Breaking down Josh McDaniels’ journey the Tough-Smart way

I grew up in Denver, Colorado. Like most native Denverites, I am a huge Denver Broncos fan. The Broncos have a rookie head Coach, Josh McDaniels. McDaniels has seen his share of adversity in his first season. Can we predict, at this early stage,  whether McDaniels’ tenure in Denver will be a success?Yes we can. I believe Josh McDaniels is well on his way to becoming an élite head coach in the N.F.L. Why? Because he is Tough-Smart. Let’s break down his journey the Tough-Smart way:

The Smart Zone

Step 1: Call to Action
Josh McDaniels’ call to action is singular and unequivocal: To coach an N.F.L. team to a Super Bowl Championship.

Step 2: The N.E.R.D. phase
McDaniels has this step aced. The N.E.R.D. phase likely began early on for Josh.  McDaniels, the son of a prominent high school football coach, has studied the X’s and O’s of football since he was a young child. He has easily eclipsed the 10,000 hour rule in his preparation to become an N.F.L. coach. A math major in college, Coach McDaniels is comfortable with nerd-dom. Long hours, tedium, extreme attention to detail and an obsessive/compulsive nature are part of his Tough-Smart D.N.A.

Step 3: Find a coach/Find a system

“I had been talking to Bill for a few years about being a head coach, and after I didn’t do any interviews during the bye week in the ’07 playoffs he said, ‘I will help you in any way I can to get you ready for all the other things that go into the job,'” McDaniels said. “Just being around him every day was going to help me from a football standpoint because I could see what he did and how he did it. But he was saying he would help me with some of the things that you won’t really get a chance to witness or understand or become knowledgeable about until you’re in that position.

“I remember when we first came back after our break, that very first day, that very first morning, he brought me into his office and he gave me five pages, typed, of all the topics and things that he felt like I needed to be educated about to become an effective head coach. I’m thinking to myself, here he’s got 10 or 12 days where he can do whatever in the hell he wants to do — we’ve just come off a season where we were 16-0 and lost in the Super Bowl — and the very first day back he gives me this? That was kind of like my bible.”

Josh McDaniels on his mentor, Bill Belichick

McDaniels gets an A+  on this step. Josh was personally mentored by Bill Belichick, head coach of the New England Patriots. Belichick is certainly a world-class coach, if not the greatest of his era. From all accounts available, McDaniels was an apt pupil, listening to and absorbing ALL of what Belichick had to offer. McDaniels was certainly given a rare opportunity, but there is no denying that: 1. He earned it (see Hustle) 2. He made the very most of it.

Stage 4: Hustle
Again, McDaniels receives an A grade. While only 32 years of age, the Broncos new coach has been in the NFL coaching ranks for a decade. McDaniels started as a low-level assistant for the Patriots.  While helping the Pats to three Super Bowl wins, McDaniels’ work ethic clearly distinguished him from other aspiring coaches.

Stage 5: The Wall
I believe this is the current stage of Josh McDaniels’ journey. The Wall is the stage where realize that your journey will definitely not proceed as smoothly as you had planned. You encounter adversity that no one could have predicted. You encounter scrutiny and criticism that test your resolve and your belief in yourself. The Wall forces you to question the very beliefs, the very system that got you to where you are. There is no telling how long The Wall phase will last. So far McDaniels has responded to hitting The Wall with relative grace.

Step 6:  Make it your own
Early on, Josh McDaniels proceeded with his new charge just as the Tough-Smart system would dictate:  1. Do things exactly the way your mentor taught you. 2. Hustle.  3. Anticipate hitting The Wall with a sense of opportunity and optimism.
McDaniels,  I believe, has come to the crucial “aha moment” that will move him beyond The Wall. Josh has begun to grasp that the  Patriots’ system, world-class as it is, can only bring him to the threshold of success. In the all important Make It Your Own Stage, the Broncos’ head coach will realize that he is Josh McDaniels — JOSH FREAKIN’ MCDANIELS, not a carbon copy of his mentor. He will realize that he possesses talent and insight that is unique in all the world. He will evolve. He will adapt. He will manifest his Call to Action in his own image.

Stage 7 – Introspection

Time will tell with this step. I believe Josh McDaniels story will be one of success, personal growth and fulfillment.

The Tough Zone

Josh McDaniels lives in the Tough Zone. Let’s analyse some of the aspects of McDaniel’s mindset that will be invaluable to him on his journey.

1. Overcoming your toughest Opponent: Ego
There is only one person who can stand in the way of Josh McDaniels’ Call to Action: Josh McDaniels (if you were thinking Jay Cutler we have some work to do). In order to enter the Tough Zone, one must overcome Ego.  This includes more than overcoming feelings of self-importance. Ego can rear its head as judgement, fear, anger,  blame, depression, selfishness, anxiety, etc.  Many in the media have accused McDaniels of “having a big ego.”  Guess what? Every human being on Earth has a big Ego.  However, everyone manifests it a different way. Our primary task in life is to overcome Ego. I believe Josh is doing a better job of overcoming Ego every day. Just look at the way he has expertly guided Brandon Marshal’s development from spoiled diva to team leader.

2. Overcoming the Victim Mentality.

“I wasn’t the most well-liked person in Canton,” he said. “I was a coach’s son who played quarterback. It was tough at times.”

Josh McDaniels gross under-representation of the pressure of growing up in football crazed Canton, Ohio

Coach McDaniels is not a victim. It is clear that Josh does not let things “happen to him.”  He is not overly concerned with others’ opinion of him. He does not subscribe to the concept of bad luck. McDaniels accepts 100% responsibility for everything in his movie. McDaniels  responds (much to the chagrin of the media) to “good” and “bad”  situations with exactly the same mantra: “We need to get better.”   Perfect.

Defining Success

Coach McDaniels focus at any given moment is on improvement.  He clearly understands that success is a direction, not a destination.  To Josh: PROCESS = PROGRESS = SUCCESS.  He consistently  avoids the “Are we there yet?” mentality. Analyse McDaniels comments at any press conference. They do not center on his team’s wins and losses. They focus on his team’s development.  Coach McDaniels realizes that his job as an N.F.L. head coach is not to win every game. His job is to constantly compel his team to more closely resemble a Super Bowl contender.

There are other elements of the Tough-Zone, such as Sharing, Removing Separation and Connecting with the Divine that I cannot address. I do not know Josh McDaniels personally. I’ll make you a bargain. If Coach McDaniels ever asks me to grab a beer with him, I’ll ask. I’m curious. How does your Call to Action stack up to Coach McDaniels’? Do you recognize places where you can get Tough-Smarter?   Here’s to a Broncos win continuing to get Tough-Smart.

Peace begins with me,

Coach Dave

My Call to Action, Health: The Tough-Smart Way

O.K. Tough-smart nation, it’s show and tell time. Coach Dave is ready to live Tough-Smart right in front of your eyes! If you read my introductory post, you know I grew up as an élite level wrestler. Fitness is so important to me. Yet, in the past few years, I haven’t been clear at all about nutrition (in particular), stress management, hydration or sleep hygiene. My workouts, while fairly consistent, have been aimless. My Call to Action has come and I’m going to answer it. What better way to do it than using the Tough-Smart system IN FRONT OF THE WORLD? I realize we haven’t   talked about the entire Tough-Smart system yet. Don’t worry. I will be posting a chapter each week addressing a specific aspect of Tough-Smart. All the while, I plan to  show you how to live Tough-Smart.

So let’s plan my journey by entering the Smart Zone. Let’s break it down step by step. We will talk about the Tough Zone as we go:

Smart Zone Step 1: The Call to Action – My call to Action is  a very specific endpoint called: Health.  I’m talking about much more than  avoiding disease or “getting in shape. ” Put mindful nutrition, proper rest, stress management, recreation, strength training, cardiovascular training and flexibility into one bowl and you create a wonderful ambrosia called “Health.”  That is my destination. Believe me, (a picture is worth a thousand words) I have a long way to go on all those axes.

In the past five years, I have trained for wrestling competitions and  running races. I typically did well, and got fit along the way.  However,  when the event was over, my fitness gradually slid downhill. I have never specifically trained for myself: to look good, to feel well, to prolong my life and to enhance my existence.  I think Health is a more valuable endpoint than, say,  finishing a half marathon.

Smart Zone Step 2: The Nerd Phase. Admittedly, I cheated on this step.  I have actually  been nerding out about health for some time. I have accessed many resources, from books on nutrition and sleep to DVD’s on running form (actually I have three separate DVD’s on running form…NERD!).  I have a head start from a knowledge standpoint. Like most physicians, however, I haven’t  consistently put that knowledge into practice. (Don’t you always scratch your head when you see a fat doctor?)

Smart Zone Step 3: Find a Coach/Find a system. Easy money. I have the best in the world at my disposal. In Tough-Smart we settle for nothing less than world-class when choosing a coach. Note that I will rarely be receiving personal instruction from these experts. One of my strengths is that I am willing to learn from a variety of media, including books,  DVD’s, and the Internet.  If you are proactive, the best advice in the world is right at your fingertips, free or very cheap.

Nutrition Coach: Body for Life – Quite simply the most sensible, practical, proven nutrition program in the world.(www.bodyforlife.com)

Cardiovascular Training: Coach Troy Jacobsen. Troy produces an array of spinning and running DVD’s (Spinnervals/Runnervals) that are not only world-class but inexpensive. (www.coachtroy.com). Spinnervals and Runnervals can be done at home, which is important to me now.

Strength Training: Anthony Dilugio. Anthony produces the Art of Strength (AOS) Dvd’s. These elegant Kettlebell and Core workouts are well designed and time efficient. The AOS series is also very reasonably priced. Yes, coach Dave is finally going to face his fitness demons and train his core like it counts! (www.artofstrength.com)

Flexibility Coach: Pavel Tsatsouline. This former Russian commando is the creator of “Loaded Stretching.” I think flexibility is too often ignored in fitness programs. God bless Yoga enthusiasts but Pavel’s  “It going to hurt. Deal with it!” approach is what I need.

Stress Management Coach: Yehuda Berg. His proactive and vibrant “Daily Tune-up” brightens my every morning by e-mail. Yehuda is the creator of the Living Kabbalah Series, author of many wonderful books and a big inspiration in my life.  I also plan to lean on Mr. Fire, Joe Vitale.  Joe is a brilliant motivational speaker and the author of many wonderful books such as “The Attractor Factor” and “Zero Limits.”  He has taught me that every stressor in my life is an opportunity to heal myself and to make the world a little better.  Joe and Yehuda have been instrumental in helping me stay in the Tough Zone.

Sleep Coach/Recreation coach: My wife, Gina. I love her so much. She takes care of our family and keeps it fun. Sleep will be a particular challenge because we have a one year old son and ANOTHER ONE THE WAY!! Sometimes acceptance is instrumental. I will do the best I can.

The Smart Zone Steps 4-7 (Hustle,  The wall,  Make it Your Own and Introspection) are aspects of my journey I can’t address until I’m in the middle of this donnybrook.  I will keep you updated along the way.

Of course, to succeed in a way that also brings personal fulfillment I will have to stay the Tough Zone. We’ll talk about the Tough Zone on the fly as well.

I will keep you updated on my journey. I’m excited. At the end of my journey I won’t just be fit, I will be the fittest.  And I’ll do it the Tough-Smart way.

I’d love to share your Call to Action. Drop me a line and we’ll talk about it.

Peace begins with me
Coach Dave