672: Brad Stulberg - The Neuroscience of Curiosity, Process vs. Outcome Goals, The Power of Consistency, Playing Like The Beatles, Focusing on Your WHO, and The Way of Excellence

What It Covers

Brad Stulberg discusses his book The Way of Excellence, exploring the neuroscience of curiosity, goal-setting frameworks, and authentic competition. He examines Robert Pirsig's concept of quality, Gregg Popovich's team dinners, and research showing how low performers impact groups more than high performers elevate them. The conversation addresses reclaiming excellence from performative greatness and fear-based avoidance.

Key Questions Answered

• •Environmental Impact on Performance: Air Force research tracking cadets over four years found squadrons sank to the fitness level of their least motivated member, not the highest performer. Corporate studies show sitting within 25 feet of a high performer improves your performance 15 percent, but proximity to a low performer decreases it 30 percent. The lowering tide effect exceeds the rising tide, making team composition critical for achievement.
• •Process and Outcome Goals Combined: Set ambitious outcome goals to define your mountain, then focus daily on process. Stulberg aims for 10,000 book sales week one and 100,000 first year, numbers larger than previous goals to force process examination. The outcome goal provides direction and accountability, but 99.9 percent of time is spent climbing the mountain's sides through consistent daily behaviors and habits.
• •Brave New World Mindset: Approaching challenges with curiosity rather than fear or false confidence activates different neural pathways. The rage-fear pathway and seeking-curiosity pathway cannot fire simultaneously in the brain. Before attempting a personal record lift or facing uncertainty, adopt a mindset of genuine curiosity about what will happen. This splits the difference between paralyzing fear and unconvincing self-deception, creating optimal performance conditions.
• •Getting Started Creates Motivation: Waiting for inspiration or high readiness scores from wearable devices creates fragility. The Beatles created Get Back while exhausted and unmotivated, but started playing anyway. Lane Norton's powerlifting principle applies broadly: you don't need to feel good to get going, you need to get going to give yourself a chance to feel good. Begin the work session, then assess thirty minutes in whether to continue or adjust.
• •Team Dinners Build Trust Foundations: Popovich scheduled elaborate team dinners at key season junctures, renting restaurants, planning menus and seating charts, with no curfew. These created space for players and coaches to connect as people, not just roles, forming the trust bedrock that allowed him to coach intensely. Leaders should schedule three to four annual reflection moments separate from work settings, incorporating personal elements that reveal humanity beyond professional personas.
• •Competition Means Rising Together: The Latin root of compete combines com (together) and petere (to strive), meaning to rise up together. After Iowa lost the championship, Caitlin Clark and teammates immediately went to a bar for shots, remembering the love and relationships more than the loss. Detroit Lions coaches and players said love seven times in two minutes of post-playoff speeches. Intensity and joy coexist when you respect opponents deeply while competing fiercely.