After my first year playing professional football I was asked to come speak to a middle school team, when I showed up the coach said “you can coach the 7th grade and I’ll take the 8th”. I had no idea that was his plan all along but instinctively I said OK. It was my first time ever coaching a football team. That year I had 2 studs at linebacker. If I challenged these boys, they played harder. If I told them how bad they were playing, they played harder, so I took that approach with the entire team, but one kid just couldn’t perform and the more I challenged him the more he distanced himself and shelled up. One day after getting it right I overly praised his effort, somewhat sarcastically, and he absolutely lit up! Next few times he performed perfectly! I realized at that moment that he responded to praise while the others responded when challenged. At that moment I was reminded that you have to learn what pushes the buttons of each player individually. In order to get thru to each guy you have to tailor your approach to what works for them. I’ve coached kids and pros, clients and customers for the last 20yrs. I’ve had plenty of championships, and plenty losses but my philosophy is always ‘next play’ ‘next game’ ‘next prospect’. It’s not win or lose - it’s win or learn. And I’m always ready for a lil competition.