After a presentation to a sales team, I was reminded of this quote, "Success in sales is 90% persistence and 10% skill." The importance of sales techniques and knowledge can't be discounted, but the key to success lies in relentess perseverance in the face of failure.

I recently attended the Association for Applied Sport Psychology conference in Las Vegas. In addition to reconnecting with friends and colleagues in the field, I targeted my session selections around coach development. As retired Missouri professor Rick Maguire likes to say, "Sport psych is best delivered to and through the coach." One session in particular highlighted the characteristics of elite coaches. These traits included:

In pressure-filled situations, these coaches are incredibly good at being present, recalling knowledge, and remaining even calmer than they might be in less stressful moments.

Meinerz has remarkable intrinsic motivation. “Most of my motivation comes from within myself,” Meinerz says. “Part of that is a line my dad always said, ‘If you’re going to do something, why not be the best at it?’ That’s always my answer when people ask me that. I’m always trying to be the best at whatever I’m doing. . . I really enjoy proving people wrong, and also proving myself right.” That mentality shone through in college, as he continued to train and improve. He became an All-American as a junior, only to see his senior year cancelled by COVID. So, he devoted himself to training, while teaching himself how to play center. He was invited to the Senior Bowl, where repeated pancake blocks highlighted his work ethic. The Broncos selected Meinerz 98th overall in the draft, despite having missed an entire year of football.

After three years in the NFL, Meinerz is considered one of the top guards in the league. Rather than focus on accolades, however, he has focused on continuing his improvement. The Broncos rewarded him with a 4-year, $80 million contract. In typical Meinerz fashion, he thanked those around him, starting with his wife, his dad, and his agent. Fun-loving, hard-working, and down-to-earth, Quinn Meinerz, is easy to root for.

The start of the college basketball season is a good time to focus on EGB's. EGB's, or Energy Generating Behaviors, are tracked by Marquette coach Shaka Smart. A few examples include:

Charted in practices and in games, EGB's provide a metric that reflects players' efforts to lift the team. The beauty of EGB's is that they shift the focus away from the individual and on to the team. Marquette's goal is to have up to 3000 EGB's per game. Smart's approach is validated by research that links "tactile communication" with improved team performance and better free throw shooting under pressure. As you consider your team, give some thought to the EGB's, not just the X's and O's.

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