Everyone tells you to "stay humble" and "be coachable."
But here's the problem: No one actually shows you what humility looks like.
Most people think it's just an attitude. It's not.
Here are the 5 specific behaviors that separate truly humble performers:🧵
The problem: We treat humility like it's just an attitude.
But humility is actually a skill you develop through specific behaviors.
This isn't about being weak - it's about being confident enough to keep growing.
Here's what it actually looks like...
1: Stay Curious Always
Michael Jordan said, "I ask questions; I read; I listen. I'm not afraid to ask anybody anything if I don't know."
Humble people live with a beginner's mindset.
They accept that they don't know everything and there's always something to learn.
2: Compete Against Yesterday's Version of You
Steve Young said, "The principle is competing against yourself. It's about self-improvement, about being better than you were the day before."
Humble performers focus on their own growth, not comparing themselves to others.
3: Keep Perspective
You're never as good as your wins, never as bad as your losses.
Joe Torre said, "You can't overreact to a few rough days. It's important to be consistent and stick with your plan."
Humility keeps you grounded in both and gives you perspective along the way.
4: Don't Think You're Better Than Anybody Else
The quote below is a life lesson in humility and focus.
Never try to be better than anyone else because you're always learning and growing from other people.
It's about character.
Just be the best person you can be.
5: Accept Feedback and Own Your Mistakes
Bill Belichick said, “I don’t know how you can improve unless you can accept constructive criticism.”
It takes self-awareness.
You can't grow if you aren't willing to accept feedback and own your mistakes.
Shaka Smart gave the simplest definition of culture I've ever heard.
Just 3 actions that explain everything about how great teams operate.
It sounds easy, but most teams never master it.
Here's what he said and why it's so powerful:🧵
"Culture is simply how we act, interact, and respond. That's it. Our job is to bring it to life, and the most important component of that is the people in our room."
Culture isn't mission statements or posters.
It's these 3 behaviors lived out.
Let me explain:
1: How we act (Character)
Your actions every day reveal what matters most.
• Do you give maximum effort?
• Do you cut corners or maintain standards?
• Do you do the right thing when no one's watching?
Your actions influence others and your behaviors affect the culture.
But the timeout before it - that's when Dean Smith won the game.
Roy Williams called it the "greatest timeout in the history of sports."
Here’s exactly what Dean Smith told his team and why it matters:🧵
It's the 1982 national title game.
UNC trailed Georgetown by 1. Dean Smith called timeout.
As the players walked to the bench, Roy Williams saw fear in their eyes.
For the first time all year, he thought: "Oh my gosh… we might lose."
But Coach Smith didn’t flinch.
He knelt down and calmly said:
"This is exactly where we want to be."
Then he laid out each scenario - confident, clear, composed:
• Look for the lob.
• If it’s not there, drive and kick.
• Miss? We’ll get the rebound.
• If they rebound, we foul and they won’t make the FTs.
Nick Saban said the biggest threat to excellence isn't failure.
It's complacency.
He called it part of the "human condition" and said you said you have to fight it every single day.
Here's how he did it and and why it worked:🧵
1: Focus on Discipline
Saban's definition of discipline: "Doing what you're supposed to do, when you're supposed to do it, the way it's supposed to get done."
• It means choosing commitment over comfort.
• It means consistency in your habits.
• It means mental toughness.
2: Focus on the Process
Saban would tell his teams, “Focus on the process of what it takes to be successful.”
• Saban focused them on the details.
• Saban focused them on the actions it took to be successful, not the outcomes.