Preparation. Integrity. Effort. PIE. We are the only ones who can control those three key ingredients to excellence. Excellence is not defined by points or any other game stat. It is defined by our preparation and effort, which hinges on our integrity. When we prepare well, and when we give our best effort, it shows that we are acting with integrity. Those three things are what qualify us to execute on our goals and dreams.

Don’t let the hard work steal the joy; instead let the joy fuel the hard work.

Pillar: Work Ethic

Key Topics: 168 hours, fail greatly, integrity, effort, preparation, demand excellence, excellence, helping others, leadership, work ethic

Conflict is guaranteed, but our response to conflict is not. We choose how we respond when someone wrongs us or when reality isn’t meshing with our expectations. It’s important to understand conflict resolution and practice it well because it limits the damage caused to our relationships and helps us move on together. Conflict resolution teaches us when to respond, what to respond with, and how to respond.

Pillar: Servant Leadership

Key Topic: forgiveness, anger, conflict, conflict resolution, two chairs, gatherings, relationships, servant leadership, reconciliation

It does you no good to be a five star athlete if you have zero star character. Prowess on the field is temporary. Eventually, sports will end. When it does, you will still have the character lessons you learned while playing, and the skills picked up from the lessons will help you throughout your life… or not. Having a five star character requires caring about others. It means leading a life that makes the world a better place.

The chicken line is the point at which your fear says you can't go any further. It's the point where you chicken out. Developing the will and courage to pass the chicken line despite your fear will mean the difference between success and failure. That's because everything you want, all of your goals and dreams, is on the other side of your chicken line.

A leader is defined by what they do, not what title they are given or what label is assigned to them. Leaders serve. Don’t wait for permission to be a leader. Go first and be a leader. None of us can influence everyone, but we all have influence with someone. At its core, leadership is nothing but influence. So don’t wait for permission to use your influence, go first.

In the same way that iron sharpens iron, people sharpen people. The most important role you have on any team is to sharpen your teammates—to make them better. You sharpen each other during the long hours on the track or in the pool, through the heat of the gridiron or the echoing squeaks of the basketball gym. As iron sharpens iron, you and your teammates sharpen each other through the challenges you give, the competition you engage in, and the conflicts you overcome together.

The best athletes and leaders—the ones that we want to be like—they are the real deal. They are genuine, tough enough to do hard work when it is required, and full of integrity. Being the real deal requires that you be put to the test. It requires that you move beyond the hype and the big talk about what you're going to do, to actually doing it. What the world needs more of is young men and women who are willing to stand up and say "I am the real deal me." Have the courage to be yourself. Have the courage to be the real deal.

The famous fable of the tortoise and the hare teaches us that consistent work ethic will always beat inconsistent talent. If all you have is great talent with no consistency, then like the hare in the story, you'll end up losing to a tortoise when you should have won no question. Slow and steady progress towards a goal will win over fast but faulty progress. Being slow and steady takes practice. It's a skill you acquire through repetition. To get that practice, follow the ABCs of consistent work ethic: Ask why until you know why, Be bound to the basics, and Charlie Mike.

In the military, missions don’t always run smoothly. But orders come from the top, and when they request or recommend to abort mission, the answer might instead be: Charlie Mike. Continue Mission. When we give up easily on the little things, we train ourselves to give up on the big things. It’s just like working out or running drills. Whatever muscle we give reps to is the muscle that gets stronger. We prefer to take the easy road and quit. We prefer to let the reps for quitting on easy things build that muscle. We prefer to give up on our dreams instead of putting in the hard work to keep going. It’s a choice. We can choose to keep building the quit muscle or we can choose to Charlie Mike.

Pillar: Grit

Key Topics: no excuses, stand firm, don't quit, grit, priority