“Curry held himself to an unparalleled standard of excellence,” said Stein, himself a basketball player at Elon University. “The first step of raising your game is to raise your standard. Curry did not accept the baskets that hit the rim in those moments when nobody was watching him. He took complete responsibility for his own development to guide him in becoming one of the greatest shooters of all time.”
The author of Raise Your Game and Sustain Your Game, Alan successfully transferred his performance coaching skills from basketball to helping leaders at such organizations as American Express, Pepsi, and Starbucks apply his strategies to their daily routine. Alan has also become an expert on two of the most commonly felt downsides of the achievement ethic – namely stress and burnout.
In Alan’s view, stress comes from a “desire for things to be different than they are in the present moment.” In a professional work environment, the feeling of burnout happens when prolonged stress creates “misalignment between the hours you spend at work and the meaning of that work.”
If our work loses its meaning, enjoyment, or sense of impact, argues Alan, doing it no longer energizes us; instead, it saps our energy. Thus: burnout. The way to arrest burnout’s downward spiral is to “deconstruct” its origins to discover where and when the love faded. Then ask if the love can come back.
In the podcast, he taps into his experiences working with elite athletes and business executives to suggest how any of us can work to regain control of our mood, mindset, and perspective.
You will learn:
"Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
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