Full Transcript for Mark Gottfried: Developing Grit, Integrity, and Desire

that down? 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:23.519 You know, I don't know that I want to because I, you know, the the history of UCLA with John Wooden, and even though that was years before us, you know, just associating my name with UCLA, I thought would be so powerful. 00:05:23.680 --> 00:05:25.279 And it turned out to be that way. 00:05:25.439 --> 00:05:36.959 And um, so anyway, I I was uh, you know, we all play, and at some point the ball does stop bouncing and it stops at some point earlier, later, but for all of us it did. 00:05:37.120 --> 00:05:42.800 But for me, it just made it a really easy transition because I wanted to coach. 00:05:43.040 --> 00:05:45.519 That was uh something I always wanted to do. 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:47.600 And now here I've got this opportunity. 00:05:47.839 --> 00:06:02.160 So uh it was something I jumped on and uh never looked back, and uh it ended up being a uh just a sensational move to be associated uh with UCLA, and then the success we had there was was terrific as well. 00:06:02.399 --> 00:06:05.279 And and and you know, we never know what lies ahead. 00:06:05.360 --> 00:06:08.079 It's it's really about the choices we make as well. 00:06:08.319 --> 00:06:13.199 You said it was an easy transition, but wasn't an easy choice at that time. 00:06:13.600 --> 00:06:14.879 Because I know you love playing. 00:06:15.120 --> 00:06:17.600 Yeah, I did, and and it's a great question, Thurl. 00:06:17.759 --> 00:06:19.360 It was hard, to be quite honest. 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:20.319 It was very difficult. 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:22.959 And I had a lot of nights where I went back and forth in my mind. 00:06:23.040 --> 00:06:30.800 And the funny thing was, an interesting story is that you know, Jim Herrick had just gotten the job and we were talking back and forth and back and forth. 00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:34.800 And you know, finally one night he asked me, he said, Are you done playing? 00:06:35.040 --> 00:06:39.199 Because he didn't want to bring me on the staff, and then all of you know, a year later I'd go back to playing. 00:06:39.279 --> 00:06:41.519 And so, you know, I made the decision right then. 00:06:41.600 --> 00:06:44.160 I said, Coach, if you want me to come to UCLA, I'm done. 00:06:44.319 --> 00:06:54.319 Now, the interesting thing was, thorough, we still had about three or four games left in the summer league, and it just so happened this is how funny things happen in life, I made the decision. 00:06:54.639 --> 00:07:02.160 I was going to UCLA and I was going to coach, and the very next night we were playing uh the Lakers and they had just drafted David Rivers. 00:07:02.399 --> 00:07:03.680 This was 1988. 00:07:03.839 --> 00:07:06.959 Oh, yeah, and uh first round draft pick out of Notre Dame. 00:07:07.199 --> 00:07:14.480 And anyway, uh shortly into the game, Dick Versace was our head coach, and he looked down the bench and he said, Mark, let's go. 00:07:14.720 --> 00:07:20.160 And I went in the game, and on that day,

Thurrell, I had the best day of the whole summer league. 00:07:20.240 --> 00:07:22.240 I had 14 points and eight assists. 00:07:22.399 --> 00:07:26.560 And now, you know, I go back to the hotel, I'm scratching my head, like, wait a minute, hold on here. 00:07:26.800 --> 00:07:32.639 And I remember Bob Ferry was the uh general manager of the uh, at that time, it was the Washington Bullets. 00:07:32.800 --> 00:07:38.959 And uh we were walking down the hall in the uh LAX Marriott, and he said, Mark, I want to bring you to camp. 00:07:39.040 --> 00:07:41.120 And now I'm thinking, oh my God, what did I do? 00:07:41.439 --> 00:07:49.040 But the truth of the matter is my heart was in coaching, and I just didn't want to pass on an opportunity uh like UCLA. 00:07:49.199 --> 00:07:58.319 And so even though it was hard, thorough, I knew in my gut in the long term that was going to be something that was gonna be really good for me. 00:07:58.720 --> 00:08:00.000 Well, it was great for you. 00:08:00.240 --> 00:08:03.360 You racked up a storied coaching career. 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:07.120 Um you're an 11-time NCAA tournament coach. 00:08:07.439 --> 00:08:10.800 And the level that level of consistency is very rare. 00:08:10.959 --> 00:08:23.759 What was the one thing you had to do maybe every single season to keep your teams mentally tough enough to reach that prestigious stage? 00:08:24.399 --> 00:08:30.959 Well, you know, first of all, Thor, I I'm very uh wise in the fact that, you know, good players always help us. 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:35.279 You know, I I wish I'd have, although we're similar in age, you know, I wish I'd have coached you. 00:08:35.440 --> 00:08:41.360 You are such a great player, and uh you had a phenomenal college coach and uh Jim Valvano. 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:51.519 But, you know, for us, you know, when it's part of you know the whole picture, even when I talk about leadership and for performance, and I do that a lot now, you know, is building the right team. 00:08:51.600 --> 00:08:54.639 And that started for me, that started with my coaching staff. 00:08:54.879 --> 00:08:58.879 I wanted to build the best uh staff that I possibly could. 00:08:59.120 --> 00:09:01.840 And everybody brought something different to the table. 00:09:02.000 --> 00:09:06.480 And I always wanted my assistant coaches to hope and desire to become head coaches. 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:07.840 I wanted them to do everything. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:17.919 I didn't want them to be so laser focused on just defense or just offense, but you know, to really immerse themselves to where they are a potential head coaching candidate. 00:09:18.000 --> 00:09:23.840 And I've had a number of guys do that, and that was very exciting for me to watch guys, you know, go on in their careers. 00:09:24.000 --> 00:09:29.039 And then obviously in in sports, you know, the the lifeblood of your program is your players. 00:09:29.120 --> 00:09:31.279 And I loved uh the guys. 00:09:31.360 -->

00:09:42.960 And you know, Thorrell, I look back now and you know, I'm a little bit older, and some of the guys I coach, they're in their 40s now, you know, mid-40s, and they're married and children and they have good jobs and careers. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:46.080 And really, truly, Thorrell, that's what kind of fills my cup. 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:57.120 You know, I look back and the relationships and the phone calls that I have now with some of the guys, and we'll laugh about things and situations, but I love that part of it. 00:09:57.279 --> 00:10:08.559 I loved, you know, really getting to know our guys and helping them hopefully reach their dreams and their goals and the things they wanted to do in life, you know, along with winning, obviously, while where we were. 00:10:08.720 --> 00:10:14.799 So that that was the probably the key thing for me and the and the most enjoyable part of it for me. 00:10:15.279 --> 00:10:19.120 Well, you just talked about the epitome really of player development. 00:10:19.600 --> 00:10:21.600 Um that was my next question as well. 00:10:21.840 --> 00:10:34.159 In an era where players are often focused on that that highlight reel, how did you teach your players to kind of fall in love with the boring parts of the game? 00:10:34.320 --> 00:10:37.440 Sometimes the the defense, the fundamentals, the crit. 00:10:38.159 --> 00:10:42.159 Uh what was your your your strategy there? 00:10:43.200 --> 00:10:47.440 That kind of goes back, Thurl, to when I was at UCLA, and I was so lucky. 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:48.639 I was so fortunate. 00:10:48.720 --> 00:10:54.559 I feel blessed beyond my wildest dreams that you know I got to develop a relationship with John Wood. 00:10:54.639 --> 00:10:57.600 Now he was older at the time, he was in his 80s. 00:10:57.759 --> 00:11:16.559 He lived to be 99, but you know, I had the opportunity to go to his house, Thurl, and we'd sit on the couch and we would talk and just talk about, you know, not necessarily X's and O's and how to break a 221 press, but it was more of the leadership and the integrity and all the things he wanted to teach. 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:18.799 And so I was so, so lucky. 00:11:19.039 --> 00:11:24.639 But I remember him saying to me one time, you know, he had a funny little quote that kind of stuck with me. 00:11:24.799 --> 00:11:31.919 And, you know, he said, uh yard by yard, life is hard, but inch by inch, life's a cinch. 00:11:32.159 --> 00:11:40.080 And I remember sitting there that day thinking, you know, it's just the little steps every day that we all make that improve ourselves. 00:11:40.240 --> 00:11:57.360 It's not these gigantic, massive steps every single day, but you know, even in practice, it's just developing those fundamentals and then working on those fundamentals over and over and over again until where you started to see your improvement, but it's really small steps at a time. 00:11:57.519 --> 00:12:06.240 And I think so many times in life, we want to, you know, we want to hit the grand slam, we want to hit that you know, home run, we we want to do all that and we want it to happen today, like now. 00:12:06.559 --> 00:12:16.240 But the reality is where we really develop as players or people or as coaches or administrators or leaders is just the day-by-day improvement. 00:12:16.399 --> 00:12:25.519 And so I remember Coach Wooden telling me that, and it sunk in, and it it I think it really made a difference in how I tried to approach uh myself as a coach. 00:12:26.240 --> 00:12:32.720 I want to get into really the crux of what you're doing now, but I do want to ask you about the state of the game. 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:37.679 Today has changed drastically with the transfer portal, obviously, and NIL. 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:39.600 Someone who's coached for decades. 00:12:39.679 --> 00:12:44.559 What's your honest take on the current state of the game, college game right now? 00:12:44.879 --> 00:12:49.200 You know, Thurrell, I think we all, you know, the game always involves it always evolves. 00:12:49.360 --> 00:12:49.759 It does. 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:52.879 Things change, it's never the same as it once was. 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:55.039 And so I understand that. 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:57.600 And uh I tell this to people a lot. 00:12:57.679 --> 00:13:02.000 You know, I like the fact that guys are able to make some money in college. 00:13:02.080 --> 00:13:02.639 I really do. 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:18.960 I I have felt for a long time that uh, you know, when I'm coaching at NC State, Gerald Mamater, and I've got a great player at TJ Warren, and his jersey's in the bookstore, and it's his name on the back with his number that somehow he's not uh getting compensated for that. 00:13:19.039 --> 00:13:20.240 That always bothered me. 00:13:20.399 --> 00:13:23.840 And so I like the fact that guys are able to be compensated. 00:13:23.919 --> 00:13:34.320 Now, at the same time, I will tell you that, you know, paying a guy$4 million or$5 million for one season in college, I think the the uh the train is off the tracks on that. 00:13:34.480 --> 00:13:56.080 I don't know that that's something we should be doing because I've always felt like college, those college years, it's a train, it's a transitional time in all of our lives where we go from being in high school and living at home, and then you have this transition period in college, and then you become a professional or you go to the workplace and you become an adult and a husband or a wife or whatever. 00:13:56.159 --> 00:13:58.720 So that college experience is wonderful. 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:09.360 Now, at the the the part that probably bothers me more than anything is the ability to transfer every single year and go in the portal. 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:15.840 And I personally I'd be in favor if you got to transfer one time without sitting out or if there was a coaching change. 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:39.039 But watching guys just every single

year change schools, it really kind of breaks my heart, Thor, because I look back and I'm I would venture to say you might agree with this, but the relationships that you build in college with your teammates and your coaches and your classmates and your friends when you're there for three or four years, I think those are invaluable. 00:14:39.120 --> 00:14:40.960 I don't think you can put a price tag on that. 00:14:41.120 --> 00:14:44.000 There's no monetary price tag you could put on that. 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:46.639 And also, we've all gone through it. 00:14:46.799 --> 00:14:49.360 We all wanted to start and be superstars as freshmen. 00:14:49.600 --> 00:14:50.639 Well, that doesn't always happen. 00:14:50.720 --> 00:14:58.559 And so you work and you improve and you get better, and then you get to play more as a sophomore and then as a junior, and you know, that's important to me. 00:14:58.639 --> 00:15:04.320 Yeah, so when I see guys just, hey, I'm not playing very much as a freshman, I'm out, I'm bored, I'm in the portal, I'm in a portal again. 00:15:04.399 --> 00:15:09.759 And you look up and you see guys that have been in four schools in four years or five schools in five years. 00:15:10.000 --> 00:15:12.720 I personally I don't see the benefit of that. 00:15:12.799 --> 00:15:14.559 I I'm not a fan of that at all. 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:16.559 So that's kind of my my take on it. 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:20.240 And you just touched on something, which is going to be my next question. 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:28.639 Is it is it harder for coaches today to build that team first attitude with the way things are structured now? 00:15:28.799 --> 00:15:31.039 And you can get players to commit. 00:15:31.200 --> 00:15:31.440 Yeah. 00:15:31.600 --> 00:15:33.360 It's just based on talent and money. 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:46.639 Yeah, and you know, Thorrell, the guys that I speak to, and I've got a lot of friends obviously coaching, you know, it it kind of saddens me when I hear him say this, but it's again, it's part of the reality of today is that you know, they build a one-year team. 00:15:46.799 --> 00:15:52.080 This is just a one-year transactional team, and then we got to rebuild it next year. 00:15:52.159 --> 00:15:54.320 We may have some guys stay, go in the portal. 00:15:54.399 --> 00:16:01.759 And I often tell people, you know, it would be like in pro sports, and you know, obviously you had a wonderful career in the NBA or Major League Baseball. 00:16:01.919 --> 00:16:07.279 If every player was a free agent every single year, it'd be chaos, it'd just be chaos. 00:16:07.440 --> 00:16:14.879 And again, so I think that part is difficult for coaches right now, and coaches that are coaching in college, they have to adapt. 00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:16.559 There's no question about it. 00:16:16.879 --> 00:16:28.639 But um, I think a lot of coaches, especially the the guys in our generation, they put value on those relationships that they built for for, and people forget this too, Thurl. 00:16:28.799 --> 00:16:38.000 You have to remember, and I'm sure this might have been the case in your situation, is I started recruiting a lot of guys when they were sometimes freshmen in high school or sophomores or juniors. 00:16:38.159 --> 00:16:42.639 So I've recruited them for two or three years, and then I get to coach them for two or three years. 00:16:42.720 --> 00:16:52.960 And so that window is now a five or six or seven-year window that we've been somewhat together, and uh that has drastically changed. 00:16:53.039 --> 00:17:02.879 And so um, anyway, that kind of breaks my heart a little bit because I was a fan and I'm still a fan of college basketball, but some of those things maybe don't sit as well with me personally. 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:05.359 No, I appreciate your candy this coach. 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:09.839 Let's talk about this uh performance strategist career. 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:16.079 You've pivoted from coaching 19-year, coaching 19-year-old athletes to speaking to corporate executives. 00:17:16.400 --> 00:17:24.319 What's the biggest coaching secret you've learned that applies equally to the basketball locker rooms and boardrooms? 00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:30.000 Well, let me just say this first, Furl, is when I coached, you know, obviously we want to win. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:35.279 Everybody wants to win, but at the same time, I want to have an impact on those kids in my locker room. 00:17:35.359 --> 00:17:43.839 I I want to impact them in a positive way that as when they leave our program, that they're better, uh, better players, better people, the whole thing. 00:17:44.160 --> 00:17:49.759 So now I think the the joy for me, Furl, is I get to stand sometimes in front of two and three hundred people. 00:17:49.920 --> 00:17:56.160 It could be a sales meeting, and you know, I've spoken at hotel sales meetings and tech company sales meetings. 00:17:56.240 --> 00:18:07.200 And, you know, now I have the opportunity to impact hundreds of people, you know, through standing there and sharing what I believe helps all of us to develop the best versions of ourselves. 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:15.839 And when I talk about, you know, leading what I call the GID approach, the get it done mindset, you know, it it truly is built on grit. 00:18:16.240 --> 00:18:31.920 And, you know, the the grit that we developed, you know, um going through those difficult time periods, the ups and the downs and the resilience and the consistency that we all have to have, and then the integrity part where, you know, we've all made mistakes. 00:18:32.000 --> 00:18:33.759 I've made them in my life, made big ones. 00:18:33.920 --> 00:18:36.720 But what do we do when the compass is broken? 00:18:36.880 --> 00:18:38.079 How do we fix it? 00:18:38.319 --> 00:18:48.160 Because it'll get broken at times, and we all sometimes make decisions, we're all human beings, but then also that desire, you know, and the love for what

you're doing. 00:18:48.400 --> 00:18:51.359 I mean, if you don't love what you're doing, it's gonna be difficult. 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:55.119 But if you do love what you're doing, boy, that that's like fuel. 00:18:55.279 --> 00:18:58.240 That's like fuel in the tank, and it pushes through every decision. 00:18:58.319 --> 00:19:02.960 So in every organization, Thor, I've learned this, we're all people. 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:12.559 Um, we all can kind of fall into life, um, somewhat get complacent at times, somewhat be mediocre at times. 00:19:12.720 --> 00:19:27.759 And how do we, or how do I help individuals and companies strive to perform at the highest possible level they can while, you know, maintaining a high level of integrity, you know, leading with grit, desire, all those things. 00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:30.799 And so for me, it kind of really fills my cup. 00:19:30.880 --> 00:19:35.039 You know, I'm not in a locker room, you know, it's not an intimate session at times. 00:19:35.200 --> 00:19:35.359 Yeah. 00:19:35.519 --> 00:19:41.359 But boy, is it fun to see people that uh, you know, the message begins to resonate, and I like that a lot. 00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:42.880 That's powerful. 00:19:43.200 --> 00:19:45.039 Well, stay with us. 00:19:45.359 --> 00:19:52.880 When we get back here in just a second, um, we're gonna talk about Coach's new book that's out. 00:19:53.119 --> 00:19:58.000 We'll be right back with more Rise and Grind with Coach Mark Godfrey. 00:19:58.400 --> 00:20:00.160 Hey guys, time out. 00:20:00.319 --> 00:20:04.480 You know, you give your best to your work, your family, and your responsibilities. 00:20:04.640 --> 00:20:08.000 But to keep showing up strong, you've got to stay dialed in. 00:20:08.160 --> 00:20:18.079 At Game Day Men's Health, the nation's leading men's clinic, they help you get back in the game with a custom game plan built around your labs, your goals, and your performance. 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:21.920 Testosterone, peptides, real optimization. 00:20:22.079 --> 00:20:25.359 Come in today for a free testosterone test and consult. 00:20:25.440 --> 00:20:29.119 Tell them Big T sent you, and you get 50% off your first year membership. 00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:31.839 Game Daymenshealth.com. 00:20:32.079 --> 00:20:33.759 Victory starts within. 00:20:34.480 --> 00:20:36.480 Welcome back to Rise and Grind. 00:20:36.720 --> 00:20:45.440 We're talking to Coach Mark Garfried, and and uh we just talked about what he's doing across the country. 00:20:45.599 --> 00:20:55.039 I would think, Coach, that you're you're doing a lot of traveling right now with with all your speaking, not just uh locally, but uh I'm guessing internationally as well. 00:20:55.359 --> 00:20:57.440 You know, it's I do in thoroughly it's fun. 00:20:57.519 --> 00:21:02.720 Uh, you know, sometimes it's you kind of make it through an airport and you know that type thing. 00:21:02.880 --> 00:21:17.680 But I tell you, when you get to meet people and

kind of see where they are at that moment in their lives, and hopefully, again, like we talked about, where I can potentially um, you know, start the engines a little bit, uh, it really, it really uh makes it worthwhile. 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:19.200 So I don't mind it one bit. 00:21:19.519 --> 00:21:28.319 Well, let's talk about your new book uh titled Get It Done, the Playbook for Leading with Grit, Integrity and Desire. 00:21:29.039 --> 00:21:30.000 G I D. 00:21:30.720 --> 00:21:38.000 In the corporate world, people talk a lot, Coach, about results, but you emphasize integrity and desire. 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:45.839 How do you teach a team to balance that hunger for winning with the necessity of doing things the right way? 00:21:46.240 --> 00:21:47.519 It's a great question. 00:21:47.680 --> 00:21:49.200 And uh thank you so much, throw. 00:21:49.359 --> 00:21:50.480 You know, this is my new book ready. 00:21:50.640 --> 00:21:51.599 I'm so excited about it. 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:53.039 And I've that's my first book. 00:21:53.119 --> 00:21:54.559 I hope to write some more. 00:21:55.039 --> 00:21:59.839 Um But you know, uh, it's all part of our journey. 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:04.640 And uh when I speak, Thor, I'm pretty authentic, I'm pretty vulnerable. 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:12.559 Uh, I talk about some mistakes I've made in my own life and how I've recovered and how I tried to have resilience. 00:22:12.799 --> 00:22:17.279 Um, you know, coaches sometimes they always the old saying, we're hired to be fired. 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:18.880 You know, I've been fired. 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:23.279 Uh it's no fun, it hurts, it's painful. 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:29.119 Um and those things are real, but a lot of us have had things like that in our lives. 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:31.119 We've we've all faced some adversity. 00:22:31.279 --> 00:22:35.119 Uh, we've all had difficult things happen to us. 00:22:35.359 --> 00:22:38.960 And so for me, um, that's what I try to focus on. 00:22:39.039 --> 00:22:41.440 And and Thurrell, I'm gonna take you back real quick. 00:22:41.680 --> 00:22:44.240 It's 2004, the NCAA tournament. 00:22:44.319 --> 00:22:46.720 I had a team at Alabama, I was head coach. 00:22:46.960 --> 00:22:48.720 Our record was 16 and 12. 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:49.279 How about that? 00:22:49.359 --> 00:22:52.960 And we're waiting on uh selection show Sunday. 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:56.559 You know, every the whole country's watching, all the teams are getting named. 00:22:57.119 --> 00:23:06.720 And uh one thing I knew was we had the number one toughest strength of schedule that year in the country, but we were the last team to be named, the last one of 64 teams. 00:23:06.960 --> 00:23:10.559 We erupted, we were excited, and we had a chance to fly to Seattle and play. 00:23:10.640 --> 00:23:15.920 We beat Southern Illinois in the eight-seed, nine-seed game, and now we've got to play Stanford, who is number one in the country. 00:23:16.240 -->

00:23:22.400 We're down three at the half, uh 39-36, come out in the second half and throw. 00:23:22.640 --> 00:23:24.640 We went on to miss our first 17 shots. 00:23:24.799 --> 00:23:26.079 It's a little bit like life. 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:32.079 You know, sometimes the ball is rolling your way, and next thing you know, uh it's just not going in the basket. 00:23:32.240 --> 00:23:33.680 And that happens to all of us. 00:23:33.759 --> 00:23:37.519 You know, things start to go awry, and which they did. 00:23:37.680 --> 00:23:39.359 And I remember calling timeout through. 00:23:40.160 --> 00:23:47.200 It was the only time that year I felt like our team walked to the bench, they had their heads down, and I think they felt like this thing is getting away from us. 00:23:47.359 --> 00:23:48.559 We were down, I think, 10 points. 00:23:48.640 --> 00:23:52.960 And I remember in that timeout telling them, guys, this is a GID moment. 00:23:53.039 --> 00:23:56.559 This is a get it done moment that you're gonna have throughout the rest of your lives. 00:23:56.640 --> 00:23:58.319 We can get on the plane and go home. 00:23:58.559 --> 00:23:59.920 We were 16 and 12. 00:24:00.000 --> 00:24:01.279 Nobody expected us to be here. 00:24:01.359 --> 00:24:02.559 We won a game already. 00:24:02.640 --> 00:24:05.599 We're in the second round, you know, hooray. 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:10.559 Or we can embrace this moment, we can have more enthusiasm than we've ever had. 00:24:10.640 --> 00:24:12.799 We're all gonna play our roles better than we ever had. 00:24:12.880 --> 00:24:16.960 We're gonna cheer for each other more than we ever had, and we're gonna find a way to get this done. 00:24:17.039 --> 00:24:20.640 And I remember they broke the huddle thoroughly and they went about five feet away from me. 00:24:20.720 --> 00:24:22.480 And sometimes, you know, players do that. 00:24:22.559 --> 00:24:28.400 They huddled up again amongst themselves, and I could hear them saying, GID time, this is a GID time. 00:24:28.559 --> 00:24:34.960 And we came out of that timeout and hit a three-pointer, and another kid, next thing you know, here we come, and we knocked off Stanford. 00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:38.000 We beat them 70, 67, they were the number one team in the country. 00:24:38.079 --> 00:24:46.000 But those guys, thorough, understood in that moment right there what it really meant when we say this is a GID moment. 00:24:46.160 --> 00:24:48.000 This is a get it, and we all have them. 00:24:48.079 --> 00:24:49.680 We all have them in our lives every day. 00:24:49.839 --> 00:24:52.160 Could be parenting, could be at work. 00:24:52.480 --> 00:24:55.359 Um, we got them and they're coming. 00:24:55.519 --> 00:25:01.920 And in those moments, we have to develop that grit and have the integrity and have the desire to fight through those things. 00:25:02.000 --> 00:25:11.119 So uh that's a little bit of the backstory on where that title came from, but it's something that I I believe in, and I believe that we we all face them and we all have to overcome them. 00:25:11.359 --> 00:25:13.279 Coach, you got me fired up with that story. 00:25:13.359 --> 00:25:17.200 If I had hair, it'd be standing straight up in the head right now. 00:25:18.559 --> 00:25:19.680 That was awesome. 00:25:19.920 --> 00:25:21.039 That was awesome. 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:29.599 So, as a performance strategist, when you when you walk into a company that's struggling, what's the first thing you look for? 00:25:29.759 --> 00:25:31.839 Is it lack of talent? 00:25:32.000 --> 00:25:33.200 Is it lack of grit? 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:35.599 Uh what is it and how do you fix it? 00:25:35.839 --> 00:25:38.400 You know, most of the time, Thorl, it's like a locker room. 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:41.200 Uh you have to be good to be in the room. 00:25:41.599 --> 00:25:45.440 If you're not good, you're not sitting in the room to begin with. 00:25:45.519 --> 00:25:47.119 You're not on the team to begin with. 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:52.640 You know, you've played with great players, and you close those doors in the locker room. 00:25:52.799 --> 00:25:57.680 Everyone in there can play, and everybody has a role to play. 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:11.279 Sometimes it's it's it's getting certain people to accept their roles and not only accept their role, but then excel within their role to the highest ability that they can. 00:26:11.440 --> 00:26:14.480 You know, not every player is Michael Jordan. 00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:19.440 Uh, there are guys that are just as valuable in their roles, right? 00:26:19.599 --> 00:26:21.279 But they may not be the superstar. 00:26:21.440 --> 00:26:23.279 And that's the same in the corporate world. 00:26:23.440 --> 00:26:38.480 You know, I've I've walked into uh different rooms, and and I understand that everybody in the room is good, but how do we all come to a place where this company then can rise to another level to where everybody wins in the room? 00:26:38.559 --> 00:26:42.400 We all win because we all play a role, no different than in sports. 00:26:42.559 --> 00:26:50.799 And as you know, Thurl, you know, growing up in sports, being around sports, and you've spent a lifetime in sports. 00:26:51.279 --> 00:27:05.119 Sports teaches so many lessons about success and failure and hard work and grit and teamwork and roles and uh authority, and there's so many things that we all have learned. 00:27:05.279 --> 00:27:19.519 So I try to take each one of those, and usually, you know, there's a lot of conversations leading up to you know that actual opportunity when I stand in front of the group with the leadership and and they'll tell me a little bit where their teams are struggling and where our company is struggling. 00:27:19.680 --> 00:27:21.920 And we I'll incorporate that into the speech. 00:27:22.000 --> 00:27:35.279 But at the same time, my goal is to help those people in the room kind of get reignited to where again they can wake up the next day

and they can be the absolute best they possibly can be. 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:41.039 And so that's my hope uh when I have the opportunity to speak in front of groups. 00:27:41.440 --> 00:27:42.160 Fantastic. 00:27:42.319 --> 00:27:48.880 You know, and you've also transitioned into some podcasting along with uh your motivational speaking. 00:27:49.440 --> 00:27:59.920 Are there any particular core messages that you're sharing with audiences now that you couldn't necessarily share in a locker room full of players? 00:28:00.400 --> 00:28:01.519 That's a great question. 00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:06.160 You know, in my podcast, Thurl, and you you've been a guest and you were you were sensational. 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:14.799 You know, I think what I try to do, Thurl, is pull out from people um, you know, their stories of their journey. 00:28:15.039 --> 00:28:16.799 You know, you had a journey. 00:28:17.039 --> 00:28:29.200 Um your guys' run through the NCAA tournament in 1983 at NC State may have changed some of your journey, it might have changed uh what happens in the you know, what happened to you in the future. 00:28:29.519 --> 00:28:36.079 And so we and there, I'm sure with all of us, and and you shared some when you were on my show, we've had struggles at times. 00:28:36.240 --> 00:28:38.480 You know, we we've had them, we've all had them. 00:28:38.640 --> 00:28:42.000 Uh some of us don't want to talk about them, but we've all had them. 00:28:42.400 --> 00:28:46.240 And uh we've had those ups, we've had those downs, the downs hurt. 00:28:46.400 --> 00:29:06.960 And sometimes what I what I enjoy doing, and it's been such a blessing for me, because I get to sit and and talk with these uh wonderful, amazing, successful, mostly athletes, and and uh is just learning their stories and what happened along the way to where and who helped them along the way. 00:29:07.200 --> 00:29:22.319 You know, we all have so many people, Thurl, that have poured into us and they have given us an opportunity, or they believed in us, and they uh and without them, we wouldn't have the success we had. 00:29:22.640 --> 00:29:24.079 We just we just wouldn't have. 00:29:24.400 --> 00:29:46.240 And you know, again, I don't, you know, I I look back and and uh you know the group you played with at NC State and you played for one of the you know great coaches of all time and Jim Valvano, and the fact he believed in you and he gave you certain opportunities and he gave you the the kind of the wind behind your back at times, you know, to really to propel you. 00:29:46.480 --> 00:30:03.039 Um so we've all had people like that in our lives, and I like to hear how guys uh are so gracious because they do attribute a lot of their success to these certain people, their mentors and people that poured into them. 00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:08.960 And so for me, that's really a wonderful joy for me to listen and learn from everybody. 00:30:10.799 --> 00:30:14.000 Coach course, as you know, this

show's called Rise and Grind. 00:30:14.079 --> 00:30:23.519 What does the Rise and Grind mentality look like for you today compared to when you were in the middle of a conference schedule? 00:30:24.079 --> 00:30:33.039 You know, the biggest difference, Thor, is you know, when I coached, um you know, I had a team, you know, I I had a coaching staff that was my team. 00:30:33.279 --> 00:30:40.400 I love to shut the door at nine o'clock every morning and sit with my coaching staff, and I wanted to hear everyone's opinion. 00:30:40.559 --> 00:30:43.839 And I didn't want yes men, I wanted your honest opinions. 00:30:44.240 --> 00:30:47.119 Um, I loved that part of it. 00:30:47.359 --> 00:31:03.200 And now, you know, as kind of a I don't know that I would consider myself an entrepreneurial guy, but you know, I'm I'm I'm forging through this, you know, where I have, you know, my daughter helps me here, and I got a couple people, but you know, a lot of times I'm by myself, you know, I travel by myself. 00:31:03.279 --> 00:31:05.200 I get on an airplane by myself. 00:31:05.359 --> 00:31:14.000 And you you can remember too, you know, the the fun it is sometimes to travel with that team, to sit in the plane and you know, to joke with one another. 00:31:14.079 --> 00:31:16.160 And you know, you have that camaraderie. 00:31:16.240 --> 00:31:25.839 So the biggest difference for me probably right now is you know, making sure every day when I wake up, you know, I am going at it and I am pursuing. 00:31:26.160 --> 00:31:29.680 And uh, you know, people ask me sometimes, are you retired? 00:31:29.759 --> 00:31:31.119 I I don't like that word at all. 00:31:31.279 --> 00:31:36.160 I you know, I feel like it's like yeah, you're you're you're pushing me out to pasture, you know. 00:31:36.240 --> 00:31:38.400 I'm just gonna, you know, I don't like that. 00:31:38.480 --> 00:31:40.640 You know, I say this is another chapter. 00:31:40.799 --> 00:31:48.160 I have a new chapter in my life that I've embraced that I love, and and I'm gonna tackle this thing every single day. 00:31:48.240 --> 00:31:53.359 I'm gonna wake up motivated and uh keep pursuing and pursuing. 00:31:53.440 --> 00:31:54.640 And how do I get better? 00:31:54.799 --> 00:31:57.119 How do I uh get to a group? 00:31:57.279 --> 00:32:01.759 How do I find a way to motivate somebody and and to inspire somebody? 00:32:01.920 --> 00:32:04.880 And so that to me, that's a difference, you know. 00:32:05.039 --> 00:32:23.279 And you know, that's the one thing in sports that when we all get out of sports at some point, that's the one thing that probably all of us share at common is we miss that you know, that group, that team, that the players, the coaches, the getting on that bus, getting on that plane, going in that locker room, eating a team meal together. 00:32:23.359 --> 00:32:24.000 We're always together. 00:32:24.079 --> 00:32:26.000 You're always we're always in a big group. 00:32:26.160 --> 00:32:28.720 And so

then we have to adjust out of that. 00:32:28.880 --> 00:32:30.720 And so I've had to do the same. 00:32:30.960 --> 00:32:33.440 But uh for me, it's just every single day. 00:32:33.599 --> 00:32:39.839 I I know uh what God has called me to do at this point in my life, and I want to do the best I can to fulfill it. 00:32:40.400 --> 00:32:55.759 So, along with that, coach, you know, looking back at your entire journey, talked about what an important word that is for everybody from Crestline to the Hall of Fame coaching circles to the boardroom. 00:32:56.160 --> 00:33:04.240 What is it that has kept you showing up when everything sometimes told you to stop? 00:33:06.079 --> 00:33:06.720 Wow. 00:33:07.200 --> 00:33:08.559 Um wonderful question. 00:33:08.720 --> 00:33:20.079 You know, you know, throw my my father is 86 years old, and uh there's nobody that has had a more of a footprint on my life than him. 00:33:20.240 --> 00:33:20.640 Nobody. 00:33:20.799 --> 00:33:22.400 And I've been around great people. 00:33:22.640 --> 00:33:27.519 I play for a wonderful, wonderful coach, very good coach in Wimp Sanderson, the University of Alabama. 00:33:27.599 --> 00:33:31.920 I Jim Herrick gave me my first opportunity to coach at UCLA. 00:33:32.079 --> 00:33:39.920 I was around John Wooden, who is, you know, uh, you know, he's on Mount Rushmore of coaches, you know, with what he with what he did. 00:33:40.160 --> 00:33:43.200 And I say all that, but then I come back to my father. 00:33:43.440 --> 00:33:51.119 And uh, you know, what motivates me every day still, and believe it or not, I'm 62 years old and I still want to make my dad proud. 00:33:51.279 --> 00:33:56.400 Uh and so that's kind of a driving force for me every single day. 00:33:56.559 --> 00:34:03.039 And you know, I was with him uh two weeks ago down in Alabama, and I handed him a uh copy of the book. 00:34:03.119 --> 00:34:15.519 And and there are stories about my father that are just kind of weaved in and out of the entire book because uh the things, the lessons I learned and how I applied those things, and you know, he put the ball in my hand when I was little. 00:34:15.760 --> 00:34:20.639 And uh, so for me, Thurl, that's that's the motivator every single day. 00:34:20.800 --> 00:34:24.480 That's what um gets me excited every day. 00:34:24.559 --> 00:34:27.760 And then on top of that, for a lot, Thurl, I've had you know, I have five children. 00:34:27.840 --> 00:34:30.880 I've I'm married now with three more stepchildren. 00:34:31.199 --> 00:34:34.400 But my five children, they've always kind of been my why. 00:34:34.559 --> 00:34:36.800 You know, why am I doing what I'm doing? 00:34:37.039 --> 00:34:39.920 It's those kids who are now you know young adults. 00:34:40.159 --> 00:34:46.239 Um but the combination of all those things to me, that that's been that's that's what drives me. 00:34:46.320 --> 00:34:48.000 That's what motivates me every single day. 00:34:48.079 --> 00:34:49.280 It's what gets me excited. 00:34:49.360 --> 00:34:51.199 And so uh, and I'm thankful for that. 00:34:51.599 --> 00:34:53.360 Very, very powerful coach. 00:34:53.599 --> 00:35:00.320 Um, before I let you go, I'm gonna throw you a few passes here on the lightning round, some questions. 00:35:01.199 --> 00:35:04.559 Um, one person, and I think I know the answer to this. 00:35:05.440 --> 00:35:10.639 Uh, one person who had the biggest impact on your coaching philosophy. 00:35:11.039 --> 00:35:16.559 Coaching philosophy, I would say it's Jim Herrick, uh, which he is a disciple of John Wooden. 00:35:16.800 --> 00:35:19.280 You know, he but that's the guy, you know. 00:35:19.360 --> 00:35:24.719 I I think as a head coach and the success we had at UCLA, we won a national championship in 1995. 00:35:24.880 --> 00:35:28.639 I became a believer in most everything we did, almost everything we did. 00:35:28.800 --> 00:35:30.960 And I wanted my teams to replicate that. 00:35:31.039 --> 00:35:34.639 So as a as a coaching philosophy, it would be Jim Herrick. 00:35:35.280 --> 00:35:39.360 Best play from your playbook that every listener should run today. 00:35:40.239 --> 00:35:45.039 Well, if you got a great shooter, if you got a great, great shooter, I used to run this play called Corner. 00:35:45.440 --> 00:35:47.760 And uh when I was at NC State, it was interesting. 00:35:47.920 --> 00:35:50.800 Those six years, Thorl, I had six straight years. 00:35:50.960 --> 00:35:56.000 I had three different players make more three-point shots than any anybody else in the ACC. 00:35:56.159 --> 00:36:01.599 But we'd run them off screens in the in the on the kind of on the baseline under the basket, right, left, right, left. 00:36:01.679 --> 00:36:03.679 And we came out of there with so many great shots. 00:36:03.920 --> 00:36:05.920 I I still had to have somebody can make it, though. 00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:07.679 I can run the play. 00:36:07.840 --> 00:36:12.079 But I used to tell them, I I'll run the play and I'll get you open, but you got to make it, not me. 00:36:12.159 --> 00:36:13.119 I can't make it for you. 00:36:13.280 --> 00:36:20.480 And uh, but uh it was our play called corner, and the and the people in Raleigh will laugh at that one because they used to see me with this one all game. 00:36:20.559 --> 00:36:24.159 We're running corner, corner, corner, and uh it was a fun one. 00:36:24.400 --> 00:36:27.360 I saw you do that a lot of times, coach. 00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:32.079 Uh next one, toughest gem you ever played, Coach then. 00:36:32.960 --> 00:36:44.719 You know, uh Thurl, you know, having taken teams into you know, Kentucky, Syracuse, Louisville, North Carolina, uh, for me, I would just say Cameron indoor. 00:36:44.800 --> 00:36:47.039 You know, it's a tough place to win at Duke. 00:36:47.199 --> 00:36:55.119 We were fortunate enough to win uh in there one time and uh one at the other places as well, but Duke is is different. 00:36:55.199 --> 00:36:58.639 You know,

it's that old, small, tight, you played in it. 00:36:58.719 --> 00:37:05.599 It's a it's a cracker box where the fans are right on top of you, and they're they're they're loud and they're good, by the way. 00:37:05.760 --> 00:37:07.280 Their teams are usually pretty good. 00:37:07.440 --> 00:37:16.719 Um, so that one to me was probably the most memorable road win I ever had was going in and and winning at Duke. 00:37:17.440 --> 00:37:18.559 That's huge. 00:37:18.880 --> 00:37:23.199 So one habit that kept you focused during the season. 00:37:23.519 --> 00:37:24.800 You know what it was interesting? 00:37:24.880 --> 00:37:28.079 I'm gonna say, probably, you know, uh working out. 00:37:28.159 --> 00:37:35.760 I mean, I it was a habit I built, and I think it's it's one part of life I think people sometimes neglect is their health. 00:37:35.920 --> 00:37:44.719 And believe it or not, for me, I was at my best as a coach when I was in the best shape, even not playing shape. 00:37:44.800 --> 00:37:59.760 I wasn't gonna go out and play in a game, but for me, my health, my sleeping habits, believe it or not, which are difficult for all of us, especially you know, leaders who kind of feel like they they're carrying the weight of that company or team or organization on their back. 00:38:00.159 --> 00:38:13.280 But that's a habit for me, Thor, that I that I learned early on, and I wanted to always make sure it was a part of my daily routine, because I think um that is something we neglect. 00:38:13.440 --> 00:38:14.880 Sometimes people do neglect it. 00:38:14.960 --> 00:38:18.079 I don't think we're always at our best unless we're at our best health. 00:38:18.320 --> 00:38:20.079 And so for me, that's a great question. 00:38:20.159 --> 00:38:25.920 I've never been asked that question before, but I would say, you know, being in shape and having and getting getting to bed. 00:38:26.320 --> 00:38:26.800 Good night. 00:38:27.440 --> 00:38:28.800 We stay up too late sometimes. 00:38:28.960 --> 00:38:31.840 Go to bed, get some sleep, get up tomorrow, ready to go. 00:38:32.960 --> 00:38:39.920 Last one, coach, and maybe the most difficult one with the kind of uh career that you've had. 00:38:40.239 --> 00:38:44.480 If you had to describe your career in one word, what would it be? 00:38:46.000 --> 00:38:51.519 Thorl, I hope, I hope and pray that that word is impactful. 00:38:52.480 --> 00:38:58.960 You know, Thorrell, you know, whether we win 400 games, 500,000, you know, all that's fun. 00:38:59.039 --> 00:39:01.119 It's all fun, it's all amazing. 00:39:01.360 --> 00:39:11.760 And you know, sometimes people think those things define you, you know, those wins and the NCAA tournament runs or a national championship, and they're they're fabulous. 00:39:11.840 --> 00:39:13.199 You were a part of one in college. 00:39:13.360 --> 00:39:14.480 They're they're sensational. 00:39:14.559 --> 00:39:16.719 There's there's they're wonderful. 00:39:17.119 --> 00:39:28.079 But I think as you get older for me, um having an impact on people, having an impact on young people in a positive way, I hope that's the word. 00:39:28.159 --> 00:39:29.679 I hope it's impactful. 00:39:30.880 --> 00:39:40.960 Well, coach, thank you so much for sharing your story and giving us a look at the playbook that has guided you the hardwood to the boardroom. 00:39:41.119 --> 00:39:56.079 It's been an incredible look at the evolution of the game, the discipline required to build a winning culture, and also the importance of finding new purpose when final all drugges or whistleblowers, if you will. 00:39:56.320 --> 00:40:06.079 Whether your coaching on the sidelines or speaking to a new audience, your commitment to developing people and leading with grit and integrity is so clear. 00:40:06.719 --> 00:40:15.199 To our listeners, remember that Mark shared, remember what Mark shared about those boring fundamentals of success. 00:40:15.519 --> 00:40:16.880 It's the daily grind. 00:40:17.440 --> 00:40:25.519 It's the discipline and the character that you build when no one's watching that defines who you are when the game's on the line. 00:40:25.920 --> 00:40:35.519 If you enjoyed this conversation, please make sure to check out Mark's new book, Get It Done, the Playbook for Leading with Grit, Integrity, and Desire. 00:40:35.760 --> 00:40:40.239 And visit him at coachmarkgottfried.com. 00:40:41.119 --> 00:40:48.480 Subscribe to the podcast, leave us a review, and share this episode with someone who needs a little motivation today. 00:40:48.639 --> 00:40:54.559 So keep rising, keep grinding, and we'll see you next time on Rising Brind.