I’m a huge Phoenix Suns fan. I have enjoyed their strong regular season win-loss records for the past 20 years. No team in the NBA has a better regular season winning record than the Phoenix Suns over the past 20 years. But championships aren’t won in the regular season. Championships are won in the playoffs when mental toughness, not talent, is the most important characteristic of a team.
This year I hoped we would finally break through. We traded Shawn Marion (who I love as a player) for Shaquille O’Neal. As much as I hated to lose Marion, I believed it was a good trade that would help us in the Playoffs when toughness would be required. Shaq’s tougher than Marion. And some of the other guys have stepped up their toughness. But one thing is still missing…
The leader of the team is the coach. And although I like a lot of things about the Suns’ coach, Mike D’Antoni, I really don’t like his mental toughness. It’s weak, simply put. In Game 1, he made so many crucial mental mistakes in crunch time that I was yelling at the TV like an idiot. I’ve since seen the error of my ways and calmed down… a little 
Toughness. NBA Championship coaches have it and their teams mirror their coaches’ toughness in the way the teams play.
What does this mean for entrepreneurs? You’ve gotta be mentally tough to win, to lead your team, to accomplish something so many others say you can’t accomplish. You’ve gotta be smart, calculated, hard-nosed and tenacious in your pursuit of your entrepreneurial goals. And if you’re leading a group of people, I can promise you this, if you don’t develop the mental toughness your company needs, your people will not exhibit that toughness in their work every day.
