How to Win Beyond Failure: The Next Ball Mindset

🏆𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝘿𝙤 𝙏𝙤𝙥 𝘼𝙩𝙝𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙏𝙤𝙥 𝘽𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙤𝙣? At first glance, the worlds of elite sports and business might seem miles apart — stadiums vs. boardrooms, gym wear vs. suits. But look closer, and you’ll find remarkable similarities in the traits that drive success in both arenas. Success — in sport or business — belongs to those who commit to the process long before the results show up. ✅ 𝗗𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Whether it’s 5 a.m. training or 16-hour workdays, champions in any field commit to consistent effort — long before the spotlight ever hits them. 🔥 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗠𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: No coach or boss can fuel you forever. The best performers have an inner drive that keeps them pushing forward, even when no one’s watching. 🌱 𝗔𝗱𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Injuries, market shifts, competition — circumstances change. The ability to pivot, adjust, and evolve separates the good from the great. 💡 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀): Both athletes and business leaders know setbacks are not signs of failure — they’re feedback. Every loss, every deal gone wrong, is a lesson that refines their approach. 📚 𝗪𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻: The top performers never think they’ve “arrived.” They stay curious, humble, and coachable — always seeking new skills, insights, and perspectives. 🎯 𝗚𝗼𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: They define clear, measurable goals — daily, quarterly, yearly. Success isn’t accidental; it’s planned, tracked, and pursued with discipline. ⏳ 𝗙𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲: Winners understand that greatness takes time. They play the long game, enduring the grind, the plateaus, and the pressure — because they see beyond the moment. Whether you’re chasing a medal or a market opportunity, the mindset is the same: Stay dedicated, stay adaptable, and never lose sight of the vision. ⸻ 💬 What’s one lesson you’ve learned from sports (or business) that’s helped you in the other? Chris Simpson Peter Barker Peter Nicol, MBE Derek Ryan #Mindset #Leadership #HighPerformance #AthleteMindset #BusinessGrowth #Resilience #LongTermFocus #Adaptability #Motivation #Squash

You don’t perform on the pitch, unless… You perform in the mind. Before a player can control the ball, they have to learn to control their thoughts. Before a team wins the league, each individual must unlock their full potential. That’s real performance. Coaches and teams think it’s drills, data, or tactics. It’s not. It’s discipline. It’s belief. It’s purpose. That’s where real performance begins. Full potential never lives in a single element. A consistency of effort across every pillar that matters. It demands a plan. A strategy: Fitness: showing up at your peak, physically ready to endure, compete, and win. Health: how you sleep, what you eat, how you recover, how you live when you’re off the pitch. Faith: The foundation, the principles you live by. Mental: The mental strength, your self image, your personal set of standards and conversations you have with yourself. When a player commits to all of these and when a team unites around them then trophies are the natural result. Too many teams chase drills. Too many players chase tactics. But the real game? That one, the one that wins championships: it’s internal. Master that first. Everything else will follow. #Mindset #Performance #Football #Leadership #PravusPerformance

What if building your career was like playing a sport? Think about it: in soccer, scoring a goal takes more than just talent. It takes discipline—showing up early, practicing the basics, and sticking to the plan even when it's tough. It takes consistency—not just in big games, but in every small play that leads up to the win. Whether you're growing a startup, managing a team, or navigating your own professional journey, the rules are the same. You don't get results overnight. You get them from the work no one sees—day after day. Success isn’t magic. It’s movement. It’s momentum. So, are you putting in the reps when no one’s watching? #Leadership #ProfessionalGrowth #Discipline #Consistency #CareerBuilding #BusinessMindset #SuccessMindset #PersonalDevelopment

🏆 When Your Project Is a Sport — Except the Opponent Isn’t as Obvious Because… In sports, you can see your opponent. You study their plays, prepare your defense, and execute your strategy. In business, it’s not that simple. The opponent isn’t across the field — it’s often within your own organization. Sometimes within your own habits. And if you’re not careful, that’s where the real competition is lost. Nick Saban calls them the 5 Enemies of Greatness. After years of working with business owners and leadership teams, I’ve seen them play out everywhere — from startups to seasoned enterprises. 1️⃣ Entitlement Past success can create present weakness. The moment a team believes “we’ve arrived,” performance starts to slip. 👉 Great cultures re-earn excellence daily. 2️⃣ Lack of Discipline In sports, discipline means doing the reps when no one’s watching. In business, it’s following process, staying consistent, and holding the standard — even when it’s inconvenient. 👉 Consistency compounds faster than talent. 3️⃣ Circumstances Over Vision Average teams play to conditions. Great ones play to principles. Markets shift. Challenges arise. Standards shouldn’t. 👉 Vision keeps performance steady when conditions aren’t. 4️⃣ Self-Pity Blame is easy. Accountability is rare. Teams that own outcomes move faster and recover stronger. 👉 Leadership starts where excuses stop. 5️⃣ Complacency Every win raises the bar — not lowers it. Momentum disappears the moment satisfaction takes over. 👉 The best teams treat success as a signal to train harder. Greatness in business works just like greatness in sports: You don’t “win once” — you keep earning it. Because the real opponent isn’t the market, the economy, or your competition. It’s that quiet drift toward comfort. And that’s the game most leaders don’t realize they’re playing. 🏁 #NickSaban #football #collegefootball #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #Entrepreneurship #TeamCulture #BusinessGrowth #LeadershipDevelopment #SuccessMindset #ContinuousImprovement #BusinessLeadership

Why most people quit and how Champions are made? I saw a young athlete (look at this athlete) recently doing something strange instead of choosing the smooth path, he created his own obstacles. At first, I thought, “Why make it harder?” Then I realised he wasn’t making it harder. He was making himself stronger. We’re often taught that the smart path is the easy one. But the truth is, every obstacle is a hidden training ground. Growth doesn’t come from comfort. It comes from stretching beyond what’s easy. Here’s why it matters: Your brain rewires and builds new neural pathways only when pushed beyond its comfort zone. That athlete wasn’t just training his body he was training his mind to see difficulty as opportunity. Great leadership rests on two non-negotiables: 🔥 Purpose – Without a strong “why,” challenges feel like punishment. With purpose, they become stepping stones. 🔥 Commitment – Talent gets you noticed, but commitment gets you through the tough days when talent alone isn’t enough. The moment you start avoiding challenges is the moment you stop growing. But when you lean into them, add stretch to your goals, and face difficulty head-on, you become unstoppable. Real champions don’t fear challenges they seek them. Because they know today’s extra effort becomes tomorrow’s edge. 👉 Follow Manish Behl for more real-world insights on leadership, growth, and resilience. Visit website bit.ly/478WHyd 🔁 Pass it forward someone in your network might need this reminder today. What challenge are you avoiding today that could unlock your biggest growth tomorrow? #ManishBehl #Leadership #GrowthMindset #Challenge #ChampionMindset #Success #Athlete

Pace can tell us something about winning. What if a company's greatest strategic weakness isn't moving too slowly, but moving without discipline? In basketball analytics, one interesting metric is Pace or Pace Factor. It’s basically the number of possessions a team uses in a game. A highly-athletic, but possibly less mature team might try to run the pace high, valuing athleticism over precision. They want to get down the court and take a quick shot, hoping to overwhelm their opponent with endurance and speed. It looks frantic and exciting, but it's often a sign that they lack the maturity to execute sets with a deliberate plan. We see the same dynamic in business. Immature teams and startups often have an incredibly high Pace. They launch products quickly, chase every trend, and prioritize speed over strategy. They may operate with a frenetic energy, mistaking motion for progress. They are the basketball team that's always in a hurry to shoot, even if the shot is a bad one. But if you look at mature teams in basketball, you often find them in the bottom half of the league in Pace. They don't rush. They take their time on each possession. They execute with a calm, deliberate precision, valuing a high-quality shot over a quick one. They understand that every possession is a valuable resource. The most effective businesses operate with the same maturity. They aren't defined by their speed, but by their ability to strategically utilize their resources and execute with precision. How would you rate your team’s Pace? Are you a frantic, fast-paced team, or a calm, deliberate one? I'd love to hear your thoughts. #Leadership #BusinessStrategy #Management #Teamwork #BusinessAndBasketball #ThePaceOfPlay

The tiny gap between a decision and execution decides who wins… and who stays stuck. → 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻… People with a winner’s mindset move fast. “Yes, I’ll do it” → “Done.” People with a victim mindset? They agree. They plan. They talk. But that gap between decision and action… stretches endlessly. And so do their excuses. Recently, I coached a client who wasn’t seeing results despite having a clear game plan for her business. 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁'𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀: → “I didn’t get the time to start.” → “Too many other commitments.” → “Too much chaos.” I shared a story of another client: In June, I gave him a strategy for his personal goal winning in pickleball tournaments. Despite his own challenges, he started executing within hours. Results by October 2025: 🥈 Silver – state-level doubles 🥉 Bronze – state - level singles 🥉 Bronze – national level doubles The difference? Both had the strategy. One acted. The other hesitated. ○ Speed doesn’t guarantee success. ● But without it, success is nearly impossible. Mistakes will happen — that’s part of growth. But movement creates momentum. P.S: team meeting and training moment this week 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆: ★ What’s one decision you’ve already made… but haven’t acted on yet? #Mindset #Execution #PersonalGrowth

Thinking several moves ahead isn’t just for the chessboard. It's a critical skill in business, leadership, and career growth. I just finished a fascinating chess game, and it struck me that the game of kings is the ultimate masterclass in strategy, patience, and risk assessment. Here are 3 invaluable lessons from chess that directly translate to professional success: Strategic Foresight (The 3-Move Rule): In chess, you rarely play for the immediate move; you play for the position three moves down the line. Pro-Tip: In your career, this means focusing on a goal 6-12 months out, and then working backward to define the next few critical steps. What is your 'endgame' goal? Sacrifice for Position (The Pawn Sacrifice): Sometimes, giving up a small asset (a pawn) is necessary to gain a powerful, lasting advantage in territory or time. Pro-Tip: Don't be afraid to 'sacrifice' comfort or a short-term win (like extra hours for skill-building, or delegating a task you enjoy) to gain a superior long-term 'position' like expertise, leadership, or scale. Resilience (The Losing Position): Even in a crushing position, a single, brilliant defensive move can flip the momentum and save the game. Never resign too early. Pro-Tip: When facing a major professional setback, pause, analyze the situation objectively, and look for the one move (a key hire, a pivot, a new partnership) that changes the whole dynamic. Your Turn! I'd love to hear from my network: What is the single most important lesson you've learned from a game (chess, sports, even video games) that you apply to your work or leadership style? Share your insights in the comments! #ChessLessons #Strategy #Leadership #ProfessionalDevelopment #CriticalThinking #CareerGrowth #Mindset #BusinessStrategy

When we think of elite athletes, we picture grit, talent, and discipline—but their real edge comes from the systems they build around themselves. Coaching, recovery, and preparation aren’t optional; they’re the foundation of consistent performance. The same is true in sales. High-performing sales teams don’t just grind harder—they train with purpose, embrace feedback, protect against burnout, and prepare for every call like it’s game day. Most importantly, they stay mentally resilient when rejection or setbacks hit. If your team wants to win more consistently, it’s time to stop relying solely on effort and start focusing on smarter habits. Read the full blog to explore how adopting an athlete’s mindset can sharpen your sales approach. https://ow.ly/f1bx50X8x8j #SalesLeadership #BusinessDevelopment #SalesSuccess #ResilienceInSales #GrowthMindset

“Salespeople are the elite athletes of the business world.” — Jeb Blount But what elite athlete comes to mind when you read that? A recent Harvard Business Review piece profiled NBA star Chris Paul as a model of team intelligence. Paul has joined four new teams—each of which posted its best record ever within two years. No other player in league history has had that kind of impact. Paul’s strength is elevating everyone around him. Researchers call this the super-facilitator effect—people who integrate diverse strengths, build trust, and create collective performance. In business, that might be the seller who connects departments, clarifies goals, and turns a group of specialists into a team that ships standout results. I suspect the elite super-facilitators—the “Chris Pauls” who raise the game for everyone else—are still vastly underrated and under-celebrated. Do we truly train for that skill as hard as we should? #SalesLeadership #FutureOfWork #TeamPerformance Article link in comments.