by Mandy Green, Busy Coach
Hey Coach,
Have you ever told your assistant coach or team captain something like:
“Be more proactive.”
“Step up.”
“Show more leadership.”
“Take more initiative.”
You meant well. But here’s the hard truth: those words don’t actually help.
They feel like leadership advice—but they’re vague, frustrating, and they don’t move anyone forward. Which brings me to something I came across this week from entrepreneur and leadership expert Alex Hormozi.
If you don’t know him, Hormozi built several multimillion-dollar companies and now shares weekly insights in his newsletter, The Mozi Minute. This week, he dropped a simple but powerful framework that I knew you’d find valuable as a coach. It’s called:
Start. Stop. Keep.
Instead of offering generic feedback, this method gets specific. It’s brutally clear—and wildly effective. Here’s how it works:
- START doing [specific action]
- STOP doing [specific action]
- KEEP doing [specific action]
That’s it. Clear. Actionable. No guesswork.
Let me show you how this could look in your program:
- Instead of saying “Be more proactive,” say:
START texting recruits the night before a campus visit to confirm and prep them. - Instead of “You need to communicate better,” say:
STOP dropping last-minute schedule changes into group chats.
START sending out a weekly staff update every Sunday night. - Instead of “You’ve been doing great,” say:
KEEP owning the scout reports. Your prep has made a big difference.
See the difference? You’re not giving personality advice. You’re giving marching orders.
And yes—it takes more effort. Hormozi admits that. His trick? Think about the moment someone fell short. What exact thing happened (or didn’t happen)? That’s where the feedback lives.
He gives an example:
“Why do I think Erica is lazy? The moment was when I messaged her last week and she didn’t respond for 30 minutes—even though her calendar was empty.
So I told her: START turning on notifications and responding within 5 minutes during working hours if not in a meeting.”
That’s coaching. Fast. Clear. No drama.
Why This Matters for You as a Head Coach
Your time is already maxed out. You don’t have hours to decode staff performance or spoon-feed growth. “Start. Stop. Keep.” makes leadership efficient. It builds accountability and models how your assistants can add value to your program.
And here’s the kicker—your staff will thank you for it. People want clarity. They want to know exactly how to succeed under your leadership. This method hands them the playbook.
So, Coach, if you want a sharper, more confident, more productive staff—make “Start. Stop. Keep.” part of your weekly rhythm. Use it in meetings. Use it in one-on-ones. Use it during your staff reviews.
Make it a habit. Make it a standard.
Your staff—and your entire program—will be better for it.
If you want to get more insight into how to work better as a staff and improve your recruiting, set up a strategy call with Mandy Green. Email her at mandy@dantudor.com.