Adam Jones reveals the blunt message Buck Showalter gave him after his first bad effort play about being who you say you are and the little things becoming the big things “There’s two instances. It’s third day there. I hit a bullet ground ball to the third baseman. You’re watching a double play get turned right in front of you, but the first baseman happened to drop the ball.” “Does it ever look good when you’re halfway through it and you know you ain’t running hard? Never does. You’re still out, but it never looks good.” “So after the game, he brings me in and says, ‘Hey, I heard you’re supposed to be the star here. Bleepin act like it.’ I’m like, ‘All right.’” “It was just an extra incentive like, hey, we’re always watching. The fans are always watching. People are always watching. You’re an example. Show it. Go out there and really play as hard as you can.” “He was so anal about being fundamentally sound. When the outfield misses a cut, it’s two bases. When the infield does, it’s one.” “Defense was our strong suit. We played phenomenal defense and it was an attitude every single day, because you’re not going to hit every day.” “But you can play defense every day. You can run the bases hard every day. You can do the intangibles every single day. And that’s what Buck was always paying attention to.”

Sean McVay says real leadership is caring enough to tell people what they need to hear instead of what they want to hear, and explains AI and technology are great tools but the value of human connection is non-negotiable in order to accomplish anything fulfilling “Are you comfortable with yourself to be able to surround yourself with truth tellers? Everybody throws the term psychological safety out there now. That doesn’t mean you’re always saying nice things to people. What that means is, if you love them and care enough about them to tell them what they need to hear, not what they want to hear.” “And that goes for, I don’t care if I’m the head coach, whatever. Nobody’s above being coached. Are you really building safety where people feel a freedom to fail, but also freedom to tell you, ‘Hey, I know you might be the head coach, but I don’t see it that way.’” “And then what kind of response am I giving to create that curiosity? And also being secure enough to take some of that stuff. That has been an ever evolving deal. Are you really communicating to connect and listening to understand people.” “I’ve really tried to work hard about listening more intentionally. But everything goes back to, it’s always about people. It always has been, it always will be. There’s so many cool upticks in AI and all these technological advancements, but I hope what doesn't get lost in the midst of it is anything that’s has to do with something that's fulfilling, that’s worthwhile and means something, it’s going to be about people, and it’s going to be hard, and it’s going to be worth it too.”

Sean McVay says one of the biggest mistakes young leaders make is trying to be liked and respected at the same time “Cooper Kupp changed my life. It’s uniquely special because my first year as a head coach coincided with his rookie year. I’m a better human, I’m a better coach, I’m a better person because of my relationship and the influence Cooper Kupp’s had on me.” “We’ve had to have some honest conversations. And here’s the reality: you have a responsibility to the collective. It doesn’t mean you’re right. I’ve been wrong before. I’ll be wrong again. It doesn’t change my love, my appreciation, my gratitude for everything that he’s meant.” “Sometimes decisions that you try to make for the collective don’t necessarily fit with people that are so special.” “You try to say it’s business, it’s personal, it all is intermixed. I don’t think you can separate it. Tough decisions have to be made.” “One of the things I’d like to think I’ve gotten better about, when I was a young coach, and I’m still a young coach, you’re so worried about being liked. Oftentimes when you have those difficult conversations, you try to be liked and respected at the same time, and then people are like, ‘What the heck did you really just say?’” “There’s no good way to deliver tough information other than with some empathy, but being direct and open and honest.”