drills, exemplifies the importance of unwavering commitment to fundamentals.
- Steph Curry's relentless pursuit of perfection, demonstrated by his routine of swishing five free throws in a row before leaving the gym, highlights the significance of setting high standards.
- Kevin Durant's focus on daily habits and contributions to his team, rather than solely fixating on the championship goal, underscores the value of the process over outcomes.

5. **The GPS Analogy for Goal Setting:**

- Effective goal setting requires knowing one's current position and having a clear destination or North Star.
- The process of achieving goals involves daily habits and behaviors that incrementally move individuals closer to their objectives.
- Just as a GPS recalculates routes based on changes, individuals need to recalibrate their goals and strategies as they progress.

6. **The Brick Wall Analogy for Achieving Success:**

- Building a brick wall serves as a metaphor for achieving success, emphasizing the importance of focusing on each step rather than the overall outcome.
- By laying each brick carefully and precisely, individuals can ensure the stability and integrity of the entire wall.

**Conclusion:**

Alan Stein Jr.'s insights on high performance provide valuable lessons for individuals seeking to excel in their personal and professional lives. By embracing consistency, mastering the basics, setting meaningful goals, and focusing on the process, listeners can unlock their full potential and achieve lasting success.

## Podcast Episode Summary:

### Key Insights:

- **Outcome vs. Process:** Strive for the process and the outcomes will follow. Don't let the pursuit of outcomes overshadow the journey.
- **Love the Climb:** Learn to appreciate the pursuit, the work, and the daily habits that lead to progress. True happiness lies in the climb, not just the summit.
- **Patience is Key:** Progress takes time. Develop patience by recognizing when you're being impatient and shifting your focus to the process.
- **Practice Self-Compassion:** Speak to yourself with the same kindness and empathy you would offer a loved one. Forgive yourself for mistakes and learn from them.
- **Create a Culture of Psychological Safety:** Foster a culture where team members feel safe to take risks, share ideas, and learn from mistakes.
- **Align Beliefs and Behaviors:** Ensure that the team's core values and beliefs are reflected in their daily actions and behaviors.
- **Lead by Example:** Model the behaviors you expect from your team. Hold yourself and others accountable for upholding the team's values.
- **Stay Connected to Purpose:** Help team members understand how their work contributes to a larger purpose and makes a difference in people's lives.
- **Preparation and Presence:** Before a presentation or performance, focus on preparation, presence, personality, and poise. Be fully present and in service to the audience.
- **Embrace Failure:** Accept that setbacks and failures are part of life. Learn from mistakes and move on quickly, without letting them define you.

### Notable Quotes:

- "I think as soon as we can explain that [delaying happiness] is just delaying happiness and guess what? If you're going to delay your happiness until you get to that moment, you need to be absolutely sure that the view is worth the climb. Otherwise, you're going to be highly disappointed when you get there." - Alan Stein Jr.
- "I'm a huge believer that if you're setting these North Stars and these goals appropriately, and you're setting them so they challenge you and they stretch you, you don't accomplish every one of them. I think I could make a pretty compelling argument that anyone listening, if you reach every one of your goals, then you didn't set high enough goals." - Alan Stein Jr.
- "I'm not anywhere as patient as I'm capable of, nor am I as patient as I hope to be at some point, but I'm definitely more patient than I was a year ago, five years ago, 10 years ago. And it simply takes practice, but it also takes awareness." - Alan Stein Jr.
- "You know, you'll never improve something you're unaware of, you will never fix something you're oblivious to." - Alan Stein Jr.
- "Most of the high performers that I've had a chance to get to know and be around are very critical of themselves. They hold themselves oftentimes to an unachievable standard and when they fall short of that they pile on with shame and guilt and beat themselves up now." - Damian Hughes
- "You know, so when I make mistakes, and you know, at the time of this recording, it's just a little bit after lunchtime, East Coast time here in the States, I've probably made 10 mistakes already today. And that's okay, that's on par. That's, you know, like I said, I don't worry about perfection." - Alan Stein Jr.
- "Culture is one of my favorite things to talk about. And I know that it's somewhat of a buzzword. People talk all the time about culture and they never really define it. I'm a believer that your culture is how well aligned your beliefs and your behaviors are." - Alan Stein Jr.
- "So the way you described that relationship there and that kind of language and conversation leads us into the area of culture. So you've been in the locker rooms of these high performing environments and I'm interested in how leaders within those environments create that culture of psychological safety, compassion, empathy, and understanding that is the building blocks of high performance." - Jake Humphrey
- "One of my core beliefs in life is that a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." - Alan Stein Jr.
- "I like to say, and this is something else I had mentored to me, making preparation my separation." - Alan Stein Jr.
- "And those little, that little mantra that I say to myself in advance just reminds me that's why I'm there." - Alan Stein Jr.
- "One, if I'm in the present moment and I'm not bringing baggage from the past and I'm not anxious about what may or what may not happen in the future, I can just be present, then I'm able to handle those things as they come." - Alan Stein Jr.

# Episode Summary: Alan Stein Jr. - High Performance Secrets from the Best

**Introduction:**

- Alan Stein Jr. is a performance coach, speaker, and author with a passion for helping others change behaviors.
- Alan spent 15+ years working with the highest-performing basketball players, including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Kobe Bryant.
- His book, "Raise Your Game: High-Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best," is out now.

**Key Insights:**

1. **Prepare for the Unexpected:**
- Have a contingency plan for potential disruptions to avoid getting thrown off your game.
- Detach negative connotations from unexpected events.
- Adopt a neutral and sterile worldview to respond to challenges with agility and nimbleness.

2. **Pre-Mortems for Risk Mitigation:**
- Conduct pre-mortems to identify potential obstacles and develop strategies to overcome them.
- This proactive approach helps you stay prepared and minimize the impact of unexpected events.

3. **Embrace a Growth Mindset:**
- Seek out constructive criticism and feedback to identify areas for improvement.
- View challenges as opportunities for growth and learning.
- Embrace the mindset that "if you're not agile, you're fragile" to maintain resilience and adaptability.

4. **Clarity of Purpose and Alignment:**
- Define the person you strive to become in the future and make decisions that align with that vision.
- Regularly assess whether your actions are taking you closer to or further away from your desired future self.
- This clarity of purpose leads to a more fulfilling and high-performance life.

5. **The Power of Positivity:**
- Cultivate a positive mindset and focus on the good things in life.
- Surround yourself with positive influences and avoid negativity.
- Remember that "a candle loses nothing by lighting another candle." Spread positivity and inspiration to uplift others.

**Conclusion:**

- Alan Stein Jr. emphasizes the importance of mental agility, resilience, and a positive mindset for achieving high performance.
- By preparing for the unexpected, embracing challenges, and aligning actions with long-term goals, individuals can unlock their full potential and thrive in various aspects of life.

**Introduction to Alan Stein Jr. and His Expertise**

- Alan Stein Jr. is a renowned performance coach, speaker, and author dedicated to empowering individuals to transform their behaviors and achieve peak performance.
- With over 15 years of experience working with elite basketball players, including NBA superstars like Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Kobe Bryant, Alan possesses a deep understanding of the strategies and techniques employed by top performers.
- His expertise lies in translating these insights into actionable advice and simple, inspiring language that resonates with a wide audience.

**Unveiling the Secrets of High Performers**

- Alan sheds light on the off-court skills and habits that set high performers apart, emphasizing the importance of continuous learning, relentless work ethic, and unwavering focus.
- He delves into the mindset and approach of these individuals, highlighting their ability to stay grounded, embrace challenges, and maintain a positive outlook even in the face of adversity.

**Practical Lessons for Personal and Professional Growth**

- Alan's insights offer valuable lessons for individuals seeking to elevate their performance in various aspects of life, whether it's sports, business, or personal development.
- He emphasizes the significance of setting clear goals, developing a growth mindset, and cultivating resilience in the pursuit of excellence.

**Key Takeaways and Actionable Strategies**

- Alan's book, "Raise Your Game: High-Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best," provides a comprehensive guide to implementing the strategies and techniques discussed in the podcast.
- He encourages listeners to embrace the concept of "world-class basics," focusing on the fundamentals and consistently honing their skills to achieve mastery.
- Alan stresses the importance of remaining humble, curious, and empathetic, recognizing that continuous learning and a willingness to adapt are essential for sustained success.

**Additional Resources and Engagement Opportunities**

- The podcast offers a premium subscription service called "High Performance Plus," which provides ad-free episodes, exclusive bonus content, and behind-the-scenes insights.
- Listeners are encouraged to engage with the podcast through social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Telegram, where they can access additional content and participate in discussions.