Welcome to Mindful Monday!

This week, we focus on leaders who change the future, why people hire college athletes, the importance of consistency, why nobody cares about your problems, and some wise words from General Marshall. Also... CLICK HERE to read our USA Today Best-Selling book, The Score That Matters.

#619: Mike Maples Jr. - Why Some Leaders Change The Future

​Mike Maples Jr has been on the Forbes Midas List eight times in the last decade and was recently profiled by Harvard Business School for his lifetime contributions to entrepreneurship. Some of his early investments include: Twitter, DemandForce, Twitch, and Applied Intuition. Mike is the author of Pattern Breakers: Why Some Start-Ups Change the Future. We discussed that chance favors the prepared mind, the story of Bill Gates begging Mike's dad to work with him at Microsoft, practicing reckless optimism, and much more. You can also WATCH our conversation on YouTube.

Why Athletes Score In Careers

How does undergraduate participation in varsity sports enhance career success? What role should athletics play in Ivy League college admissions? Do athletes merely take spots from more academically qualified applicants? Or does participation in sports build a special kind of human capital that isn’t taught in classrooms, one that might make educational contributions to all undergraduates? CLICK HERE to read the fascinating research about college athletes and their production once they enter post-graduate life.

Progress is a Magnitude of Consistency

Whether it’s getting to the South Pole or freezing the planet over, getting in shape or writing a book, building a company, learning a new language, or perfecting your jump shot—progress is a magnitude of consistency. It’s not how hard you go today, tomorrow, and next week. When we check in on you in three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten years—are you still going? “It’s simple,” Kobe Bryant said. “It’s simple math.” ⁶ No more, no less. CLICK HERE to learn more about the power of consistency.

Nobody Cares...

In his very first season as coach, Bill Parcell’s team, The New York Giants, was hit with a rash of injuries. He worried incessantly about the impact of the injuries on the team’s fortunes, as it is difficult enough to win with your best players let alone a bunch of substitutes. When his friend and mentor Raiders owner Al Davis called Parcells to check in, Parcells relayed his injury issues. Parcell’s: “Al, I am just not sure how we can win without so many of our best players. What should I do?” Davis replied: “Bill, nobody cares, just coach your team.” That might be the best leadership advice ever. Because, you see, nobody cares. When things go wrong in your company, nobody cares. The press doesn’t care, your investors don’t care, your board doesn’t care, your employees don’t care, even your mama doesn’t care. Nobody cares. All the mental energy that you use to elaborate your misery would be far better used trying to find the one, seemingly impossible way out of your current mess. It’s best to spend zero time on what you could have done and all of your time on what you might do. Because in the end, nobody cares, just run your company. CLICK HERE to read more.

Wise Words...

"Gentlemen, enlisted men may be entitled to morale problems, but officers are not… I expect all officers in this department to take care of their own morale. No one is taking care of my morale.” -- General George C. Marshall​

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Ryan Hawk Author: The Score That Matters, Welcome to Management, & The Pursuit of Excellence​ Host: The Learning Leader Show​