Molly Fletcher has a simple belief about success in business: You must be able to evolve. “Success isn’t a one-time thing,” said Fletcher, a former agent to professional athletes and coaches such as John Smoltz, Tom Izzo and Doc Rivers, to PPAI Expo attendees this week in Las Vegas. “You have to be aware of where and how you can always get better.”

Fletcher (pictured), dressed in a black sweater and gray pants on the PPAI Expo stage, illustrated this point with a story about NBA standout Kevin Durant. One might think that Durant, having reached the pinnacle of his profession, might be content with his superstardom and mastery of the game of basketball. Not Durant. Halfway through his career, Fletcher said, Durant hired a young analytics professional named Justin. His sole responsibility? To find ways for Durant to be even better.

“Kevin had Justin attend every game and practice that Kevin participated in,” said Fletcher, who had been a sports agent for 20 years. “He was looking to identify data-based gaps in his performance. He was searching for ways to be better, so he sat down with Justin after each practice and every game to look at and analyze information that could help him improve. Kevin wasn’t afraid to discover his own gaps. One of the best in the world is always looking for the deficiencies in his game. That’s how you get better. That’s how you really succeed.”

After studying peak performers for her whole career, Fletcher believes that it’s that kind of awareness that helps to drive the best performers to be even better. “You need to have the courage to identify the gaps in your business or your performance,” Fletcher told her audience in Las Vegas. “The people who are authentically curious about how they and their companies can improve tend to be the ones who succeed the most. Search out the gaps, look for where your company simply isn’t good enough. That takes courage, but the people who do it are the ones who get better and really succeed.”

Ultimately, Fletcher said, you need to be genuine to be successful today, especially as it relates to your client relationships. To illustrate that, Fletcher shared a story about basketball coach Billy Donovan. He was her client and she was negotiating for him to become coach of the NBA’s Orlando Magic after winning two national championships as the head coach at the University of Florida. Contracts were drawn and signed and Donovan had even conducted an introductory press conference as head coach of the Magic when she received a worrisome call from him that he was having second thoughts. In fact, he did pull out from the new job and created an embarrassing situation for both him and the NBA team.

“I realized after the fact that I had messed up,” Fletcher said. “In the days leading up to the job change, I never once asked him if he wanted to leave Florida. Well, he really didn’t want to leave, and I needed to uncover that earlier in the process. I was so caught up in the deal and the opportunity and the whole process, that I never stopped to ask the key question: ‘Do you actually want to leave?’”

Her overriding message: Be honest and straightforward with your clients and they’ll never leave you. “You have to be prepared and have the courage to ask the tough questions,” Fletcher said. “That’s when you can build great relationships and really connect with your client. When you have that, nobody can step in and take that client from you.”