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🏆 The Winner Effect
Why winning changes the brain, and how you can use it to build confidence in your team.
Greg Berge
April 17, 2025
Good morning, and welcome! Welcome to the 88 new subscribers who joined 14,900+ coaches and leaders this week! Excited to have you on board!
Here’s what’s inside this week:
→ The Winner Effect: Why Winning Leads to More Winning
→ A brand-new feature just launched for PRO subscribers
→ Powerful links, quotes, and coaching tools you can use today
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Before we dive in, I have been working on something behind the scenes…👇
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💭 ONE THOUGHT
The Winner Effect
Why does winning often lead to more winning?
Winning isn’t just about talent or effort; it’s also about chemistry.
Not just team chemistry but brain chemistry.
Scientists have found that when athletes experience victory, their brains release testosterone and dopamine.
Testosterone increases drive, assertiveness, and competitiveness.
Dopamine reinforces motivation and focus, making the athlete crave that next win.
Over time, these changes rewire the brain for success, making winning feel natural and expected.
This is why confident athletes often seem to perform better under pressure; they’re not just mentally tough, they’re neurologically primed to win.
The problem? If success comes too easily (blowout wins, weak competition, or unearned praise), the effect doesn’t stick. Instead of developing a winning mindset, athletes grow complacent.
The real key?
Stacking hard-earned, legitimate wins.
So, how do you create an environment where winning breeds more winning?
Apply The Science
1. Create Small Wins That Matter
Winning starts in practice, not just in games. Set up drills that force athletes to compete, such as one-on-one battles, situational challenges, and even tracking improvements in effort and execution.
Example: Have players track daily “wins,” like a personal best in a drill, an extra rep in the weight room, or stepping up vocally as a leader.
2. Build Earned Confidence, Not False Confidence
Confidence isn’t about hearing “you’re great.” It’s about proving it through preparation. Praise the process, not just the outcome.
Example: Instead of telling an athlete, “You’re a great shooter,” reinforce, “Your extra reps this week showed up in today’s game.”
3. Keep Raising the Bar
The most dangerous mindset is “We’ve arrived.” The best teams don’t just win - they evolve after winning.
Example: After a big victory, challenge players with new individual goals, tougher competition, or a fresh layer of accountability. Success isn’t a finish line. It’s a launchpad.
Want to go deeper? The Winner Effect: Create your own unfair biological advantage.
Final Thought
Winning is contagious, but only if it’s reinforced by habits, competition, and earned success.
The best teams don’t wait for momentum. They create it: One battle, one rep, one challenge at a time.
How are you helping your athletes expect to win by putting in the work every day?
Good luck!
Greg
P.S. Want to build a team that wins the right way—through preparation, accountability, and leadership? Better Coach OS gives you the tools to develop a winning culture, improve communication, and lead with confidence. Check it out here 👉 Better Coach OS.
🔗 LINKS FOR LEADERS
🎥 Video: The Best of Bill Belichick [LINK]
🆇 ICYMI: The Importance of Nothing by Nick Saban [LINK]
📙 Book: The Winner Effect by Ian Robertson [LINK]
📜 TWO QUOTES
“Wherever your center lies, know it, name it, stick to it, and believe in it. Everyone who works with you will know what matters to you and will respect and appreciate your unwavering values. Your inner beliefs about business will guide you through the tough times. It’s good to be open to fresh approaches to solving problems. But, when you cede your core values to someone else, it’s time to quit.”
"The ideal attitude is to be physically loose and mentally tight."
𝐗 THREE POSTS FROM OTHERS
Tom Brady on using failure to succeed:
"The reality of your career is overcoming adversity...and the only way to do that is to fail...to me, failure is amazing."
via @FortuneMagazine
— Ben Brewster (@TreadAthletics)
5:21 PM • Nov 17, 2024
Giving time is one of the most rewarding ways to use your time. Provide value to others by:
Offering emotional support
Listening
Sharing knowledge
Teaching usable skills
Helping to build a professional network
Helping with physical tasks
Volunteering wherever & whenever you can— Jon Beck (@CoachJonBeck)
2:12 AM • Mar 19, 2025
The moment before competition, your inner voice is either your greatest ally or your worst enemy.
Most athletes let that voice broadcast doubt: "Don't mess up."
Champions train their self-talk like any other skill: "I've done this thousands of times. I will execute."
This… x.com/i/web/status/1…
— Alex Auerbach (@AlexAuerbachPhD)
10:02 AM • Mar 19, 2025
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Contact Me: Greg Berge, [email protected]
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