Transcript

The Real DNA of Great Teams (It’s Not Talent) | Mike Deegan

From Ryan Hawk · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 57 min · 12,513 words · 152 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "The Real DNA of Great Teams (It’s Not Talent) | Mike Deegan", an episode of Ryan Hawk published January 11, 2026 (57 min, about 12,513 words). It mentions 11 people, works and ideas, including Marietta, Dennis, Blue Jays, Muda, Mookie Betts.

What this episode is about

The main topic explores the essential qualities that contribute to the success of great teams, emphasizing that discipline, consistency, and self-awareness surpass talent alone. Key points include the importance of celebrating every team member's contribution, understanding the significance of each role, and fostering a culture of vicarious joy, which enables individuals to support each other's successes for overall team achievement.

Key takeaways

  • Discipline isn't just a trait; it's a superpower that fuels sustained success and self-awareness.
  • Not all heroes wear capes; championship teams thrive on unsung roles, proving synergy trumps individual stardom.
  • Vicarious joy—celebrating others' successes—can transform envy into empowerment, boosting both team morale and personal growth.
  • Leadership isn't just about influence, but embodying a culture where everyone revels in collective achievements.
  • Intentionality in celebrating others can unlock your own potential; the more you cheer, the better you perform.

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 10:00: Blue Jays
  2. – 15:00: Marietta, Blue Jays, Don Shalley
  3. – 20:00: Dennis, Marietta, Mike Degan
  4. – 25:00: Dennis
  5. – 30:00: Marietta, Dennis
  6. – 40:00: Sue Inquist
  7. – 55:00: Trevor Moad

Notable quotes from "The Real DNA of Great Teams (It’s Not Talent) | Mike Deegan"

  • Some of it, I spoke to you, but I do a little consulting work with the Blue Jays and one of my roles is to go observe and just try to and I think there's two ways as a consultant you can do things.
    about Blue Jays · at
  • Player and great baseball player and you played for this legendary guy at Marietta. What was what made that guy so good and what's his name?
    about Marietta · at
  • Example of like a framework that you instituted and have built since you've been at Dennis?
    about Dennis · at
  • So in a way, you have to be a human and realize that kids also need guys like Mike Degan in their life to try to help them.
    about Mike Degan · at
  • Do you really those that exact phrase exact words? Sue Inquist was the softball coach at UCLA is where I first heard it. but anyways, who was that?
    about Sue Inquist · at
  • Trevor Moad, do you know that name at all?
    about Trevor Moad · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Mookie Betts — Person · 2 mentions
  • Don Shalley — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Don Shalley. So Don Shalley. Yeah, you're right. So appreciate you mentioning Coach Shalley. He 40 years at Marietta, all-time winningest coach. I always say he could have.
  • Mike Degan — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Sue Inquist — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Trevor Moad — Person · 1 mention · first at
  • Greg Maddux — Person · 1 mention
  • Tony Gwynn — Person · 1 mention

Companies & orgs

Concepts & topics

  • Muda — Concept · 3 mentions

Places & events

Full transcript with timestamps

I think discipline and consistency is a superpower. The sooner you can get that in life, the better.

You've went to World Series, you got all Americans. So, what was it like at the beginning?

We were going to train at this thing way harder than before. Some of it is just doing the hard work and trying to develop some self-awareness.

How have you gotten so comfortable in your own skin? One of the most unspoken things about coaching is it is a bit of a performance. Getting yourself in the right mental frame to handle high performance is required of a coach and a leader. Feels like you've eliminated envy. Is that an accurate statement?

It's really celebrating everyone's contribution. You you just want to find the good

the highle bullet points of the DNA of great team. You have got to understand that every role is essential to the cause and if we don't perform those roles at a world class level, we're in trouble.

It's how you choose to respond to the tough moments. I think that's the greatest gift that we can give people through sports. You can have anything you want in life but you can't have everything you want.

So I want to talk start with is it meda? How do you pronounce it? Muda. Muda. Okay. Take me take me inside this whole idea of muda and how it's helped you.

So we define it as uh vicarious joy is can I be happy for another success as if it's my own? And to me that is like the secret sauce of of maybe life you know and um obviously in in a sports team not everyone can be the star. And so you know when you talk about DNA of championship type teams I always say one of the biggest misconceptions is that star rotates. So like yeah you you need you need a superstar to compete at the highest levels. You need that. But like to win you're going to need pinch runners. You're going to need the guy land a big block. You're gonna need like there's so many parts. It's not just what maybe uh the majority of people want to see and believe. It's going to take everyone. So, it's it's really celebrating everyone's contribution.

How do you That sounds awesome. I think every leader goes, "Yeah, of course, Mike. Like, I'm going to I'm going to implement that into my team for sure." But it's one thing to say it and to want it to be true, but how do you actually make it true?

One, I think it's like anything else. Like, you're beating the drum as a leader. Like, you're you're you're uh you know, you're going to really drill home this message. I hope the behaviors of myself and our staff like we embody that as well. Like we're not um you know I don't I don't need to be lead from the front. I can kind of let other people celebrate in our success as well. And then I I don't know to me Ryan it's just really practical. I I break it down. We start in the recruiting process and I turn to the parents. So I give a little muda talk and then I go can you be happy for another kid's success as a patron?

[clears throat] Oh and so but think about this in just so many different ways. Um, if your neighbor gets a new car, are you happy for them? Or do you say, "Oh, I wish, you know, I bet his parents bought that for him." Or, you know, like there's just there's just different ways to show up for people where you can just have joy. And then what I will say, there's a selfish component to it. I think when you do that, life rewards you in different ways and it brings it back to you. So, by pouring yourself into others, I especially in sports, I think it frees you up to perform your best.

Um, if that makes any sense. Like if I if I can get out of myself and get into the team, I think that frees me up to be a better player, better person, better teammate.

It feels like you've eliminated envy. Is that an accurate statement? I mean, to be genuinely happy for your neighbor to get a cool car, you you a lot of lot of the, you know, keeping up with the Joneses, I'm going to go get a nice car. I mean, that's like natural stuff of life. But what is that is that an accurate statement? Have you have you

I'm I'm shooting for that. And I I think anyone who who's around me would feel that as well. Like I think they would feel that. I have a friend that just built a

a nice barn with basketball court and weight room. And I I texted him afterwards. I was like, "Hey, man. Like that is amazing." Now, there's a part of me that's like I I got a nice basement, too, but I don't have that. And that kind of but I I don't want anyone to feel that. I think I think what we're saying is envy is a natural feeling. I don't think muda um you know h wanting to do great yourself, those are very natural. And I want people to live in that space, but can we just stop it and be a little bit more intentional and just celebrate what other people are doing well? And I think I don't know, Ryan, people who have that kind of level of success, you know, we had we had a dinner that a couple weeks ago and it didn't happen by accident. It happened by a lot of intentional things along the way. So, I just want to celebrate and reward people for the hard work that they've done and and for the result that

they're now getting. One of the cool things I felt at that dinner was um you had like a genuine curiosity and fascination with every person at that table with with just like a joy. I don't know. I felt like you were smiling a lot. You were asking questions. you know, you you didn't defer from yourself because you you spo speak when spoken to, but I don't know like I came away just really liking you and it's the first time we ever met in person, you know. So, I'm I'm super grateful that James and you James Clear and you are good buddies and he he decided that you're one of those. I asked him to bring

high character, put a positive dent in the world type people, you know, and you were one of the the handful of people that he brought and I was like, man, I love that Mike guy. I told James afterwards, we were walking and just kind of rehashing the night and how cool it was. And I said, "Man, I I I mean, I love all the guys, don't get me wrong, but I I really felt like like that that that smile, that joy, that curiosity. I'm like, that's probably why this dude has won a billion games as a baseball coach is because of that part." And that's that seems like it stems from that eliminating envy, that muda, the being genuinely happy and curious about other people. Yeah, thank you for saying that and and I felt the same way, but I I um you know, some of it, you know, I I spoke to you, but I do a little consulting work with the Blue Jays and and one of my roles is to go observe and just try to and and I think there's two

ways as a consultant you can do things. And um one is to find the negative and that's really easy to do, but I I try to go and spot the good first. That's I always try to pour into spine the good and that's probably um how I how I showed up that day. Uh you just want to find the good and just and there's plenty of time to nitpick later on about whatever it may be and and you're going to find some things and opportunities to help people grow. But if you can just be really curious and I don't know it's like a childlike amazement things like you know we we that that dinner was pretty easy because you know you're surrounded by like like you did what like how many books did you sell? how how big did you grow your business? Like like tell me more, right? Like that's easy. But if we sat down and and if it was a consulting work, I bet there's ways that we could help them improve in other ways. So it's not just, you know,

being this overly positive optimistic person. It's not, but it's I think it's starting there. I think it's trying to trying to default to that lens first and then and then you can dig into some other things.

So I like this idea of spotting the good first. So, let's say the Blue Jays bring you in. they, you know, they and we talked about the fact that you were you were hanging out with those guys, the owners and the senior leaders during game seven of the World Series when when when the Dodgers got them, but what what does that look like in practice of spotting the Because I I agree with you, if you hire consultants, and I've worked at companies that have brought in consultants, usually what they do is they spot the bad and then they tell you about the bad and then they tell you to cut people and save money and blah blah blah, whatever. So what does it look like in practice to spot the good first?

I for me it starts like a lot of questioning a asking and just amazement like hey you know you know why why why do you do that man I I saw you know the the the practice the the training plan for today and and then I think you get people to open up I think people love to talk about themselves like in general I guess I my my wife is very quiet a great listener and people love she has a million best friends and no one knows it just because she doesn't talk a whole lot she just listens and so if you can just if you can just listen and get people to talk about what they're passionate about. One, I I don't to me like it's a life secret. I I feel like I can I said it this that night. I feel like doing what I've done for as long as I have, you can tell when someone's really passionate about what they're doing and you can tell when they're on the fence because they speed up when they talk. They get a little excited.

And so that's like spotting the good to me is just getting people to talk about what they're excited about and then asking questions. And when you ask questions,

uh, one, you'll see if they can go another level with you. Can can you can you really dig in there now? Like can you really tell me about that drill? Can you really tell me about it or Yeah. Are you just kind of feel feeling your way out as well? But if you start with questions, I think that's a great place to begin.

I Okay. Do you know the love language stuff? You have you taken any of that those Okay. Okay. So, I think there's something missing from that. And I've had him on the podcast and I want to have him begin because I want to go deeper now because I've thought a lot about more a lot more about this. And I think you embody this, Mike. And a lot of the guys at that dinner embody it as well. I think one of the greatest ways to both show love to somebody else and the way I receive it as well is curiosity

is being not fake like whatever but genuine curiosity in someone else's story. what they're like when Ilia who was sitting to your left was talking about and I'll probably have a conversation with him like like we're doing here which this is not planned to be recorded but I felt like as I learn more about you I had to record this but Ilia you know immigrating here when he was 10 years old from Usbekiststan

and asking him follow-up questions to go deeper into creating his business until eventually you learn the dude sells it for a billion dollars and we're like what what is happening here how how did this guy get at this and he's just so kind of casual, but you know, there's so much more to the story. But anyway, showing someone, I think, genuine curiosity where you actually care.

Yeah. And then you listen and then you ask follow-up questions and then you listen some more. That's how I'm guessing you're learning so much about the Blue Jays or whoever you're working with or your kids on your team, the parents of the kids on your team. It feels like that's how you're connecting with people. That's how you're building muda is is through all of that that genuine care and curiosity you have for others.

Yeah. You know, you nailed it. One, I wish I wish you could have saw your face when he said what he sold the business for. It was almost like a double like you whoa like wait a minute like Yeah, that that's but I I think and then if you if you use that same story um if you think about that that dynamic then you just see him light up. But I think to go back to maybe the original part of this conversation, if you approach it from envy, like we don't unpack the cool story of how they immigrated here and you know his background and some of the struggles he has with his own kids now, meaning like they don't know what I how I grew up, you know. So, but if you you go from, oh, Bill, I bet he had some kind of had some kind of luck there, just like most people. But but if you leave with curiosity and not envy, it's it unpacks everything. And I I do think it takes a level of self-awareness and maybe

comfort in your own skin, which I've had to earn over the years to go, hey, it's okay. I mean, it's really easy for me to label myself and say, I'm a I'm just a division three coach or I'm just a small college coach. And I don't know if I could have sat in that room a week a couple 10 years ago. But now you're like, hey, I'm comfortable with who I am. So, I can get curious. It lacks envy. And let me just hear about you. I don't care what walk of life you're from. I'm just curious on on how you're you're showing up today.

You can sense when someone is comfortable in their own skin. It's I think it's very easy to feel it and to see it as you talk with someone. How how have you gotten so comfortable in your own skin?

You know, I think it's a fight and it's just maybe what I'm I said a minute ago and I'd like to hear how you I'd like to hear how you process if someone's comfortable in their own skin, but um I think some of it is just doing the hard work and trying to develop some self-awareness. And so, um, there was a model by Mike Jery, heard him say a long time ago, but this is kind of I live by this. It's I think if you read a decent amount, if you write, and that was my forcing function was to actually write and put thought to paper.

Um, and then get around wise people and just have conversations. I think you'll start building out the awareness of who you are and what you value. And then like then you get like I said, you get around these different groups and you meet mentors in your life that maybe are a couple spots higher than you in the in the status column, but they show up very natural and they and they value you and who you are. You learn that, hey, I'm I'm okay. Like if this person accepts accepts me, then then so can anybody else really. So, but reading, writing, and then getting around wise people are kind of the three things I focus on.

I got you. I I read that you played for a legendary coach when you were a player. You were a great basketball player and great baseball player and you played for this legendary guy at Marietta. What what what was uh what made that guy so good and what's his name?

Don Shalley. So Don Shalley. Yeah, you're right. So appreciate you mentioning Coach Shalley. He um 40 years at at Marietta, all-time winningest coach. Um I I always say he could have been a CEO. He could he could have done whatever. I mean just uh had an ability to organize. He was ahead of the curve too cuz see around corners uh if you talk to people like in the 707 70s and 80s from like New England and it's a small college in southeastern Ohio but they were getting letters from like two places and one was always Marietta so like he was had a mailing campaign so he was a systems thinker before that was probably like a a buzzword um and then just had the ability to pull a lot out of you I mean was tough was very rugged World War II kind of generation so um you know you he came with that you're always on your toes around him always.

Uh but yeah, just the ability to lead, I think he could have done it in any endeavor.

What's a systems thinker? I I think it's someone who can who can build out frameworks that are built to put people and the organization in in the best spot to win and and be successful. So, and then it's a framework that outlast like individuals. So coaches may leave or players may leave, but if you have a system built out that it can sustain losing certain individuals because things are cranking, you can repeat the work, you can do iterations and and quickly test if you're getting closer or further from your goals. Um, but to me, that's that's how I think about it. Just a framework for the process that processes that you want to build out uh for you to reach your your shared goals and shared mission. What so what would be an example of uh like a framework that you instituted and have built since you've been at Dennis?

Well, you know, it could be anything from how we develop hitters like offensively, you know? So,

uh and once again for me it starts with questions like it's like what's our northstar, right? So the northstar of Dennis in baseball is to compete on a national level and James Clear and the power of and like and provide an elite student athlete experience. And so like when we combine those two things, we think we have something unique. So that's like the shared purpose and that's the question that that's the north star that we're always shooting for. Then it becomes like what what kind of environments are we going to try to create to make that come to life? What can we test and measure? Um, so that's where you start thinking about like your hitting systems, your pitching system, um, how you recruit a system, you know, so there's all these things. So where, you know, like myself, like for recruiting is a lifeblood of anything, attracting and retaining top talented companies the same way. Um, but I can

almost remove myself from that recruiting process outside of a very small portion of it, which is probably the on-ampus visit because we do have a system in place that allows me to be um less involved than than probably some other head coaches

for the uh I'm fascinated by recruiting, hiring, developing. Okay. And this goes far beyond baseball, but let's say you have a kid and he's insanely talented. He can he can hit for power, hit for average. he he can play defense like he's got it.

But then you talk to him and maybe you talk to his parents and the the character is not what you want. So this happens in business all the time. Usually like I worked in sales and so sometimes you'd have these lone wolves who

they were just great. Like they could they could crush the number but they were not great team players. They're they didn't cheat or anything but like they were close to the line sometimes. You know they pushed it a little bit. they never went over it, but and so you're like, "Ah, character-wise, not my favorite but can can it can just flat out play can make it happen?" Like, do how do you handle that? What do you what do you do when you're trying to build your team?

So, so a couple things. One, I think probably the most underrated thing that that we've stumbled upon and it makes um our recruiting coordinator, who's the man Mayor Ryan Rumbick, cringe, is when they sit with me, I almost try to talk people out of coming here. like I you know because they they'll you know I'll say hey what's what's the main driver if they say playing time I'm like hey that's great that's a that's an awesome that's an awesome goal but I wouldn't come here for that I wouldn't come here for that reason now we're going to play our best players we started however many freshman the year prior but that's not why you come to Dennis you come to be a part of something bigger than yourself and there are all these other places that you're you're going to have a much better shot at that going there so I would do that like I wouldn't so I'm always listening in on what they value and trying to challenge it. Um, so

that's the first thing, almost get people to self- select out. The second thing I'll say is the better the buzzword of culture, the better your culture is, you can take chances on people like this. It's like the uh Randy Moss, the New England Patriots, like

yeah, Tom Brady was was an alpha and you could bring people in and take a risk, right? And and see if they can conform to the to the culture a little bit. So when you have things in place and you know our locker room at Marietta my last few years there was was phenomenal and people would say I don't know this kid has some red flags. I'm like red flags like he's a serial killer or like red flags like that he's super competitive and he's because the locker room would take care of a lot of that. So, like in that sales force, if there's if there's something built out that you feel pretty strongly about, I think you can take in some of these high risk, highreward people, um because they can't damage the culture like like they think you you know, like like you would think they can. Now, early on in that tenure, I was very very careful with this, but now we can take some chances on people if the DNA is right. Right. Like there's

there's some things that are that that are non-negotiable, but for the most part, we can take some chances. Yeah,

that's interesting to hear you say because I thought you were going to take like a hard line like we just won't mess with that. But the the reason I like that answer way more is because that's not real life.

That's not reality, right? Humans are just messy. We are all messy. We all have our things. Some of us are, you know, I guess a little bit higher character than others. But also, you're you're dealing with kids. And I remember at that age just being an idiot,

you know, I didn't think I was an idiot. I and I tried my best, but also I was stupid in in college and at times made poor choices. Still worked hard and tried to be a good quarterback and a good teammate, take care of my lineman, all that stuff. But but it but also I think back I'm like, why did I do that? So in a way, you have to be a human and realize that kids also need guys like Mike Degan in their life to try to help them.

Yeah. Yeah. You know, to to play quarterback, you have to have a little cowboy in you, right? Like you have to you have to have a little bit of

you got to go right to that line. And sometimes you Baker Mayfield over it like it happens, you know.

Exactly. And and I, you know, I had a guy, you know, an old school baseball guy, lifer um he said to me, Mike, I've never seen a b a great player doesn't have a little hot dog in them.

And um and it's the truth like, right, like you're gonna have eyeballs on you all the time. There is a level, I'll use a strong word, but like a level of narcissism that comes along with these. Absolutely. You have to be able to go I'm gonna throw an interception and next time out I'm going to make that same I'm gonna let it rip again. Right. So, you know, I I feel like that's, you know, when people judge people too quickly and go, this person has a big ego. I'm like, I don't know. Let's And there's an evolution to your point. I think when guys come in, if we're very direct early with them, they're they change over time. And not everyone. I mean, Ryan, like you said, humans are messy, organizations are messy. We don't get it right all the time. But I like to take our chances and I think we have a proven track record of turning some questionable, you know, people that may some may stay away and we brought them

on and it worked out pretty well. When you have the those kind of edge cases where maybe they're supremely talented, can you think of like a guy or two who really bought into Mudita that really bought into the ethos of your team that at the beginning was maybe selfish? Um because we all again we've talked about great players sometimes you you got to have some of that in you. I'd love to hear like a story or an example of a guy who who really bought into that.

Yeah. You know we had um and I don't I don't think there's anything like I don't have any crazy story there but we had a kid from the Bronx New York um who was just tough and rugged and he'll probably listen to this but uh you know just just I I loved his background. I loved his family. I loved I love the way his edge, but he did think he was the best hitter on the planet from the moment he walked in here. And it took us a little bit longer to get to him than than we probably would have. We should have actually. I mean, probably was he probably was ready to play early than we than we gave him a crack. But I think over time, like he he appreciated how we just didn't give him anything. And I would say now he's probably one of our, you know, biggest uh supporters in in the way we approach and the way we do things, himself and his family. but just a tough kid that was was always the best player that took a little while to play.

Uh but once he went he went on to be an all-American and have a great career. So that's kind of what I would Brian's the guy that I would think of.

Don't you want guys though that think they're the best hitter in the world? You Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Like that's what I'm saying. That's like that's the dichotomy of all this. Like yeah,

you said it earlier like this is the reality. like a a salesperson is going to have a little bit of energy and a little push and so you can't have a whole team like that but I think that's where like this Moda thing comes in if you start beating that drum early can we get people to align with it but yeah you do you you need that confidence to be successful

you when you got the job though Dennis wasn't very good right like there wasn't any there's no culture they didn't win whatever you're the winningest coach in the history of the school right and you've went to world series you got all-ameans and just like I mean it's it's it's humming man like it's gone. So what was it like at the beginning though? I love the beginnings of things and having to turn it around and build up a culture like what was it like at the beginning and what did you do?

Yeah. Yeah. I'm so appreciative of those early years and I'm so appreciative of that question because those were the tough times. Um and just like we were talking hate to keep going back to that dinner but we heard it a few times too. I actually missed those times as well you know.

Yeah. Uh we started off with 43 guys in our first meeting. We finished with 24 that year. And I don't Ryan believe it's because I was like a bully or pushing people around. I was just like this these were the standards and this is where we were going and then people would self- select out. So

from day one from day one like we had you remember like like some of the standard did you say like what were the standards that you said in that first meeting?

Man, you know I I man I can't tell you like line by line but just we were gonna we were going to train at this thing way harder harder than before. Um there was Go ahead. Do it.

Well, I was just going to say one of the phrases that I use sometimes with like my very close friends, my brother, is this may sound bad, but like sometimes you say like that's an unserious person. And what it means by being an unserious person is they're just not going to work hard. And if you're unser I mean it is a it is it is the opposite of a compliment with with my close friends. If you're unserious, it doesn't What it means is when you go to work like you're going to work. You also though can have you can laugh at yourself and you can joke and you don't take yourself too seriously, but when it comes to the thing that you do, I think you got to pour your entire heart and soul into it and give everything you've got and you got to be serious about that part of it. And so it feels to me like maybe you took over a program that was unserious and you said, "Okay, let's go." I I don't think I can

add anything much more to that than what you just said. The the the the lack of seriousness um and and someone like myself who is very serious about the work.

Yes. Um it it pushed people out and and um and one kid was a three year he was he would have been a four-year starting shortstop was like he just he just he was and I and I every time someone quit I would just say thank you. And I I meant that too, Ronnie, because I'm I'm the opposite of like, you know, I'm I'm the opposite of probably the guy I play for, you know. I But we were going this direction and it was going to take what it was going to take.

Did you guys lose initially? Did it Did you have rocky times or No, did you did you turn it around immediately?

We we end up winning like our side of the conference that year. I mean, it wasn't anything.

Yeah, first year. Um, wow. The conference was split, so it's a little bit, you know, he was like a five team side, so we won the NCAAC uh West at the time but

so yeah, we we we got it kind of cranking um pretty quick. How did you do it? So f I mean, this reminds me of when I was in college, I played against uh Urban Meyer got the job at Bowling Green. Um Bowling Green the year before we played them, they were terrible. Like we it was it was one of those games you'd schedule them for homecoming. Like they were garbage. the next year. Urban gets a job in like January or whenever I remember. And he was a he was the assistants wide receiver coach at at Notre Dame. He gets the head job at Bowling Green. They won the MAC. I mean the next season less than a year. And so I was like what did you do man? I mean their winter workouts I think he killed everybody but he the only the the toughest guys stuck around and those then they went and beat all of us. And so is was it like that or like what what do you do to have the instant turnaround

you know from afar? But what I always observed cuz we we would play Dennis maybe once a year like there was talent like talent was fine.

It was just it just needed it needed more seriousness to keep go back to that that word. So

we had enough talent that it was going to allow us to compete at at a conference level for us. So I think that was the first I I don't want to minimize that like there were good players. I remember what we had won a national championship the year prior at Marietta and when I got here in the fall I was like this pitching staff while it's not what we had it's not it's not um 13 and 25 versus 45 and five in the national championship difference you know what I mean so I was like we can put some of this together and then I think it's amazing when you can just put boundaries and guard rails and and point people in the right direction it's it's amazing what can happen so we just pro provide a little structure a little discipline I'll never minimize um my time at Marietta because it gives you a glimpse at what baseball is played at at the highest level of division 3 baseball. It gives you like I could I didn't I don't

I didn't need to dream it. I actually knew in my mind what it looks like. So I think just putting some discipline around some decent talent um allowed us to have some success right away. I I told you uh before um that I was recently asked to give a speech and and I rarely have the the company that hires me to speak tell me what to talk about. Um and this this company I did two talks for him. So one was kind of the one I usually do which is around personal excellence and habits, routines, rituals of high performers of 11 years of these conversations I've had. But then they're like, "Can you do another one with our our entire company and we want you to title it the DNA of great teams?" And I I initially said, "No, like that's

like that's not that's not what I do." But then I rethought I know what like why not why not like have something I'm super uncomfortable. I build it from scratch, right? Something I had never done before. in the process of building that talk and then delivering it which I I did last week was so cool. I mean it was a an amazing learning experience for me. Can you tell me a few things you landed on there or I don't want I don't Can you tell me there's a couple

You know, one of the big stories that I learned about like do you know those Chilean miners the 33 guys who got stuck down like way way down?

That was one of those. So I was I was trying to research excellent teams that were outside of sports because

you I'm a sports guy and I know sometimes not everybody in the audience wants to hear about sports all the time but that's kind of going to be where I go. So that story like how they quickly found roles,

how they stuck together. They had enough food for two days and they rationed it out and they all ate together. They had they had certain areas down there that they did things together. They again they had a spiritual leader. They had a medical guy. They had a guy to keep them on task. Like they had specific times they slept, specific times they ate all together. Then they were they would bathe. Like all these things you're like, "Wait, I thought these guys were just stuck way way down there." But the the story of the Chilean miners when they got stuck and how the leader too, Mike, you'd love this. And this would be you. The leader, the guy in charge of everybody once they were able to get the people out, he he said, "I'm going last of the 33. I'm going last." And so he waited a full 23 hours watching one guy go out of time and then he eventually was the last guy out because that's what leaders do,

right? You take care of your people. And so there there's there are some amazing stories out there and I appreciate you being a curious guy like you always have been since I've now met you recently. But I want to hear from you if you were writing that speech and this I know I'm just pushing this on you. The DNA of great teams like what are some of the highlevel bullet points and maybe we'll drill down. What are like some of the highlevel bullet points of the DNA of great teams whether it's baseball or not. I'm ju I'm just curious if you want to go deep on baseball that's cool too, but what do you think what do you think are some of those highle bullet points?

Well, I'm I'm gonna steal a little bit of your story and just kind of build off it a touch because what what I heard and I think you know I think these would play this is how I would answer it. Um, you mentioned right away roles like so great teams are going to have that there's everyone has a role and

to to beat objective expectations like so when good meets good like that's what that's what I love about like playoff baseball or playoff football like eventually good meets good um you have got to understand that every role is essential to the cause so you think about that example there's medical people there's someone who's

who's digging holes whatever like it doesn't m status goes way, quarterback or the left tackle, like

everyone has a role. They're valued and if we don't perform those roles at a championship level or world class level, we're in trouble. So roles. Second thing I heard you mention was like together like the sacrifice. I think there has to be a bit of like we're in this together. So when you're down in the when you're down in a hole like that, like there's no prima, like we're this this thing's for everybody. And I think that's what happens with championship teams. Like what's that saying? Um, you can have anything you want in life, but you can't have everything you want.

Yeah. Um, you know, so to for us to compete on a national level, our guys do miss out on a lot. And I tell the parents like grades may suffer. No one wants everyone to say student athletes are better. Like no, no, no. I mean, let's be completely honest. If we you have a test on Monday.

Yeah. Like there's trade-offs with this thing. So, a sacrifice is going to be a part of that. Um then then I hear discipline like you know they showered a certain times at a like I think there is I think discipline and consistency is a superpower. Um and I think the sooner you can get that in life the better. And I don't know what that there there may be a um there may be something maybe not so much with young kids but the the people that I see that really excel in the professional baseball world they they seem to have a maturity about them at a much younger age and that comes with discipline and consistency as well. Um, so I would say and then the last thing you mentioned is is I would say like leadership and and I have I have one more thing too, but there's going to be someone that's navigating the ship that's kind of keeping everything moving in the right direction that in my beautiful world it would be like where

that person's not an egoomaniac. They're not in front. They're just waiting for everyone to get out. That's what

That's you though. I Yeah. Yeah. And that may I mean that's me. Yeah. I think you would I think people would echo that too. I think my behaviors echo that. And the last thing I would say, Ryan, that I'm done. I'll get off it is there's a joy there's I and I and I don't know if there was joy in that rugged environment, but I I do think that people tend to enjoy what they're doing. They they do it with a smile on their face. I always say don't hire for when times when you think times are good. Hire for the person you want to be around when times are bad because they're coming, right? There's inevitable obstacles.

It's it's like any relationship, a marriage, anything, right? Like that's when it really gets real. I mean, I say everyone can be the team captain when it's 40 to nothing at halftime. You're eating oranges in a football football team. It's super easy. We're all Let's go, guys. You know what's hard is when you're getting punched in the face, right? Like or you're you're in a slump. Like baseball, you have slumps, right? Like, oh, it's brutal. What it's that's that's when you I I gotta imagine like that's when great teams, they rally.

Like I coach my daughter's flag football team. One of my favorite things, Mike, my favorite things. There's two two of them. one, let's say, uh, a girl messes up. She throws an interception, she misses a flag, what, whatever. He messes up. To see her teammates, it's the thing I'm most proud of. To see her teammates rally around her, it's it's all good. We got you. You know, like all the things they say, these are these girls are 11, right? To see them rally. And then the other second thing then that's that brings me so much joy, right? Like it makes me emotional honestly thinking about this is

to see how genuinely excited they are when something good like there's their teammate scores a touchdown, gets an interception to see the genuine joy and and and yeah, you know, go like enthusiasm.

There's no envy there. They are so happy and pumped up. Like that's the beauty of sports, man. Like that's the beauty of seeing good teams pick each other up when it's really really hard and be genuinely excited and pumped for them when it goes well. It's like ah it's just the best man. I could go on forever, isn't it? It's just the best.

It's kind of why we do what we do in those moments, right? That's that's that's what that's what it's all about. And I think the next layer to that maybe put this put this uh for an arrow in your quiver for later. How they talk to their teammates. you can remind them that's how they should talk to themselves because yes,

you know, you know, whenever we struggle, we tend to, God, I'm the worst. Why'd they make that throw? You're an idiot. And you wouldn't talk to your best friend that way, right? So, I I don't know. I had that conversation with with one of my one of our I shouldn't have favorites, but a kid that I really admire in our team. I said, hey, man, like I never hear you talk to your teammates like you talk to yourself. Like, give yourself some grace. But

you mean super hard on himself? Yeah. Super hard on Yeah. Just, you know, just kind of always

Is that being really hard on yourself though part of what makes you great? I do, but I think it can also be a copout because there's there's ways there's ways to channel that. Like I I don't

Yeah. I think sometimes people say I'm a perfectionist or that's just like who I am. Like ah come on man. Like a perfectionist to me they put in an insane amount of work too to to earn the right to you to I think we use that term pretty lightly sometimes

when So let's say again baseball's got slumps. It's a known phrase that's it's like a a good hitter for whatever reason is just not getting any hits. Like sometimes there's a little luck involved and sometimes you just don't know why it's happening or there's little things. How do you help how do you help a hitter get out of a slump?

You know, it's um man, if I if I could answer that and accurately, I I would be making a lot of money. Um, but I I do think there's um there's a reason for, you know, the word process and routines in baseball. There's probably not a more routine process driven sport than baseball. Um, it's really the work that the professional hitters do between 1 and six that really matters the most. And at 7:00, [clears throat] you got to just go play. So, I think that the uh the idea there is, you know, I heard about I heard Christian McCaffrey just saying this like he's a football like you're you're built on on one week. Like it's just one week then you forget the game plan, you forget everything else.

So really just routines, processes, um reminding them what makes them special and what makes them great. I think that's something we can get away from sometimes. And then also it's just it's just understand this is this is a part of it and you're not immune to it. But I wish I had a great answer other than that's why routines and process is so important.

One of the things that we we talk about with the people we work with is this idea of strong voice, weak voice. And you just hinted at it with

that. And so we shared these videos of people using their weak voice. And there's some funny ones out there that are on TV shows of of people just conjuring up all of these stories they're telling themselves that aren't even true. That's their weak voice. And then there's this amazing clip and I could I could share it with people, but it's I don't know 15 seconds. It's Aaron Donald. Maybe you've seen this. Aaron Donald, I believe it was when they were playing in the Super Bowl and it's pregame or right before the game's going to start or even in between series, I'm not sure. But you hear him just go, "All that work you did. Come on, E. Come on, E. Go be the best in the world. Come on." Like, and it's just this incredible self-t talk that he's saying. He's talking about his preparation. He's talking about how he's so ready to go.

Come on. I And it and it just it to me I feel like that works well beyond sports when you're focused on your process. You focus on your preparation. You focus on why you're ready for this moment and then you go out and you just dominate. And I think that that's got to apply to your world too is this idea of having good strong voice, positive self-t talk, especially maybe when you're going through a slump or it's or it's hard.

Our our our uh our this conversation had to happen. So our our guys that'll that'll listen to this hopefully I I'll share it out and um our players we we thought about strong boy strong boys weak boys quite a bit.

Do you really those that exact phrase exact words? Sue Sue Inquist uh was the softball coach at UCLA is where I first heard it. Um but anyways,

who was that? Uh Sue Inquist is her is her name. She retired, but um but that's where I first heard it was strong voice, weak voice, and we say it all the time. And I try to acknowledge that we all have weak voice. That's like my spin on it. Like it's like we all do. Like I Yeah, it's it's it's a part of it. That was man like the first thing was we we talk about that quite a bit. And then the other thing I want to add, Ryan, because another example of it was Mookie Bets. I heard Mukie Betts shortstop for the for the Dodgers

and um he was talking about it in in the press box one time on an interview and I I'll send it to you.

But he said I I just have to give myself a lot of grace like after a mistake I'm telling myself like you're okay Muki you're okay. Like anyways what why I'm sharing this is like this is a World Series shortstop. You know what I mean? Like you think they're the alpha the alpha and he is going through it. He has to give himself like some self-passion in these [snorts] in these big moments because they all because another ground ball's coming your way, but you got to talk yourself through this. So anyways, I I'll share it's pretty v it's a pretty vulnerable take by him.

Uh yeah, I feel like I remember seeing that video around the World Series this year.

He struggled this World Series by the way. He struggled but then then he finishes out with a double play and he it it was not easy for him. I don't know Muki Betts at all, but I can just tell you from what just observing it was not easy for him, but he still showed up and made big plays when he had to.

I'm cur Yeah. Uh I'm curious of how you [snorts] handle this. Like one of u I like like real life examples of things we try to do because I think we all battle this. So I still have that kind of um before let's say before a big keynote. This is recent because I just just had had a couple of these. I still I don't get nervous. I think I'm only nervous if I'm not prepared, but I still have that kind of anticipatory feeling like I did before a game as they're getting ready to introduce me to go up, especially for it doesn't really matter the crowd size, big, small, anything in between. But one of the things I like to say, my strong voice is I think conf I think confidence is built through evidence, like creating evidence for yourself that you've done tough things in your past and you can draw from those experiences when maybe you're a little nervous or scared. So, one of the things I like to say right as they're

introducing me is, "Man, what an opportunity to create some evidence. I'm going to go create some evidence today." And it and it it makes me feel good. Like, it makes me feel like, let's I'm I'm like juiced up. I'm bringing good enthusiasm, good energy when I say like, "What an opportunity to create some evidence today." So, like these little things we all create. We all need this stuff. I don't I'd be curious like how you think about it and what you do both for yourself as well as for the guys that you lead.

Well, you know, I I appreciate that because I I think one of the most un unspoken things in in about coaching is it is a bit of a performance. And I don't mean that that you need to be anything but yourself, but there you have to get yourself in the right frame of mind. And um I went to I always laugh about this, but I went to an Anthony Robbins event in 2015 and it really changed really changed my life. like it was um I know that like you could take that whatever way you want, but a lot

I liked I liked I had him on the show and I thought like I know hey anyone who gets that big is going to have haters and I understand why but I'm I'm with you man. Like I I I probably said some things but there's probably envy in those statements, you know.

Yeah. Yeah. It's like but but he would he would talk about making a move and like giving yourself like a bit of a mantra and Yeah.

So like I I before I speak, you know, I'll do the same thing. I I'll you know, make a move. I I'll I'll give myself a strong thought and then go perform. But with a co a coach, you know, h how you show up is going to be really really important. And I saw was Texas A&M's coach, a football coach this year. Did you say he said you have to be the opposite of what the moment requires? Like so like the oppos Yeah. And I wish I that's not the right way he said it, but it's it's basically like while everyone's excited, you need to be the you need to be the calm,

you know, like you need you need to be the one that's kind of and then when when the when the proverbial hitting the fan, you got to be the one with optimism, you know? So, I don't think you get in those spaces. Those are those are earned evidence-based things to be able to do that. And they don't just happen like you have to have some intentionality in that. So I think getting yourself in the right mental frame to handle high performance is required of a coach and a leader.

I think uh I learned this playing quarterback and you probably had this now as like the head coach. Do you call him head coach or manager or is it both?

Head coach in college. Head coach and pro. Yeah. Head coach of a baseball team. So um as a quarterback you have to be super poised and calm and have moxy when it's you you live in a chaotic world. You have to stand in a pocket where there are guys trying to kill you. And you have to be able to look, not see them, by the way. No, feel them, know they're there, but then be able to make the shot down the field while because if you think about them or you or or you you look at you can't look at them. If you look at them or you think about them, you won't be able to make an accurate throw. So, your world is always chaotic.

Like every single play, I guess, unless you're handing the ball off, but other than that, you it's a very chaotic world. And so it helps you be very trained to be poised and calm in a in in chaos. And I think that's that's why you see a lot of quarterbacks go on to do amazing things, whether they're coaches or they do other things in the world. I feel like this it's it's got to be similar in your world where baseball's a little bit more on the outside it appears laidback,

but you're you're managing 25 plus personalities at all times and you can't lose your mind ever, right? You have to be the calm voice who can help them, to lift them up, to pick them up, to celebrate them, right? How how do you view trying to be that calming presence for your for your people?

It's just like I I love your quarterback analogy. Um every every time I go to a game, I go, "How does any anyone ever complete a task?" You're sitting up high and you just see like the the wave of humanity coming and nobody's open and then you have to just Yeah. It's uh but but I I think that same thing and like you know I'll be a little redundant, but I do think it it takes some some preparation in advance to to remind yourself to be in that space. I think early on in my career, uh, we struggled in bigger games and I'm not, um, yeah, I don't believe this is just like a head coaching thing, by the way. The more, you know, someone had mentioned, you know, New England's record this year and, you know, Braves is the one that, you know, you can kind of look to, but a lot goes into winning besides just the coach, right? Like a lot goes into it.

But I I had to do some reflection and say, why weren't we playing our best in some of these higher leverage games? And um, so that that led me down there. And there's a lot of answers to that by the way. A lot of things from how we train to we had, you know, I think when our talent wasn't quite probably at the level that we were trying to to play against. But I had to look in the mirror and say, "What am I doing? Am I showing up different?" I think, you know, I wanted it so bad too for other people and myself. Ego was involved that I don't think I was probably showing up my best in those big games. But it takes some reps. It takes creating evidence to know that you can go through it. Um, but I also just reminded myself in baseball, you know, you don't play baseball at 130 heartbeat. Like you it's it's more can you get that darn thing down and anything I do to increase it myself. I'm going against like the the uh what what

it takes to be a successful player. I got to uh take batting practice with my brother at a Milwaukee Brewers game. This is back years ago. And and they just put us in a group. I don't know this how the pros they just do like groups

and Mike uh Greg Maddox's brother Mike was the pitcher and uh I think Tony Gwyn's son was one of the guys in our group and another big tall outfielder god I forget his name was in our group but one of the things I had said to the guy you know they gave us the uniform and everything right one of the things I had said to the guy I remember the tall outfielder was you guys seem so chill like so like pregame football is nuts you you know, it's crazy. And he goes, "Hey, man, you got 162 of these things." He's like, "We you you got to you can't be crazy." And I go, "Yeah, that's a good point. That's a really good point of of just the fact that you you got to understand how to manage your energy when you got to perform all the time

without a doubt." And and I would say the other so one one one that's one of my favorite lines especially if you have friends in professional baseball you you can't like text them after every game and say good job because it's or what like it's you I yeah we I know someone was like hey man there's 162 of these like please stop like you know it's going to be a long summer but the other thing the other thing I love about baseball is um this is and this is my how I observe it can be bor people can think it's boring but what you're seeing is you're seeing people try to stay calm like for for three hours cuz it there is a ton of pre like I I don't know like throwing the ball across like simple was that like throwing the ball across the infield if you're tense and tight is not good, right? So like you're watching that 18 seconds in between the pitches of them just trying to like get away from the pressure of everything. So you

see him spit, you see him kick dirt, but that's all those are all like learned behaviors to try to get themselves down, right? So in football, yeah, you gota you got to be prepared to like throw your body into somebody and it takes an insane intensity, but in baseball it's like the same just the opposite. Like you're trying to like how can I stay cool in this?

What do you Yeah. I'm wondering what do you think? How do you think that would help somebody who doesn't play baseball or doesn't play sports even they're in the business world and this kind of idea of trying to stay calm and alert and ready and present but not go overboard like how is that more of like hey you got to have a process or like what what do you think for someone who doesn't play sports? Yeah, process routines. And I'd say it's just like basic stoicism, right? Like baseball is like the ultimate controlling what you can control and releasing what you can't, right? So

I Yeah, I don't know if this next ball's coming to me, but what do I do now? I can control my breathing. I can control my first pitch prep step, you know? So I would tell anyone who's who's listening, it's more like, what can you control? And I would challenge you to think, does that intensity or that emotion, does it actually lead to results or not? Like that's

baseball coaches do it, too. Like I like if I'm more intense, if I give high fives more, like I I don't know. Like is that actually driving results? If it's helping you be the best version of yourself, go ahead and do it. But I don't know. I think sometimes that over stimulation, that over emotion, it's probably just put a lot of anxiety on your people, you know, in the sales force or whatever. So

yeah, just regulate, stay calm, and execute. Do you do you go out and have conversations with your pitcher when they're struggling or or is that the pitching coach and then you only come out to take them out of the game? Yeah, it's usually that's usually our pitching coach. I'll go out every now and then. I I'll go out a lot of times if if it's maybe a situation where I think we need some calming, you know?

Yeah, I was going to say what so what is usually the whole infield comes comes in now. It used to be just the like manager and the pitcher, but now it's the whole infield. What What does it sound like in one of those huddles?

You know, I I I think a good analogy it's like a corner man in boxing. My dad used to always good coach. Watch a corner man in boxing because some people you got to smack, you know, you got to get him going. Some people got to say, "Come on, champ. You're the best. You're the best. are the best. So, I think when you're walking out there, you're trying to think what does the team need from me right now? You know, like what what message like if I'm a mirror, like what do they need to see? Do they need to see calm? They need to see reassurance. Are they, you know, is someone are we playing a little timid and scared and maybe you're trying to jolt them a little bit with some energy and and some choice words? Like, I'm not saying I'm immune I'm not immune to that, too. But you're really trying to But once again, there's an intentionality to it. And I think when I first started doing it, you just go out there, you're ticked off,

you're gonna go, you know, whatever. But now you're like, "Okay, what does this pitcher need? What does this group need? Um, how can I best serve him?" And then like a good corner man. Then you point them in the right direction of what's next, right? Yeah. So, we're going to go ahead. We're going to get ahead of this hitter right here. I feel the ground balls coming. So, you're trying to speak some stuff into existence, even if you're making stuff up. But, um, but yeah, you acknowledge it and then you also try to point them in a direction for improvement.

I I maybe because it's top of mind, we had a game yesterday, a rough a very close tough loss which again I think is great for kids to go through um because that's life but anyway you know we give up a big play and people are kind of you know the kids are losing a little bit and it's like listen that play is over control of this play

that's right this play we do everything we can to this in this case it was we were on defense do everything we can to do our each of our jobs as a team, individual and as a team to stop them on this two-point conversion, right? Think thing think and I think just like being very specific of that play is over and we'll learn from that play later. Not right now though because we're in the moment. Now our focus is on right now. This play that's within our control and I think that lesson could apply throughout life. That stuff's over. We will take time to try to learn from whatever happened. But for now, we have this right in front of us. Let's give maximum focus and effort to this thing, right? And I think that's the difference probably between average to good teams to great teams is the the great ones again in life and in sports.

They are good at that, right? They can respond to the thing when it go like Mookie Bets you're talking about, right? He wasn't playing well, but he responded well to it and that ultimately helped this team win. It's how you choose to respond to the tough moments, not necessarily just just how you are at all times. It's really thinking about those specific times in your life and spec specific times with your team.

That that's it. And you know, we mentioned what you learn. That's I think that's the greatest gift that we can give people through sports.

Yeah. Is like life is just it just throws haymakers at you all the time, right?

Yeah. It just does. And at least Yeah. I I shouldn't say maybe not for everyone but I think most of us experience adversity along the way and it's this unique ability to just kind of keep moving right and and also like you said you reflect you try to get better you give yourself some grace you move on you do you know and you just kind of keep working through that process um but I I don't as simple as it may sound to us Ryan I don't think many people can get there you know and I think that's where the sports background comes in is that we have some reps with that

yes that's Why I love athletics, especially for kids. I know not everyone is athletic enough to make all the teams, but I I I still try to encourage people as much as possible because it's so hard, like we talked about at dinner, especially when the parents have done well and can provide and and maybe they've done better than their parents. And so,

well, it's one way in life to create some legitimate adversity. I've said this a million times, but but but one of my daughters who plays a lot of volleyball just finished her senior season. You know, even when they win a match, you got to win three sets at least. But some of those sets they'd win, they would win 25 to 23. That means they had to respond to losing 23 times in the course of one set that they happen to win. And maybe they lose a set and they got to respond to that, too. So I just think this idea, this ability to bounce back from losing, to bounce back from the adversity that will we all are going to inevitably face, it's one of the few constants and certainties of life is adversity is is the difference between great and average or good.

Trevor Moad, do you know that name at all? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I love his line and I I have it written down in I write down on my lineup card. Um, setbacks are temporary. I bounce back quickly,

you know? Setbacks are temporary. I I I bounce back quickly. I bounce back quickly.

Yeah. Yeah. Like, so I like that. It's just a good You just It's a once It's It's just like your simp, you know, you're go create evidence like it's something very simple, but like

Yeah. Like I'm going to take a punch and I'll bounce back quickly. Like I I'll bounce back. I'll bounce back. I I think those are just good reminders that uh in life like this happens. We're going to we're going to respond.

Dude, I know you got to run uh to this next call. You said it had to do with your champagne question.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Or champagne answer. Yeah. Champagne. Yeah. Just kind of just kind of working through some things now. And yeah, I got a pretty important call here coming up.

I am so pumped to see uh what you choose to do and the impact you make, man. I know the the one thing's for certain is that we're going to keep talking. I'm glad at least uh you're you're close by, but I I can't wait for the next dinner with you, man.

I can't I can't thank you enough. Right. It was it was truly a pleasure to get to meet you and your network and and have this time too. It's it's fun to to see what happens when you get a group of high character uh put a dent in the world type people together and just look at the every with anyone everyone's genuine curiosity and excitement and smiles and head nods and god we should do this more often you know like that's what life is all about isn't it like building good relationship with great people I think that's what life's all about man so you're definitely one of those dudes for me now and super grateful man can't wait for the next one

appreciate you bro thanks Ryan

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "The Real DNA of Great Teams (It’s Not Talent) | Mike Deegan"?

Ryan Hawk (Host), Mike Deegan (Guest).

What is "The Real DNA of Great Teams (It’s Not Talent) | Mike Deegan" about?

The main topic explores the essential qualities that contribute to the success of great teams, emphasizing that discipline, consistency, and self-awareness surpass talent alone. Key points include the importance of celebrating every team member's contribution, understanding the significance of each role, and fostering a culture of vicarious joy, which enables individuals to support each other's…

What is mentioned in this Ryan Hawk episode?

11 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Marietta, Dennis, Blue Jays, Muda, Mookie Betts, Don Shalley. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "The Real DNA of Great Teams (It’s Not Talent) | Mike Deegan"?

The episode runs 57 min; the transcript is about 12,513 words in 152 timestamped sections.

More from Ryan Hawk

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated January 24, 2026.