Below is a lesson from Coach AJ in a post on X on the power of a consistent story to build lasting culture, as well as our key learnings.

The Blue Courage team is dedicated to continual learning and growth.  We have adopted a concept from Simon Sinek’s Start With Why team called “Learn, Share, Grow”.  We are constantly finding great articles, videos, and readings that have so much learning.  As we learn new and great things, this new knowledge should be shared for everyone to then grow from.

THE STONECUTTER: THE SPURS' CULTURE EXPLAINED

Coach AJ Mental Fitness

The San Antonio Spurs have one story they tell over and over.

It's not about championships. It's not about clutch shots.

It's about a guy hammering a rock 100 times before it cracks.

"When nothing seems to help, I go look at a stonecutter hammering away at a rock, perhaps 100 times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it - but all that had come before."

WHY THIS STORY WORKS:

→ ONE STORY. TOLD REPEATEDLY.

Most teams change their message every season.

The Spurs have told this same story for decades

Consistency in message = consistency in culture.

Continue reading here.

Key Learnings: 

• One story, told consistently, builds culture. Consistency in message creates shared identity and purpose.

• Live the story, don’t just tell it. Make it visible, translated, and practiced by everyone.

• Culture is operational, not motivational. Let the story guide decisions, behavior, and response to setbacks.

• Core principles it reinforces:

  1. Work Ethic – Every effort counts, even when results aren’t visible.

  2. Humility – Focus on the work, not the recognition.

  3. Team Over Self – Success is collective, not individual.

  4. Persistence – Trust the process before the result; keep hammering.

• Most fail by changing their message; the best succeed by living one story daily.

• Lesson: Choose your story, tell it relentlessly, and live it when no one’s watching.