Steve Magness is world-renowned for his work on high performance. He’s the best-selling author of many books including, The Passion Paradox, Do Hard Things, and Win The Inside Game.

Watch our conversation on YouTube. And SUBSCRIBE!

This is brought to you by Insight Global. If you need to hire 1 person, hire a team of people, or transform your business through Talent or Technical Services, Insight Global’s team of 30,000 people around the world have the hustle and grit to deliver.

Order Our USA TODAY Best-Selling BOOK, The Score That Matters. “People spend far too much time obsessing about external scoreboards and not nearly enough time thinking about their internal one. Hawk and Cupps offer an important corrective, arguing the most important measure is whether or not you are living in alignment with your core values.” — Brad Stulberg, Best-Selling Author of Master of Change

Be part of “Mindful Monday” — Text Hawk to 66866

The Learning Leader Show

  • Clearly define your purpose and what you want to do. For Steve, it’s: “Explore interesting ideas that will help people.”
    • “Those things will help me too. I’m curious about them.” Defining that one sentence frees you up to say no to those things outside of your purpose and to focus on actions within that align with your purpose.
  • Steve’s Framework for Sustainable Excellence:
    • Be – Clarity on who you are
    • Do – Clarity in your pursuits
    • Belong – Clarity on where and how you fit in
  • Steve stood up as a whistleblower after earning his dream job at Nike, showing courage and sticking to his values and ethics.
  • Why don’t we speak up? We have a built-in preservation system. We justify, rationalize, and avoid it because it minimizes the negative feeling in the short term.
  • Don’t play prevent defense. Give yourself the permission and freedom to fail. Diversify sense of self. Don’t intertwine a sense of self with success or fear of failure.
  • Diversify your sense of self—don’t intertwine your identity solely with success or the fear of failure.
  • It’s not an all-or-nothing game. Outcomes matter, but they aren’t everything. Focus on process goals and let outcomes be a byproduct of good effort.
  • Set your environment up to define what success means for you.
  • Big achievements, like becoming a best-selling author, rarely feel as fulfilling as imagined.
  • Success can be multi-dimensional and definitionally nuanced.
  • The Power of Belonging
    • When facing a challenge (like climbing a hill), it feels easier when you’re with others versus alone.
    • We need each other. We share the load. Surround yourself with compounders. “We are built to belong.”
  • It is a mistake to make success or failure a virtue. It’s not “I’m a failure.” It’s, “I failed at that thing.” It’s temporary. It’s not who you are.
  • In moments of stress (e.g., choking in sports like Simone Biles), your brain defaults to survival mode and shuts down higher-level functions.
  • Strategies to overcome it:
    • Narrow your focus: Break tasks into smaller, actionable steps.
    • Create a personal definition of success to shift focus from fear.
    • Try doing something unexpected or crazy to reset your perspective.
  • To have a meaningful life we need to feel
    • Coherent – Life adds up. You have a cohesive story. 
    • Significant – You matter and can make a difference.
    • Directed – There’s a purpose to your life and pursuits.
    • Belonging – Part of something bigger than you.
  • “This book is for those who stood up, found courage, and stuck to their values and ethics.”
  • Apply to be part of my Learning Leader Circle
Resources:

More Learning:

Episode 078: Kat Cole – From Hooters Waitress To President of Cinnabon

Episode 216: Jim Collins — How To Go From Good To Great

Episode #300: AJ & Keith Hawk – How To Instill Work Ethic & Curiosity In Your Children

Episode #303: General Stanley McChrystal – The New Definition Of Leadership

Time Stamps

2:23 Steve’s first job at Nike and encountering ethical challenges

5:55 Listening to gut instincts and red flags

7:48 Rationalizing and ignoring warning signs

9:03 Self-preservation and how we handle bad situations

11:39 How we protect ourselves from uncomfortable truths

12:52 Power of Embracing challenge

15:19 Diversifying one’s sense of self

17:20 Balancing outcome focus with process orientation

19:10 Maintain focus on the process while acknowledging outcomes matter

22:04 Defining purpose and success in life

26:21 Exploration process in work and creativity

30:03 The 4 components needed for a meaningful life

34:44 Importance of belonging and community

39:35 Making success and failure a virtue

42:50 Performance pressure and “the twisties” in athletics

51:45 Reframing challenges in coaching

59:42 Exploration of the “be, do, and belong” framework