Next Play
Two words changed the energy in a room full of high school basketball players this week.
Next play.
Alan Stein Jr. spoke to my son Gabe's team at Genoa Christian Academy after practice, right before their first official state tournament starts next week. He brought them something they'll carry way beyond the court.
I'm sharing it because the moment he started teaching, I realized I was hearing the exact same lesson I bring to every executive, every sales leader, every high performer I work with.
This is a life lesson disguised as a basketball lesson.
What "Next Play" Actually Means
Whatever just happened is over. The only thing you control is what you do right now.
On the court: You miss a wide-open shot. The crowd groans. Your defender is talking. And you have about three seconds before the other team is coming back the other way and you need to be locked in on defense.
You don't have time to replay the miss. You have to move to the next play.
But here's the part most people miss. It works the same way after a great play. You hit a huge three and the gym explodes. If you stay in that moment too long, you lose focus on what's next.
The Next Play mindset isn't just about recovering from failure. It's about staying present regardless of what just happened.
Now Take That Off the Court
Think about your last week as a leader.
Maybe you lost a deal you were sure you had. Maybe a conversation went sideways. Maybe you got tough feedback. Or maybe you crushed your number and you've been coasting on that feeling for two weeks.
Are you still on that play? Or have you moved to the next one?
Most leaders I work with are carrying old plays into new moments. The past play, whether it was a win or a loss, becomes an anchor. And anchors don't help you move forward.
Why This Is So Hard
The boys asked Alan incredible questions. How do you deal with emotions before a big game? How do you build confidence in new territory? How do you embody this when the pressure is on?
Those aren't questions for 17-year-olds. Those are questions every leader faces.
We're wired to dwell. Our brains replay threats and savor rewards. That's survival instinct. But in high-performance environments, that instinct works against us. Dwelling on a mistake creates hesitation. Dwelling on a success creates complacency.
How to Practice This Week
This isn't about suppressing emotions. Feel the miss. Acknowledge the win. Then let it go and get present.
Name the play, then release it. When something happens, give yourself a moment. "That didn't go how I wanted." Then ask: what does the next play require from me right now?
Shorten your recovery time. Elite performers don't avoid negative emotions. They recover faster. Start paying attention to how long you carry things.
Reset before you walk into the room. Before your next conversation, pause. Am I bringing energy from the last play into this one? If yes, reset. The person you're about to be with deserves your full presence.
Apply it to wins, too. This is the one people miss. The leaders who sustain excellence don't ride momentum. They create it fresh every day.
The Bigger Lesson
These are timeless truths. Not basketball lessons. Lessons about who we're showing up as in every moment and how hard it is to stay present when our minds want to pull us backward or push us forward.
With intention, the next play is always the most important one. Because it's the only one you can actually do anything about.
What's your next play this week?
Failure teaches us what comfort can't
(Source: Janis Ozolins)
Here's to the next play! See you next week.
Jon
P.S. If you want to go deeper, pick up Alan's book "Next Play" and check out his recent podcast with Ed Mylett. World-class content for any high performer.
P.S.S. I brought Alan in to speak at CCC seven years ago and served as his chaperone. He encouraged me to get into speaking and introduced me to Michael Port at Heroic Public Speaking, which put me on a path to write With Intention and build Giganti Group. Watching him pour into my son's team this week was one of those full-circle moments you can't plan. Grateful doesn't cover it.