Episode #105
2,500 Champions, One Daily Habit: Don Yaeger
Don Yaeger spent thirty years interviewing 2,500 of the best winners of his generation and asked every one of them the same question: name the habit in your daily routine that made you better than other people. He kept the answers in notebooks. Then he counted them. On this episode of Becoming More, he gives Dianna Kokoszka the number one answer — and then spends the rest of the hour showing his work. There is a reason this conversation goes deeper than most guest interviews. Don was Dianna's business coach. As he puts it on tape, "suddenly my job was to coach the coach." About Don Yaeger Don Yaeger is a 13-time New York Times bestselling author, a longtime Associate Editor at Sports Illustrated (1996–2008), a Hall of Fame keynote speaker, a Publisher of Forbes Books, and the host of the Corporate Competitor Podcast, where Fortune 500 leaders trace their leadership back to what sport taught them. He wrote "A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring" with UCLA coach John Wooden, "Never Die Easy" with Walter Payton, "Teammate" with World Series catcher David Ross, plus "Great Teams" and "Greatness: The 16 Characteristics of True Champions." He is one of five Maxwell Leadership Thought Leaders, and he still files a weekly leadership column for Chief Executive. His reporting has taken him to Baghdad, Afghanistan, China and Damascus, and his office holds Shaq's shoe, Heisman trophies, and a jersey Walter Payton gave him. What You'll Hear The single question Don asked 2,500 champions — and the 16 habits that came back most often The number one answer: the best believe success is available to them, but failure leaves a mark What Michael Jordan told him about owning a loss, and the afternoon Don became the sixth man ever to score on him at Jordan's own camp "You haven't taught until they have learned" — casting vision, and guarding your inner circle John Wooden's monthly love letters to his wife, and the 863 letters Don has now written to his own Coach Wooden's three-column assignment: 15 names, one question each Living with the Walter Payton family, the Warrick Dunn book he is proudest of, and the books that became movies The two places most storytellers fail — and how to fix both Becoming a sponge: learning from Simon Sinek, from Mother Teresa, and from Delta CEO Ed Bastian How a leader watches their own game film, and why feedback is the breakfast of champions "Who's Coaching Your Kid?" — the Sports Illustrated investigation that moved 30 states to require background checks for youth coaches What Don wants the story of his life to say Lines Worth Rewinding "The best believe success is available to them, but failure leaves a mark. They hate to lose more than they love to win." "A loss is not a failure until you make an excuse." — Michael Jordan, as told to Don Yaeger "And last Friday she opened letter number 863." "Are they going where I want to go?" — John Wooden's question for every name on your list "People listen differently when they think you care about them." "If you ask me long after I'm gone what I will be most proud of, it will be what I believe those two will do one day." Get Don's New Book "The Business of Storytelling: Inspire Action, Build Trust, and Drive Results Through Story" (Forbes Books) releases September 15, 2026. Order it from Don here: The Business of Storytelling . Simon Sinek's line on the cover calls Don one of the greatest storytellers of all time, and Dianna ordered two cases of it months before release day. Reading this before September 15? It is on pre-order now, and pre-ordering makes you a Founding Member of The Circle of Storytellers . Then Go Deeper With Dianna Don is teaching a session for Dianna's Inner Circle in 2027 — a small group where members get to bring him their own questions. If the 15-name exercise landed, that is exactly what the Inner Circle is: choosing the room you grow in. See how it works at diannak.com/mentorship . Connect With Don Yaeger Website: donyaeger.com Corporate Competitor Podcast: donyaeger.com/corporate-competitor-podcast LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/donyaeger Instagram: @donyaeger Facebook: facebook.com/donyaeger X: @DonYaeger Follow Becoming More YouTube: @BecomingMoreDiannaK Instagram: @dianna.kokoszka Facebook: facebook.com/diannakokoszka LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/diannakokoszka The Becoming More book: book.diannak.com More from Dianna: diannakokoszka.com If this one earned a rewind, share it with the person you would put in your first column. BE BOLD.
