450: Stan Johnson - Living Your Core Values, Building Culture, & Developing Leaders

Stan Johnson was hired as Loyola Marymount University's men's basketball head coach on March 20, 2020. The 2020-21 season saw meteoric growths across the board for LMU men’s basketball. In his first season as head coach, Stan Johnson guided his team through the COVID-19 pandemic and posted a winning record in the WCC for the first time since 2011-12.

Notes:

“I escaped a war at 10. I come from really the gutter in this business. I don’t come from a tree,” “I was at gunpoint at 10 years old with 15-year-olds holding M16s. We got evacuated on a war jet on a mining strip. We came to this country with three bags. That stuff, I think, has helped shape me for this task that I have.”
- "That gives you empathy and understanding. It makes you relatable to all people."
“Being lazy is disrespectful to the people that believe in you.” Focus on proving your supporters right. The people who love you and root for you. Prove them right...
The purpose behind "Coffee With The Coach" during COVID... I wanted to "Win The Wait." Don't just wait it out... Win the wait.
Culture is a set of behaviors... How do we want to behave? It's a life thing. It's not just a basketball thing.
Stan has weekly "Culture Meetings." Their structure:
- Academic highlights
- Habit share
- Success hotline -- a pre-recorded hotline with a quote/saying
- Thought of the day
- What's happening in the world?
- Culture emphasis of the day
Their core values:
- Selfless - LM Over You. When you're truly selfless, you care about the greater good... It comes back to you
- Connected - You need great relationships. Relationships over championships.
- Relentless - Attack everything we do. It's not just basketball.
What do you want to be remembered for? Do your daily behaviors align with what you want to be remembered for?
Consistency is what transforms average people, companies, and teams into GREATNESS. Anyone can do it now and then. GREATNESS is found in your ability to bring your best every single day. Keep Going.
Don’t mistake silence for weakness. Smart people don’t plan big moves out loud.
Holding people accountable - Truth helps. It doesn't hurt.
- The greatest form of love is discipline.
Stan is known as one of the best recruiters in the country... What does he focus on?
- Relatability - "I can relate to people from all different backgrounds."
- Sincere - "I say how I feel."
- Relationships with family - Stan recruits all the members of the family.
The must-have qualities to be a coach on his staff:
- Must be really good people (most important)
- "They gotta be smarter than me. I want them to stretch me, and hold me accountable. They must be smart."
- Passionate - They need to love it.
Questions he asks when interviewing someone to be on his staff:
- What do you want to be remembered for?
- What are your expectations? (Mine are high")
- How do you evaluate yourself?
- What are your relationships like with people you've worked at before? Do you become friends with them?
How he develops his assistant coaches:
- Give them big tasks to be responsible for...
Their mission: "Take people to places they can't take themselves."
Your competition isn’t other people. Your competition is your procrastination. Your attitude.Your ego. Your blaming. Your complaining. Your ability to stay in the past. Your bad habits. Your jealousy. Your comparison mindset. Your inability to dream bigger. Compete against that.
“Anytime your gonna grow, you’re gonna lose something. You’re losing what you’re hanging onto to keep safe. You’re losing habits that you’re comfortable with, you’re losing familiarity.” Keep Going.
You attract what you are, not what you want. If you want great things to happen, then be great with your habits and your daily process of becoming. Keep Going.
Rejected to Redirected… Keep putting your butt on the line. Don’t get boxed in. Who knows what you could be? Put yourself out there…