Greetings from Charlotte, NC!

Wow, what a week!

On Friday, I published a new article​ which immediately became the most popular article I’ve ever written. More on that in a little bit.

But before we get there, I have some people I’d like to thank.

First, if you’re one of the 17 awesome people reading Monday Morning Edge for the first time, welcome! So glad to have you here.

Second, I also wanted to say thank you to everyone who shared my work over the last week. There’s been an unreal amount of support and I’m so grateful.

Thank you to Travis, Cody, Brock, Garrison, Jack, Heinrich, a different Cody, and everyone else I may not even know about!

And with that being said, I think it’s time we get to the newsletter, what do you say?

* * *

New on Tanners.Blog

The most recent articles from my website.

I published 2 new articles this week, both of which you’re going to want to read.

1. Reklaitis’ Law of Coaching (1minute read)

Reklaitis’ Law states that:

A coach’s ability to communicate with players is more important than you think, even when you take into account Reklaitis’ Law.

This article is a “concept” article, something that I will refer back to often as I continue to build out my ideas on the site.

Which brings us to this week’s big article…

2. What, Why, How: The Coaching Framework I Learned from a Former MLB Pitching Coach (9-minute read)

The date was February 9, 2019.

I had signed to be a coach with the LA Angels 11 days prior and had flown to Tempe, Arizona for organizational meetings.

That weekend, I heard many great presentations from intelligent people all throughout the organization.

But one idea stands out above them all.

It’s called What, Why, How, and today I want to teach it to you.

If you think your ability to communicate with players is important, you’re not going to want to miss this one.​

Make sure you reserve 10 minutes and read it today.

* * *

Around the Web

The best of what I’ve been reading, watching, and listening to.

1. How to Read: Lots of Inputs and a Strong Filter by Morgan Housel (Article, 3-minute read)

“The conflict between these two – most books don’t need to be read to the end, but some books can change your life – means you need two things to get a lot out of reading: Lots of inputs and a strong filter

…This applies to more than reading books. It’s true for all kinds of data, research, conversation, and learning. Without flooding your brain with inputs you’ll be stuck in the teeny tiny world of what you’ve personally experienced. But without a strong filter you’ll be overwhelmed with choice and paralyzed by inaction.”

My approach to reading forever changed when I realized that I shouldn’t read every book I buy nor finish every book I start.

As Housel points out in this article from late 2019, the best way to read is to start as many books as possible but have a ruthless filter about finishing them.

Remember: you don’t owe anything to the book. You won’t get in trouble for not finishing it (although your wife might question your book-buying habits).

Rather, quitting books that A) aren’t that good or B) aren’t relevant for you right now is the best habit you can pick up to start improving your reading today.

2. How to Get Lucky: Focus on the Fat Tails by Taylor Pearson (Article, 13-minute read)

I can’t believe it took me until now to dive into Pearson’s work.

If you’re just getting started, How to Get Lucky is a great starting place. 

In it, he applies the power law to a variety of contexts to show how most “luck” in life is really just taking advantage of the margin between the bell curve and the power law curve.

He then comes to an interesting conclusion:

Investing more in fat tails means being wrong a lot more, and perhaps this is why the most successful people often say they made a lot of mistakes. They made a lot of fat tail investments, most didn’t pay off, but the ones that did make all the difference.​

I like that.

3. The Wright Brothers by David McCullough (Book)

Early in the Wright Brothers’ journey towards flight, Wilbur penned a letter to his father talking about how the most pressing problem he faced was equilibrium: being able to control the “flying machine” in all conditions.

Wilbur believed that once the machine was under proper control, he could quickly solve the problem of putting a motor on it. 

Most people thought he should be focusing on the motor, but as legendary Silicon Valley executive Keith Rabois says, Wilbur knew that he should take on the most challenging problem first.

Wilbur knew that by solving the most challenging problem, he would have the wind at his back for future innovation. But if he avoided doing the hard thing first, he would simply delay the problem that would determine whether true flight as we think about it today was possible.

He pressed on and later became a global pioneer.

A wonderful lesson for all of us.

* * *

What’s the worst thing about being a coach? (7-minute read)

Sam Hinkie’s Resignation Letter ​(PDF)

* * *

Thanks for reading.

Have a great week,

Tanner

P.S. – Let’s put that on the calendar

* * *