Alan Stein is no stranger to success stories – he’s had the privilege of following and supporting many famous names in their ascension to stardom. His work at two renowned basketball programs in Washington D.C. produced more than two dozen NBA players alone. Now, the coach, mentor, and author is sharing his secrets for success with the world, both on and off the court. Read some of the biggest takeaways from our discussion together here.
Putting In the Unseen Hours
While all of the individuals Alan has worked with are different in some way, he maintains that virtually everyone maintains at least one thing in common: dedication.
Passion is an important piece of the puzzle, yes. But no one gets to the NBA on natural skills alone. Talent only starts the journey, and maybe makes it a little bit easier to start in the beginng. Successes are truly born when things get tough later on down the road. At a certain point, others’ dedication will stack up to talent, and even start to outperform it when talent slacks off. Passion becomes the main determinant of achievement because it’s only with drive and a love for what we do that we push beyond conventional limits.
Alan is kind enough to share with us the best piece of advice he’s ever received on the matter – given by a middle school coach decades ago.
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“[The key to success] is finding something you’re passionate about but also finding something you’re naturally pretty good at and then finding where those two things intersect… where those two points crisscross is called your strength zone. The more time you can invest in working on your strength zone and working in your strength zone, the higher you’ll perform and the more fulfilled you’ll feel.”
Steph Curry is always a great real-world example of this. The four-time NBA Champion has a reputation for throwing smooth three-pointers from as far away as half-court. Watching for the first time, you might be inclined to assume those are insanely lucky shots. They’re not. While a good eye probably helps, Steph’s unbelievable performance ties back to the thousands of hours he’s spent shooting and missing, effectively practicing sports as a religion.
Another icon Alan has worked with, Kobe Bryant, told him in 2007 that he had a similar secret to success.
“I watched one of his early morning workouts. At that time as a younger coach, I was really surprised that he was doing very basic drills. When I had a chance to talk to him later that day at camp about it, he said something to me that changed my life forever. He said the reason he was the best player on the planet was because he never got bored with the basics.”
Holding Ourselves Accountable
With the value of hard work and dedication being stated, neither Alan nor I think it’s easy. That’s part of the reason why the world has never seen an athlete like Steph. It’s not just about having the talent – it takes a certain type of personality and discipline to stay committed.
Alan refers to it as an attitude of extreme ownership. He stresses that we have to hold ourselves accountable, from the beginning all the way until the end. This starts with awareness and humility being mindful of our own strengths and weaknesses, understanding what to focus on, and staying consistent.
“You will never improve something you’re unaware of. You’ll never improve something you’re oblivious to, which means awareness is always the first step to improvement,” he says.
Having the Right Perspective
It took James Cameron more than a decade to bring Avatar to life, yet what we’ve seen is only the final product of that effort. What’s maybe an even better analogy, no one judged Picasso’s paintings when they were half-done. The man put years into the individual works we now marvel over in museums around the world. Whether it’s recognized by others or not, every creator needs to appreciate the time that goes into making a masterpiece.
Alan extends that point further by underscoring how anti-productive judgment can be. Even self-judgement. We’re all prone to want to peek over at what our counterparts are creating every now and then, but at the same time, it’s easy to forget that their story is completely different. They may be years or even decades down the line while what we’re comparing represents only the start of our own potential. Just how great could your work be if you stopped worrying about what everyone else is doing, kept focus, and let those possibilities bloom?
Of course, that’s not to say there’s nothing to be learned by people who are further ahead. In fact, their success today can be an invaluable guide to reaching big personal ambitions tomorrow. It’s simply important to approach that analysis with the leans of a learner, not a competitor.
Alan shares an example of this from his career; starting out as a coach, he looked up to a host of world-class leaders like Bobby Knight and Coach K for inspiration. Their styles, their maxims, and their core principles on the job are what laid the foundation for his journey. Along the way, he began to develop his own voice through real-world experiences. Alan still possesses many of the key traits it takes to become a successful coach, only now they’re enriched and irreplicable to another aspiring coach who hasn’t lived life in his shoes.
Alan’s teachings on accountability, ownership, and attitude are valuable lessons anyone can learn from. Whether you’re an athlete yourself or an aspiring photographer, I challenge you to look into these principles and apply them to your own life.
It’s not always easy, but committing to this kind of extreme ownership will yield long-term results and help you achieve success in whatever it is that you do. I highly recommend reading Alan’s new book ‘Raise Your Game: High-Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best‘ for a comprehensive class on reaching peak performance.
Enjoy!
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