Habits of High Performance, with NBA Skills Trainer Alan Stein Jr – Episode 221 of The Action Catalyst Podcast

Author, speaker, entrepreneur, and veteran basketball performance coach Alan Stein Jr. explains the 4 levels of the competitive pyramid, nature vs. nurture on the court and in the boardroom, talent vs. skills, filling the “execution gap”, always keeping the spotlight of accountability on yourself, and why it’s what you do in the “unseen hours” that counts the most.

About Alan:

Alan Stein, Jr. is an experienced keynote speaker and author. At his core, he’s a performance coach with a passion for helping business leaders change behaviors. He spent 15+ years working with the highest performing basketball players on the planet (including NBA superstars Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Kobe Bryant). Through his customized programs, he transfers his unique expertise to maximize both individual and organizational performance. Alan is a dynamic storyteller who delivers practical, actionable lessons that can be implemented immediately. He teaches proven principles on how to utilize the same approaches in business that elite athletes use to perform at a world-class level.

Before he ever took the stage as a corporate keynote speaker, Alan dedicated his life to helping the world’s best basketball players get even better. As an internationally respected performance coach, he was responsible for helping players improve their strength, speed, power, and on-court athleticism. But the only way to do that was to level up their habits, mindset, focus, and discipline… as those traits were the foundation on which the rest of their game was built. Alan teaches leaders, and their entire organizations, how to utilize these proven principles, and develop the same strategies, rituals, and routines as the world’s most accomplished athletes, coaches, and teams.

Alan previously served as the Director of Performance for Pure Sweat Basketball and is an internationally renowned expert on improving basketball-specific athleticism. He served as the Head Performance Coach for the DeMatha Catholic High School basketball program for 6 years (after a 7-year stint at Montrose Christian). He has over 15 years of experience working with elite high school, college and NBA players including work for the Nike Skills Academies, McDonald’s All-American game, Jordan Brand Classic, NBA Players Association Top 100 Camp and the CP3 Elite Guard Camp. Alan has been the creator of the Elite Jump Training Program and the host of the Pure Sweat Basketball Show.

Learn more at AlanSteinJr.com.

The Action Catalyst is presented by the Southwestern Family of Companies. With each episode, the podcast features some of the nation’s top thought leaders and experts, sharing meaningful tips and advice. Learn more at TheActionCatalyst.com, subscribe below or wherever you listen to podcasts, and be sure to leave a rating and review!

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(Transcribed using A.I. / May include errors):

Host
Peak Performance, ultra performer, who we’re talking to today is Alan Stein, he’s been the director of performance for pure sweat basketball, working with elite high school, college, and NBA players doing things for like the Nike skills Academy, the McDonald’s all American game, the Jordan Brand classic, you know, the NBA Players Association, top 100 Yeah, that’s what pure sweat does. And Allen does a lot of the performance work, which we’re going to talk about, he has since moved into sort of the speaking world and, and doing training and so forth. So we wanted to talk about the high performer, you know, the habits of high performers. So Alan, welcome to the show.

Alan Stein Jr
Hey, thanks so much for having me, I’m looking forward to a fun conversation.

Host
So when you think about preparing somebody, you know, to compete in the NBA, I know one of the things that you talk about is this sort of like pyramid concept.

Alan Stein Jr
Absolutely. I mean, for the for the players on court, in order for a player to be the best player that they’re capable of, we look at four different components. The bottom of the pyramid, the base, the foundation for the whole thing happens to be my area of expertise, which is their body, and improving their athleticism, improving their ability to move efficiently on the court, and to remain as injury free as possible, then we go one level up skill acquisition, you know, doesn’t matter how athletic a player is, if they can’t shoot, pass, rebound, defend or handle the ball, then it really doesn’t matter. Then we go at one more level, and we start talking about the mind, which is two separate areas, we want to look at one, we want to make sure a player has the mental toughness and fortitude to compete every day. But we also want to make sure they have a very high basketball IQ, that they know how and when to use their skills and their athleticism to be as effective as possible. And then the apex of the pyramid is their heart. That’s their grit, their passion, you know, their motor, if you will. And and we found that when you can improve a player in those four distinct areas, almost like you’re putting together a jigsaw puzzle, you’ll create the best basketball player that they’re capable of becoming.

Host
So do you start at the bottom and sort of work your way up?

Alan Stein Jr
It is rather sequential. Now, when we say working on their strength and conditioning in their body, when most people hear strength and conditioning, they usually envision a player, you know, doing a bench press or have a barbell on their back and doing squats. That’s not necessarily what we’re talking about, we’re talking about improving their coordination, and their balance, their motor control their proprioception, just getting them in touch with their body. And we do that with very young players. I mean, I’ll do events that have kids that are seven or eight years old, where we’re teaching them movement patterns, you know, do they have rhythm and coordination in their feet working on their footwork, so really just teaching them how to control their body. Because as you can imagine, if a player can’t control their body, if they can’t start and stop and jump, and land and move forwards and backwards, they’re gonna have a lot of difficulty doing fine motor skills, like shooting and passing and ball handling. So yes, we address the body first. And then we level up and we start teaching them the skills of the game. And that will be rudimentary skills. You know, here’s how you make a bounce fast. Here’s how you dribble between your legs. Then the next layer is the IQ portion, which is the teach them. So it’s one thing to know how to make a bounce pass, it’s another to know when to make abouts pass. So how do they apply their skills and their athleticism. And then in all honesty, and in full humility and transparency, the top the apex in the heart, that’s the one I believe that we as coaches have the least impact on that needs to come from the players. Now we can motivate, we can inspire, we can model the fact that we love what we do, and we’re passionate about coaching. But at the end of the day, a player has to want to be the best player that they’re capable of. So when we get all the way to the top, that’s almost when we pass the baton to the player and say, Okay, now how bad do you want it? We’ve given you the raw materials and the tools to be as good as you can be. Now you need to actualize it.

Host
So do you think that the you know, I mean, I think that gets to the question, which is irrelevant. Obviously, most of us listening here, we’re not going to probably make us make a run at playing in the NBA. But that gets at the question of do you think Ultra performers are made or are they born? What’s your take on that?

Alan Stein Jr
And in that in the world of athleticism, you certainly have to be born with certain genetic predispositions that would give you the potential to compete at that level. And here’s what I tell you On players all the time when I say with with a friendly smile, if I’m talking to a group of young players, I’ll say, every single one of you has the potential to make it to the NBA. However, less than half of a percent of you have the potential to make it as a player. And the point being that, you know, most players that are using sports as a vehicle to learn life lessons, I mean, they can still make it to the NBA, but they’d have to make it as a coach, or a referee, or heck, maybe even as an owner or a general manager. So if their goal is to make their living in the game of basketball, and be in the NBA, I want them to go after that with everything that they have. But the reality for most normal human beings is they weren’t born with the athletic tools to play in the NBA. And I don’t ever say that to discourage or diminish a player, I want them to go after that. I mean, when I was eight, I thought I was going to play in the NBA and I went after it with everything I could. And it just wasn’t in the cards but so I don’t want players to be discouraged from going from their for their goal. But you have to realize that a guy like LeBron James, or Kevin Durant, those guys were born with certain tools that most people weren’t born with. However, and this is a big however, that is not to take away from the work ethic and the habits and grit. The players like LeBron and KD have, just because they were born with some physical tools doesn’t automatically give them the golden ticket to the NBA. You know, Kevin Durant’s, not the only 610 guy walking around, there’s plenty of them who didn’t actualize their potential, who didn’t create habits, who didn’t do the things that they needed to do. So a guy like LeBron, or KD was born with the raw materials to make it to that level. And yet they’ve worked incredibly hard, incredibly smart, and with tremendous consistency in order to make that happen. But Spud Webb and Mugsy Bogues, and Earl Boykins. And some of the other players that were on the shorter side, certainly had so many other physical tools to allow them to be able to play at that level, you know, even a ticket player like Stephen Curry. I mean, he’s one of the top players in the game, arguably the best hitter in the game. And when you just look at him just standing there, he looks like a normal guy. He has a normal frame. I mean, he’s a little bit taller than the average male but you know, he, you know, he doesn’t pass the eye test the way that a LeBron James does. However, when you really look at athleticism, I mean, Stefan Curry was born with some some pretty good genetic hookups, I mean, his hand eye coordination, his balance, we can’t just look at height, and one’s ability to jump or run as the only barometers of athletic success. I mean, the these guys can do so many other things. Steve Nash is another one. Steve Nash is one of my all time favorite players, and most novice fans would not consider him a great athlete, because he wasn’t a high flyer or a dunker. Well, if you take all of the other areas of athleticism, his mobility, his reaction, his hand eye coordination, his conditioning level, I mean, Steve Nash would right off of the charts in those other areas. So even though Steve Nash may look like a normal guy, and he’s not winning dunk contests, he’s in the upper, you know, point oh, one percentile of the human population when it comes to athleticism. And certainly not every player that’s currently on an NBA roster was born with just unbelievable genetic gifts, lots of people have been able to overcome certain deficiencies, because they had an exceptional skill. You know, I mean, if you can flat out shoot the ball, that will make up for maybe a lack of some natural athleticism that you don’t have. And and I would say the same is true for being a high performer in any vocation. I mean, certainly, if you’re going to be a world class singer, it would help for you to be born with the tools that would make it you know, make you privy to being a world class singer. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t be an incredibly successful salesperson or CEO or entrepreneur. So that’s why I love the transition from sport to business, because it’s less reliant on one’s genetics and or athleticism.

Host
So when you look over then to the business world, do you think that that same rule applies that it’s like to compete at the highest level a bit to be a fortune 100 CEO? Is there certain a genetic predisposition that is necessary to make it to that level? Are you saying in the business world, it’s more of an equal playing field?

Alan Stein Jr
I’m gonna say it’s both and I don’t say that to back out of an answer. I do think that there are some inherent traits that one can be born with that will improve their chances of being successful in that arena. Not everyone was born you know, with the with the academic IQ of a Warren Buffett or a Steve Jobs you know, not everyone was born with the inherit leadership skills that some of the best leaders like a Coach K. Duke basketball may have. So I do think there are certain traits and talents that one can be born with that will greatly increase their chances of being successful. But I also think a good portion of what’s needed, our skills and skills can be developed and they’re developed through repetition. When and through training and practicing with purpose. So I do believe it’s both do I think every human being born has the potential to be a fortune 100 CEO? No, I do not. Do I think of a good portion of people can develop the skills that will put them in a position to be able to hold jobs like that.

Host
So is there anything in common in terms of maybe the habits that you see of the people who you go like on the surface, you go, Gosh, that person doesn’t really come off. Like you mentioned, Steve Nash doesn’t look like they have the genetic predisposition to be doing what they’re doing, or the business world you go cast, that person doesn’t really seem to have kind of like the natural charisma to be a great salesperson or a great leader. But somehow they rise above that.

Alan Stein Jr
Yeah, there’s two in particular that come to mind. One, the habits and mindsets, rituals, routines, and disciplines that they have during the unseen hours. It’s what they’re doing when the proverbial cameras aren’t on that that really determines whether or not they’ll be successful. Because at some level, we all have to appreciate the fact that our habits are a choice, you know, and our habits are what dictate whether or not we’re successful in any endeavor. Our success is not predicated on things we do when we feel like it, when it’s convenient, or when we want to our success is predicated on the things that we do every single day. So the people that create incredibly strong and positive work habits and are consistent with those are going to outperform and out achieve most other people. And the other is high performers. And high achievers have a relentless thirst for development, they are always looking to get an advantage and always looking to learn to grow to develop to sharpen their sword, and master their craft. A friend of mine named Michael Burke, who was a former basketball coach and is now in the business world as well. Like he coined a term that I love called execution gap, an execution gap is the difference between what we know we’re supposed to do. And what we actually do. And every one of us has an execution gap. I mean, take physical fitness, everybody knows what they need to do to work out and to eat, right. But how many people actually do that? That’s an execution gap. But we all have it. Well, the highest performers and the highest achievers. And for that matter, the happiest people on the planet, have narrowed their execution gap to almost nothing. They know what they’re supposed to do, and they actually do it. And to me, that’s the big equalizer, is what you do in the unseen hours, how bad you have the desire to improve and get better. And if you can close that execution gap. There’s no reason why you can’t be excellent and sales are excellent as a leader, if you’re willing to work on those skill sets. And then if you take out let’s say you’re born and add it to that, then you’re a superstar.

Host
On your perspective, how do you do it? How do you get yourself to do those things you know, you’re supposed to do when you don’t feel like doing it.

Alan Stein Jr
From an accountability standpoint, I believe that, as human beings, whenever the spotlight is off, we’re always going to revert back to bad behavior. So from an accountability standpoint, we need to put systems in place that always keep the spotlight on us. So for instance, if I’m looking to change a habit, my I want to start reading for 30 minutes every night before I go to bed, it’s in my best interest to share that with as many people as possible, especially the people in my inner circle, my family, my friends, my close colleagues, even in today’s day and age, share it on social media, put it out there and let everyone know that this is a habit that you’re trying to establish, because now the people that really care about you will help hold you accountable. So tomorrow you and I are chit chat, and you say, hey, Alan, did you do your reading last night? What did you read, tell me about what book you’re into whatever. But now I’m going to have lots of people holding me accountable. And one of the worst emotions that any of us can ever feel is disappointing somebody else. So when you’ve put it out there, that you’re going to change this habit to a lot of people, and they’re constantly checking in with you and holding you accountable to see if you’re doing it, you know, in order to not disappoint them. It’s a way to keep that spotlight on you and hold you to the fire while you stick with that habit. And then the beautiful part about habits. You know, research shows that it can take as little as 21 days, sometimes as much as six to eight months to groove a new habit depending on you know, the depth of the habit, but it’s still a finite period of time. So key is put systems in place to get the people that care about you to hold the spotlight on you for say three weeks to six months, and you’ll have formed that new habit and then you can move on to another habit that you’d like to improve.

Host
I love it. Alan, where do you want people to go if they want to connect with you?

Alan Stein Jr
Go to AlanSteinjr.com That’s a l a n Ste i n jr.com. And I’m also at AlanSteinJr. on all social handles.

Host
Well, I appreciate it, brother and appreciate you coming on man. We wish you all the best.

Alan Stein Jr
Thank you, likewise.