620: Steve Magness - Defining Success on Your Terms, Setting Process Goals, Speaking Up in the Face of Fear, Winning The Inside Game, & Living a Meaningful Life
Steve Magness, a world-renowned expert on high performance and author of "Win the Inside Game," discusses the importance of defining success on your own terms. He shares his courageous journey as a whistleblower at Nike, emphasizing the need to prioritize integrity over ambition. Magness also presents his framework for sustainable excellence, highlighting the importance of clarity in who you are, your pursuits, and your community. He encourages listeners to overcome the fear of failure, fostering a more meaningful and resilient life through supportive connections and self-awareness.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Whistleblower at Nike
Steve Magness shared his experience as a whistleblower at Nike.
He initially ignored ethical concerns but later reported them, leading to a lengthy investigation.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Listen to Your Gut
Listen to your gut feeling when something feels off, even if it's easier to ignore it.
Early intervention can prevent larger issues down the line.
insights INSIGHT
Self-Preservation and Justification
We often avoid difficult situations to minimize short-term discomfort.
Reframing success internally, based on values, helps us act despite anxiety.
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Episode #620 with Steve Magness, author of Win The Inside Game
Notes:
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 - Clairty 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.”
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