Les Snead, the General Manager of the Los Angeles Rams, shares insights from his journey to building a Super Bowl-winning team. He discusses the importance of character evaluation in player selection and the complexities of trading star athletes. Snead emphasizes the value of resilience and leadership learned from coaches and personal experiences. He also delves into the strategic dynamics of team building, including hiring coaches and understanding player contracts. Ultimately, he highlights how continuous learning and teamwork lead to success.
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question_answer ANECDOTE
Von Miller's Trophy
Von Miller motivated his teammates by placing his replica Super Bowl trophy in the locker room.
He would write daily messages on it, inspiring the Rams to pursue their own victory.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Fathered by Football
Les Snead was raised by a single mother and credits football for shaping his life and career.
He highlights the lessons learned from various coaches and mentors, emphasizing their impact on his development.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Earning the Helmet
Les Snead recounts a childhood experience of not receiving a coveted bike helmet despite earning a starting position.
This instilled in him the importance of process, intention, and long-term goals.
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Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
Jim Collins
In 'Good to Great,' Jim Collins and his research team investigate why some companies achieve long-term greatness while others do not. The book identifies key concepts such as Level 5 Leadership, the Hedgehog Concept, a Culture of Discipline, and the Flywheel Effect. These principles are derived from a comprehensive study comparing companies that made the leap to greatness with those that did not. The research highlights that greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance but rather a result of conscious choice and discipline. The book provides practical insights and case studies to help businesses and leaders understand and apply these principles to achieve sustained greatness.
The obstacle is the way
Ryan Holiday
In 'The Obstacle Is the Way', Ryan Holiday presents a framework for turning obstacles into successes. Drawing from the philosophy of Stoicism and the writings of Marcus Aurelius, Holiday outlines three disciplines: perception, action, and will. He illustrates these principles with historical anecdotes from figures such as John D. Rockefeller, Amelia Earhart, Ulysses S. Grant, and Steve Jobs. The book emphasizes the importance of perception in shaping one's response to obstacles, the need for intentional and creative action, and the cultivation of will to persist through challenges. Holiday argues that by adopting these Stoic principles, individuals can transform their obstacles into opportunities for growth and success.
LA Rams General Manager Les Snead dives deep into some of the strategies that made the Rams a Super Bowl Champion, including assessing character, how to draft the right player, the complicated nature of trading players, how to build a team, hiring the right coach, hidden performance, why it’s so important to be relentlessly curious, and so much more. A native of football-crazed Eufaula, Alabama, Snead served as a graduate assistant at Auburn University before he spent 14 years as an NFL scout for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Atlanta Falcons. He became the Rams’ GM in 2012 and over time built a reputation as an executive willing to make insightful draft picks as well as blockbuster trades, including his move to draft future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald in 2014 and to trade for superstars Von Miller and Matthew Stafford on the way to winning the Super Bowl in February.
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