The Three Things Every Leader Needs to Build a Confident, High-Energy Team

In this episode of the DeadThree Coaching Show, we start with a Duke vs. Florida basketball moment and turn it into a leadership blueprint for IT teams and organizations. Duke guard Isaiah Evans was 0-for-7 from three. Game on the line. Instead of going away from him, Coach Jon Scheyer drew up the final play for Evans — and he buried the game-winning three.

That decision wasn’t just about X’s and O’s. It was about belief, confidence, and the energy a leader chooses to bring to their team.

We break down why your team’s confidence and energy are a reflection of you — not your slide decks, not your strategy documents, but your daily presence. Using lessons from Duke basketball, High Performance Habits, Ego Is the Enemy, and Beyond the Hammer, he walks through three non-negotiables every IT leader (and any leader) must master to build elite, high-performing teams.

You’ll hear:

• Why belief in your people matters more than their last “miss”
• How Coach Scheyer’s decision to trust an 0-for-7 shooter is the model for how we lead at work
• Why your team feels your energy long before they hear your words
• How your emotional state becomes the culture your team lives in
• The three energy standards every leader must own:
  1. Leaders go first – you are the power plant, you generate energy
  2. Emotional calibration – your internal state becomes the team’s external behavior
  3. Consistency of presence – reliability and steadiness are your competitive advantage

This episode is for leaders, coaches, and managers who are tired of reactive, low-juice teams and want to create a culture where people feel trusted, valued, and ready to take the last shot.

Three Questions to Take Back to Your Team

1. Where am I withholding belief from someone on my team because of a recent “miss”?
2. What emotional ripple do I leave behind after meetings, stand-ups, or 1:1s?
3. If my team copied my energy this week, would we be playing to win or just trying not to lose?

Call to Action

This week, pick one teammate and intentionally “draw up a play” for them — give them a visible opportunity, tell them you believe in them, and support them through the outcome. Win or lose, you’re building a standard of belief and energy that your whole organization will feel.

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