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Steve Jones & Lucas Jadin - Becoming Fearless | Mindset Advantage Podcast
Mindset Advantage
Overview
This podcast episode features Steve Jones and Lucas Jadin discussing their book "The Twin Thieves," which identifies fear of failure and fear of judgment as the primary obstacles for athletes and coaches. They explore how these fears manifest, offer strategies for overcoming them, and emphasize the importance of building connection, fostering psychological safety, and focusing on process over outcomes. The conversation highlights the role of leadership in creating environments where individuals can thrive, even amidst adversity, and stresses that true success comes from developing strong relationships and a resilient mindset, rather than solely focusing on winning.
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Chapters
- Fear of failure and fear of judgment are identified as the 'twin thieves' that hinder athletes and coaches.
- These fears can be subtle, with fear of judgment often underlying a stated fear of failure.
- They rob individuals and teams of joy, fulfillment, and opportunities for success.
- Naming these fears is the first step to overcoming them, allowing for proactive management rather than avoidance.
Understanding these pervasive fears is crucial for recognizing their impact on performance and well-being, enabling individuals to address them directly.
Students anonymously writing down what holds them back from being leaders, with fear of failure and judgment consistently appearing.
- These fears can manifest as people-pleasing, avoidance, aggression, or non-committal behavior.
- The root cause is often fear, not the observable behaviors themselves.
- Winning does not eliminate these fears; even elite performers experience them.
- The goal is not to eliminate fear but to rise above it and use it productively.
Recognizing that these fears persist even at high levels and that observable behaviors are often symptoms of deeper anxieties helps in addressing the core issues.
A superstar athlete experiencing a slump and expressing doubt, demonstrating that even peak performers are susceptible to the twin thieves.
- Name and normalize the fears, understanding they are common and not a sign of being broken.
- Embrace challenges and adversity ('be the buffalo') rather than avoiding them.
- Build a culture where vulnerability and open conversations about fear are encouraged.
- Emphasize and recognize courage, effort, and the willingness to take risks, not just outcomes.
These strategies shift the focus from avoiding fear to confronting it, fostering a more resilient and courageous mindset within individuals and teams.
Steve Jones creating a leadership class where students could openly discuss their fears, making the invisible visible and normalizing the conversation.
- Love, empathy, connection, and care are essential for high-performing teams.
- Great leaders balance high standards with deep care for individuals.
- Psychological safety allows individuals to be vulnerable without fear of negative consequences.
- Focusing on people first, rather than just performers, breaks down barriers and fosters trust.
A strong sense of connection and psychological safety creates an environment where individuals feel valued as people, leading to greater trust and reduced fear.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts showing genuine care for his players as individuals, even during difficult stretches, which fosters trust and reduces anxiety.
- Focusing on controllable processes is more effective than obsessing over uncontrollable outcomes.
- Elite performers understand that process is the path to desired outcomes.
- Teams and coaches should define what it means to be a 'winner' or 'champion' through behaviors, not just wins.
- Outcomes provide feedback on the process, but energy should be invested in the process itself.
Shifting the focus to controllable actions and daily processes reduces anxiety and builds a more sustainable path to success.
Steve Jones's team never explicitly talked about winning games or championships, but rather about what it meant to be a winner and a champion through their actions and behaviors.
- Connection is built through shared experiences: struggle, service, and stories.
- Struggling together, whether in training or adversity, forges bonds.
- Serving others, as a team or individually, fosters empathy and unity.
- Sharing personal stories creates authentic vulnerability and deeper understanding.
These three elements provide tangible ways to deepen relationships and build a cohesive unit, which is a competitive advantage.
Hosting a camp for kids with special needs, where athletes served together and learned from each other's experiences.
- Caring leaders have the courage to have difficult conversations, rather than avoiding them.
- The 'little person voice' often creates fear about conversations before they even happen.
- Effective communication involves asking permission, telling directly (event, action, outcome), and seeking the other person's perspective.
- Asking powerful questions fosters self-discovery and buy-in, rather than delivering directives.
Mastering difficult conversations and using questions effectively are critical skills for building trust, addressing issues, and promoting growth.
Using the 'Ask-Tell-EAO' method: asking for permission, then stating the specific event, action, and outcome of a behavior.
- Elite teams are player-led, not coach-led; leadership must be built proactively.
- Leadership is a skill that requires teaching, training, and opportunities to practice.
- Avoid complacency by focusing on 'growing greatness' rather than just 'sustaining' or 'maintaining' success.
- Empower leaders to protect the team culture from internal threats like entitlement or individualism.
Developing player leadership and continuously seeking growth are essential for sustained success and preventing complacency, even at the highest levels.
Giving young leaders specific scenarios to practice addressing the team, providing feedback, and preparing them for real-time challenges.
- Identifying one's ultimate scorecard (personal characteristics and impact on others) provides a North Star.
- This exercise helps strip away noise and focus on what truly matters beyond external validation.
- The goal is to be transformational as a person while achieving results.
- This clarity helps in determining fit and commitment within a team or organization.
Understanding your core values and desired impact provides a foundation for resilience, purpose, and authentic leadership.
Coach Roberts writing his own obituary six years prior, focusing on his values and impact rather than wins and losses.
Key takeaways
- Fear of failure and judgment are universal obstacles that can be managed by naming and confronting them.
- Building deep connections through shared struggle, service, and authentic stories is a powerful competitive advantage.
- Focusing on controllable processes and behaviors, rather than solely on outcomes, leads to more sustainable success.
- Psychological safety and genuine care for individuals are foundational to high-performing teams.
- Effective leadership involves balancing high standards with empathy and the courage to have difficult conversations.
- Player-led teams are built proactively through intentional development, training, and opportunities for leadership.
- Continuous growth and avoiding complacency are key to sustained excellence, requiring a mindset of 'growing greatness.'
- Defining your personal 'ultimate scorecard' provides clarity and purpose, guiding decisions and actions.
Key terms
Twin ThievesFear of FailureFear of JudgmentPsychological SafetyProcess Over OutcomesControllablesConnectionStruggleServiceStoriesDifficult ConversationsAsk-Tell-EAO MethodPlayer-Led TeamsGrowing GreatnessUltimate ScorecardWin in the Dark
Test your understanding
- How do the 'twin thieves' of fear of failure and fear of judgment manifest differently in athletes and coaches?
- What are the key strategies for individuals and teams to 'rise above' the twin thieves, rather than trying to eliminate them?
- Explain the significance of psychological safety and how it contributes to a team's ability to overcome challenges.
- How can focusing on controllable processes, rather than outcomes, lead to greater long-term success and resilience?
- What are the three core elements (struggle, service, stories) that contribute to building strong team connection, and how can leaders intentionally foster them?