Texas Basketball Head Coach Shaka Smart on Bringing Out The Best in Others

Shaka Smart (0:00)

There's old saying in coaching is, guys don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. And it's so unbelievably true with this, I hate to sound like an old guy, but with this new generation of guys, you better take the time to spend to get to know what's inside of them and what makes them tick, and to be able to articulate to them what matters to you and to help them do the same back.

Michael Gervais (0:27)

All right, welcome back or welcome to the Finding Mastery podcast. I'm Michael Gervais. And the idea behind these conversations is to learn from people who are on the path of mastery to better understand what they're searching for, how they've organized their life efforts, the psychological framework that they've built to be able to do difficult and challenging things. And then the mental skills that they've used to build and refine their craft.

Finding Mastery is brought to you by Bubbs Naturals. Like many of you, I'm mindful about what I put in my body. For me, it usually comes down to ingredients and simplicity. The shorter the list, the better. And if I have to look it up, I'm usually out. That's why I've been loving Bubbs Naturals. Bubbs creates products with high quality, all natural ingredients designed to help people get after their adventures in life. I've been a huge fan of their hydrate or dye electrolyte mix for years now. It only has six total ingredients, but it's packed with five times the electrolytes as conventional sports drinks with none of the added sugars, artificial flavors, sweeteners or preservatives. It's great for post-workout recovery, outdoor adventures and staying hydrated during long periods of travel, which I've done a lot of lately, and Bubbs is a go-to for me. Plus, all Bubbs products are 100% NSF4 Sport Certified, which means they pass the most rigorous quality standards. They're currently in just about every MLB locker room, working closely with the Red Sox, Yankees, Rangers, Cardinals, Diamondbacks and more, of course.

I'd love for you to go and check them out. Just head to bubsnaturals.com and enter the code FINDINGMASTERY at checkout for 20% off your first purchase. Okay, that's bubs, B-U-B-S, naturals, naturals.com and use the code FINDINGMASTERY for 20% off your first purchase. Again, that's bubs, B-U-B-S, naturals.com and use the code FINDINGMASTERY for 20% off your first purchase.

Finding Mastery is brought to you by HIMS.

HIMS is changing men's healthcare by providing simple and convenient access to science-informed treatments for erectile dysfunction, ED, hair loss, weight loss and more.

Health struggles like ED are common, but they can be hard to talk about when it comes to finding a solution. That's why HIMS has been a game changer for so many men. The entire process is 100% online and if prescribed, your medication ships directly to you for free and in discrete packaging. No waiting rooms, no pharmacy visits. Plus you can manage your plan directly on the HIMS app, track progress and learn more about your conditions and how to treat them from leading medical experts. So if your loved one has been struggling with ED, I really want to encourage you to go check out HIMS. And I know ED often has a psychological component as well. So be sure that you're stacking some psychological best practices into your daily routine as well. Start your free online visit today at hims.com/findingmastery. That's HIMS, hims.com/findingmastery for your personalized treatment options. hims.com/findingmastery. Prescriptions require an online consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if appropriate. Restrictions apply. See hims.com/e-o-f for details and important safety information. Subscription required. Price varies based on product and subscription plan.

Okay, this conversation is with Shaka Smart.

Coach Smart is the head men's coach for basketball at the University of Texas. And he's just got a phenomenal way about himself. And it just jumps out of this conversation, how much he cares about other people, how invested he is in relationships, how he's working to be the most authentic person he can be. And at the same time, pull that out of other people. He's definitely a relationship-based coach, which is obvious in this conversation.

And he's got a real crisp point of view about how to build the best version with other people. And he's got a partnership in the way that he builds relationships that's very special. So I hope you enjoy this conversation. My hope is that we're doing justice in these conversations to highlight the brilliance and the genius within people.

So with that being said, I also want to thank Ryan Holiday, who was a former guest on the Finding Mastery podcast for introducing Coach Smart. And so, Ryan, thank you very much. And with that, let's jump right into this conversation with Coach Shaka Smart. Shaka.