"Ninety percent of my goals, I visualize." Liverpool Football Club star Mo Salah shared this nugget on the Men in Blazers podcast. Saleh described his visualization as part of his daily mental practice. You can view the full interview here.

It's become trendy, if not cliche, for an athlete to say that they want to be more present. When I started digging in to this idea, I encountered a circular definition of presence - the state of being present. That was rather unsatisfying, so I put together this infographic to provide more clarity.

2019-2022 Boston Celtics (NBA, assistant)

2023–present Boston Celtics (NBA, head coach - 2024 NBA Champions)

Suffice it to say, this is not the typical path for an NBA championship winning head coach. It's also safe to say that Joe Mazzulla is not your typical coach. Widely known for his frank and unflinching responses to reporters' questions (e.g. the royal family, perspective), Mazzulla is candid about the importance of his faith and his father. His humility and perspective are evident in all of his interactions. Listen to him for more than a minute, and you'll start to hear the same recurring words - faith, competitive mindset, growth, learning, resilience, and handling the uncomfortable.

Mazzulla recognizes just how fine the margins of victory are at the elite level. To that end, he looks for parallels in other sports, all of which revolve around his principle of read fast, play slow. He also seeks to learn from the coaches of those other sports. He's built relationships with Manchester City's Pep Guardiola (soccer), Red Sox manager Alex Cora (baseball), Bruins coach Jim Montgomery (hockey) and Patriots coach Jerod Mayo (football). His approach has created a framework that recognizes his players' abilities and allows them to express themselves. Another example of his coaching savvy is using analytics to inform his approach without taking away individual decision-making. The video below provides a masterclass of how Mazzulla seeks to exploit the margins that are key to victory. 

The core of the Celtics returns next season. Coupled with Joe Mazzulla's commitment to the little things and growth, and it's possible that the Celtics will be even better next year.

Coaching requires great communication. To be coached also requires great communication. In his new book, Supercommunicators, Charles Duhigg sheds light on what makes for better communication. It starts with identifying what type of conversation you're having, because it doesn't matter how good a communicator you are if the other party is having a different type of conversation. To avoid a disconnect, start by determining the type of conversation:

Second, supercommunicators ask 10-20 times as many questions as the average person. Don't just ask factual questions; aim to understand how people see the world and themselves. Ask deep questions that are a version of, "What did you make of that?"

Finally, it's helpful to share how you see the world. Presence (there it is again) and openness are key. By inviting others into your perspective, you'll strengthen your connection with them.

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