Rebounding and Getting Stronger After a Setback – A Discussion with former NCAA Basketball Coach, Author and Business Trainer, Matt Doherty

On this show, we met one of our most influential guests to date, Coach Matt Doherty. In his successful career he has led many people across different companies, genres and sports to become their best. His background is very impressive – Matt walked us through his basketball playing days on team with greats such as Michael Jordan and James Worthy. He shared his trajectory through the Coaching ranks under the tutelage of Roy Williams and then changing the culture at Notre Dame basketball which helped them become a formidable NCAA basketball team. He eventually took a dream role as head coach of the UNC Tar Heels following in the footsteps of the immortal Dean Smith. After preliminary success he found himself looking for a job a couple of years later and had to have the ultimate rebound.

Matt shared with us how a setback can affect your mindset. Sometimes it can feel embarrassing to fail (especially for high achievers). It can test your will and your resolve when you have a plan and it does not go as expected. He spoke about the self doubt after a setback and how that very doubt led to exploration and ultimate improvement in his strategy. We really enjoyed hearing his candid take on his career and his positive outlook on how anyone can improve with the proper mindset.

Speaking of mindset, Matt is a professed “personality assessment junkie” and said it helps him to understand his strengths and preferences as well as understanding others. During the interview, he shared a great Jordan story about how Matt and Michael Jordan both have high D (driver) personalities and how that led to a dispute about fouls that never got settled. Matt said that early in his career he took more account into his style of doing things and leading his team accordingly. He said that his improvement came when he realized that understanding others’ personalities and communicating effectively led to his best leadership and success.

Check out more on Coach Matt Doherty, book a session or buy his book here: https://www.dohertycoaching.com/