Oliver’s Biggest 2020 Takeaways

What a year it’s been for all of us. I’ve learned more in 2020 than I have throughout my entire life, so I want to highlight some of my biggest takeaways and share a few of the inspirational quotes that have gotten me through this year.

For me, 2020 is embodied by one of my favorite John Wooden quotes: “Failure to act is often the biggest failure of all.”

So, let’s jump right in.

1. Compete, always. Even if it’s with your CEO.

If you know me, you know I love fitness and competition.

So when our team ran a four-week fitness competition this February, I was ready for the challenge. Every 1Huddle team member was paired up, and my partner turned out to be Sam Caucci himself—our CEO and a former NFL strength coach.

After learning I would be paired with Sam, I knew this challenge would amount to much more than simply working out together. After all, Sam’s motto is “do the hard shit,” and exercise isn’t inherently difficult for either of us.

So to amp things up, we decided to choose a book on topics like coaching, leadership, and personal development to read throughout the week. We paired our reading challenges with our 6 a.m. fitness challenge, and on Fridays we reviewed what we read while working out together. Even though this challenge was only meant to last for four weeks, our habit of reading and having weekly discussions over our favorite books has now lasted for nearly 10 months. We enjoyed these challenges so much, we even decided to lead a company book club for the 1Huddle team.

What started as a fitness competition soon transformed into a total high-performance mindset shift and higher appreciation for learning. My point here is that if you take on competition from a perspective of learning, growing, and pushing yourself to do better, it can lead to successes you never anticipated. Back in February, I never would have guessed that a team fitness challenge would evolve into a newfound love for reading and a weekly book club with my coworkers. As it turns out, competition can lead to all kinds of wins.

2. Read about what excites you.

Okay, so it may have taken a fitness challenge with our CEO, a college degree, and a global pandemic for me to commit to reading. Jokes aside, it wasn’t something I was doing consistently before this year. And it turns out I wasn’t alone; I recently learned that nearly 25% of American adults haven’t read a book in the past year.

But one thing the pandemic gave me was time. Working from home saved me over two hours a day on commuting, and my newfound free time helped grow my appreciation for learning and being intellectually curious.

Like Michael Jordan famously said, “my greatest skill was being teachable. I was like a sponge. Even if I thought my coaches were wrong, I tried to listen and learn something.” This year, I’ve made it a point to be a sponge, and for me that learning and teaching came in the form of finding and reading books that excite me.

After The Last Dance aired earlier this year, I became enamored with the way high-performing athletes and teams were coached. I wanted to learn all about different coaching styles and leadership, so I leaned into my passion and read books like Eleven Rings, The Winner Within, Wooden on Leadership, How Good Do You Want To Be, Leading With The Heart and Coach To Coach.

Here were some of the most impactful quotes from the books I read this year that have helped inspire and challenge me throughout 2020:

3. LEADership lessons

Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success by Phil Jackson

1. “As a leader your job is to do everything in your power to create the perfect conditions for success by benching your ego and inspiring your team to play the game the right way.”
2. “That’s why at the start of every season I always encouraged players to focus on the journey rather than the goal. What matters most is playing the game the right way and having the courage to grow, as human beings as well as basketball players. When you do that, the ring takes care of itself.”

A common theme I’ve seen throughout the leadership books I’ve been reading is about focusing on the task at hand, being present and not overwhelming yourself with the scoreboard. If you do the right thing, at the right time, all the time, the score will take care of itself.

The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players by Pat Riley

1. “Excellence is never having learned enough. Always wanting to do better.”
2. “The only successful team players in industry or in sports are team players”
3. “There are only two options regarding the commitment to a Core Covenant. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There’s no such thing as life in-between.

I’ve found that whether it’s relationships, goal-setting, work or whatever it may be, there’s never an “in-between” stage regarding commitment. You’re in or you’re out. Simple as that. I’ve also noticed that the most successful teams focus on the good of others and their common goal collectively, not self-interest.

Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden

1. “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”
2. “Effort is the ultimate measure of your success.”
3. “Give me 100 percent. You can’t make up for a poor effort today by giving 110 percent tomorrow. You don’t have 110 percent. You only have 100 percent.”

I was first introduced to this book from one of my professors at Rutgers, Art Berke. The idea of focusing on fundamentals and doing them extremely well has been a staple in the way I work.

How Good Do You Want To Be by Nick Saban

1. “Character is what you do when no one else is watching.”
2. “Having a positive attitude can have a tremendous effect on how you react and respond to challenges, successes, and failures. And attitude is directly affected by expectations. If you expect things to be difficult, it will always be easier to solve problems, overcome adversity, and have an enthusiastic energy about how you go about and enjoy your work.”

If I came into a workout knowing it’s going to be easy, would it push me and help me grow? How about a challenge at work? If I come into work knowing things are going to be hard, I’ve found that I’m a lot more capable of pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.

Leading With The Heart by Mike Krzyzewski

1. “Some people feel that discipline is a dirty word, but it shouldn’t be. All it really means is doing what you are supposed to do in the best possible manner at the time you are supposed to do it.”
2. “So all year long, the cycle keeps going – always active, always planning, moving, doing. That’s the way I view leadership. It never stops. It’s going all the time. It’s dynamic.”
3. “When everyone on our team believes that our own personal signature is on everything our team does – then we have a chance to be a great basketball team.”

This was a cool one. Coach K talks about his mother getting off a bus in Chicago and being attacked by a group of teenagers trying to take her purse. She held onto her purse with a tight grip and never let go, and once the teens realized they weren’t getting the purse, they ran. Coach K relates to his team saying that if everyone puts their own personal signature on everything the team does, then they’ll have a chance to be successful. When I think of my day-to-day, whether it’s sending emails, talking to potential clients, walking into a meeting, or going into a workout, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability, never half assed.

Coach To Coach by Martin Rooney

1. “You have to be crystal clear on the thing that is going to get you fired up to make it happen.”
2. “Success, as I have learned, is all about enthusiasm. You have to rediscover your passion; meaning what it is you are enthusiastic about.”

These are just a few of the top quotes that have remained top of mind for me this year. If you want a deeper delve into these books, I’d highly recommend giving them a full read…and once you do, you can play 1Huddle’s games on all the books.

4. Do the shit that scares you.

When January rolled around, I decided to kick off 2020 by doing something that pushes me outside of my comfort zone.

So I signed up for a fitness race called HYROX, a competition that begins with a one-kilometer run, followed by one functional workout for eight rounds. Not only did it test my physical endurance, but it also proved to be a great mental challenge.

I live in New Jersey, but the competition was in Chicago. So my brother and I drove up to the windy city together, and it turned out to be one of the most memorable weekends of the year. Now with my fitness goals being around building strength, Sam is putting me through an NFL Combine style workout plan consisting of compound movements such as bench pressing and squatting. I’ve always found that my training is more successful when I have a plan.

5. Be thankful and give more than you take.

This year has been difficult for all of us. But rather than only focusing on the downsides to 2020, I’ve made a conscious effort to be thankful for what I do have.

I’m thankful for my health, family, relationships, team, and my friends. I’m thankful that this year has been a reminder to always give more than you take. Small acts of help and kindness can make a true impact in the lives of others, and in the process you’ll end up helping yourself and feeling better in the long run too. I’m thankful 2020 has given me the opportunity to slow down, try new things, and find time to focus on hobbies both old and new.

And, let’s be honest. I’m also glad the new year is here.

Here’s to 2021!