I remember being young, standing in a high school weight room that smelled like rust and sweat, knowing enough to be in the room, not enough to be as impactful as I wished I was, heart hammering like I was the one about to squat.
I had the passion. I had the vision. I had a stack of books taller than the freshmen.
But nuance? That only lives in the cracks of doing. I remember the first time I saw my football role model in person.
I just watched him stand. I can still see him.
I watched how and when he chose to get involved with his staff or one of the kids.
I remembered all of the photos or times on television, I remembered the interviews and “hearing” his voice come through in books.
Now he’s right here.
This is who I wanted to be. I remember meeting the strength guru who could read a kid’s soul through his deadlift.
How he coached, how he connected and instructed, how he pushed everyone to new levels. I stared at the old man in the corner who’d been coaching since before I was born, who didn’t say much but when he did, the room shut up like church. Early days, I was like a cover band.
I copied what I could apply.
I watched the silence between their words.
The way they paused before correcting.
The way they looked a kid in the eye like they were seeing tomorrow. That quote hit me:
“Stare at your role models.” Steal the invisible.
The way they carried failure like it was just another rep.
The way they celebrated wins without gloating—because the win wasn’t the point, the becoming was.
The way they treated the janitor like the quarterback. Young coaches, young humans, young anyone—
You may not need another certification.
You need eyes on mastery. Find the one who’s already walked the path you’re bleeding on.
Sit in their shadow.
Absorb the heat.
Then light your own fire. Because nuance isn’t taught.
It’s caught. And once it’s in you?
You don’t just coach better.
You become the stare someone else needs.
This isn’t just coaching.
This is leadership ROI. Every hour you spend staring at mastery is a deposit in a bank that compounds faster than any degree.
You’re not paying tuition.
You’re stealing equity in systems, culture, and human performance that took someone else decades to build. Think of it like reverse-engineering a winning product:
Observe the margins (the pauses, the silence, the unglamorous reps).
Copy the formula (not the logo).
Iterate faster because you’re standing on their shoulders, not starting from zero.
Most coaches and leaders waste years chasing credentials when the real edge is proximity.
Get in the room.
Get on the field.
Get close enough to smell the chalk. The market doesn’t pay for what you know.
It pays for what you can make happen.
And the fastest way to make shit happen?
Steal fire from someone who’s already burning. Then pass the torch.
That’s how dynasties are built.
That’s how cultures scale.
Find your role model and “stare.”