Drew Brees---R-E-S-P-E-C-T

“It’s like a movie,man. Just a movie ending. It’s beautiful….You could tell everyone’s reaction after he did it how much people care about the guy. We all love him.” That quote by New Orleans Saints’ offensive lineman Carl Nix sums up up the kind of feelings that the entire city of New Orleans expressed after Drew Brees broke Dan Marino’s single season passing record for most yards.
In today’s sports world it is great to see someone so accomplished be so respected and handle everything with class and dignity. Brees’ leadership style includes none of the brashness or self-serving actions of many of the big ego coaches and players in today’s sports world. Instead Brees is about the team and the success of the team. He has figured out that the success of the group will greatly exceed personal success and everyone involved will benefit exponentially. Expressing his feelings regarding his record-setting achievement, the qb emphasized, “There are so many people that are a part of this. It’s not about me. It’s about this team, it’s about this city, it’s about these fans. So many people contributed to this and I am happy for them.”
Brees, a second round draft pick put of Purdue, has fought his way to the top by persevering through doubts about his size and a severe injury with major surgery to his throwing shoulder. Rather than display an arrogance by demanding “respect” through his words, he chose to earn that respect by his performance and positive attitude. He has gained respect of all the Saints and the entire community not only by his play and leadership on the field, but by becoming a symbol of the rebuilding of New Orleans and the Crescent City’s rebirth. By putting his “money where his mouth is”, he created the Brees Dream Foundation to help rebuild and restore academic and athletic facilities and the opportunities for children that were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
The respect that Drew Brees has increasingly gained over the years by his actions has provided the environment to help set the course for an entire community. As a leader if you can build that respect, your chance of becoming an effective leader will grow significantly as more people respect you. Remember the old axiom----Actions Speak Louder Than Words. Accept this as your mantra and the respect you need to be a great leader will be just around the corner.

Penn State's Next Move--Unbelievably Important

What is the next move for Penn State? Everything from dropping football to suspending play for a year has been recommended. Irrespective of how they move forward, the most critical piece of this difficult puzzle is to find a great leader who has the charisma and integrity to save both the program and the University. This individual needs to have both the stature and credibility to make the correct decisions, understanding that this job is much more than being a head football coach, it is being the savior of a very prestigious and accomplished University. There will be no second chances for the next head coach and very little margin for error. Additionally, the next head coach for the Nittany Lions should have a huge reservoir of equity from the standpoint of having built their own personal brand of principled, focused and carefully thought out leadership.

In my viewpoint the pool of available individuals who meet these standards is relatively small. The one individual who I would make a mad dash to recruit for the successor to JoePa is Tony Dungy. Dungy brings so many positive personality and leadership traits to the dance that his selection would make such a strong statement regarding the expectations of Penn State. The name recognition from his days as Head Coach of the Colts and the Buccaneers along with his television exposure on NBC’s Football Night In American, assures a solid recruiting environment that is attractive to potential recruits. His position as national spokesman for All Pro Dad will endear him to parents. Additionally Dungy is a good football coach who builds super strong bonds with his athletes. Realistically he has a proven track record of winning championships the right way. Yet most of all, in all of sport, no one is recognized as having a better value system than the former University Of Minnesota quarterback.

So to recap what Coach Dungy’s leadership skill bring :

1. Credibility
2. Equity from winning
3. Charisma
4. Respect from numerous constituent groups
5. Proven track record
6. Solid set of core values
7. Toughness to make right decision
8. Knowledge of the Big Picture

While I am not a huge proponent of the break the bank mentality of paying high profile coaches, I would get on a plane with a key to the vault and do everything in my power to encourage Tony Dungy to accept this challenge for the next five years. After he has stabilized the program, he would then have the opportunity to continue his tenure or replace himself with his own chosen successor. At 55 years old, Tony Dungy could have one last great coaching run but more importantly he could have an unbelievable impact on the future of a great University and hundreds of thousands of its students, alumni, faculty and staff. For once, I think this is blank check time in Central Pennsylvania. The investment in Dungy will pay for itself hundred of times over. The cost of not having a leader of this magnitude would be a price that Penn State cannot afford to pay.

First Annual Doc's Leadership Award For Achievement

This is time of year when everyone starts to give out awards.  So I thought I would create my own award for the coach who over the years has demonstrated not only significant leadership traits but also achieved the three results that are most critical in evaluating the quality of leadership.  Over the years and there are many of those years (today is my 66^th birthday), I have witnessed hundreds maybe thousands of coaches as a player, coach, administrator and have realized that about 99% of those coaches do a tremendous amount of good (unfortunately the media focuses on the tiny group who abuse the coach-athlete relationship).  This award is not one that is given indiscriminately or without a great deal of thought.  Personally, I have been amazingly fortunate to have worked with great, dedicated and successful coaches.  However one stands out from all the rest when looking through a leadership filter.  The first recipient of DOC'S LEADERSHIP AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT goes to  VCU'S tennis coach Paul Kostin.

The three criteria for my leadership award and hopefully the result that every leader tries to achieve are:

1.     Great results----being a great leader means getting a bottom line that meets and surpasses expectations for the group.

2.     Followers success---followers are positively impacted and have their lives positively affected by the influence of the leader.

3.     Organization prospers---great leaders not only succeed in their area but also become crucial contributors to other efforts and the larger mission of the bigger organization.

When I evaluated all the coaches I have had contact with, while there were many great ones, Coach Kostin’s name always came to the top of the list.  Looking at the criteria:

1.     Results---Kostin took over a VCU tennis program with a 3-18 record the previous year and no women’s program and built a program that has a record of 646 wins and 188 losses playing the best teams in the country.  Wins against North Carolina, Duke, SMU, Ohio State, Michigan, UVA became the norm.   He has amassed 18 conference championships and 27 postseason appearances while mentoring numerous All-Americans and 3 individual National Champions.  Highlighted by his national runner-up finish in 2000, Kostin’s players and teams have had unbelievable runs in the NCAA tournament.

2.     Followers---Kostin’s players have had amazing successes after their tennis careers.  Everything from mentoring the number 1 male model in world and television and movie star (Boris Kodjoe) to corporate executives to successful coaches, Kostin’s former players demonstrate that the lessons learned from Coach K translate well into their post-tennis lives.

3.     Organization---Kostin has become the old wise sage of VCU Athletics and has become a mentor for many of the young staff.  Clearly Kostin has become an important figure and a key contributor to many of the Universities’ major efforts while keeping a solid perspective on his own program and maintaining a unique humility.

Many great leadership lessons can be learned by studying the recipient of the first annual Doc’s Leadership Award for Achievement, just ask his current and former players. 

Crosstown Shootout ----a failure of the system

There was plenty of embarrassment to go around last Saturday as the Crosstown Shootout between Xavier and the University of Cincinnati ended in a brawl with about 9 seconds remaining in the game.  Nationally televised on ESPN 2, the ugly incident clearly brought to focus the challenges facing the leadership of college athletics.  Coaches Mick Cronin (UC) and Chris Mack (XU) both have been severely criticized for the behavior of their players.  Athletic Directors Mike Bobinski  (XU) and Whit Babcock (UC) have been accused of not taking swift and decisive action.  While there is plenty of blame to go around, to think that individual coaches or athletic directors could stop this behavior by themselves is very shortsighted.  Placing the blame at the feet of the coaches and AD'S is mis-directed.  This incident from pre-game banter to in game trash talking to post-game inappropriate comments by players is a message that the system of amateur athletics in our country is flawed.  Cronin, Mack, Bobinski and Babcock have done what their Universities have asked them to do.  They have built programs that are nationally recognized, that build an enthusiastic fan base who buy tickets and make donations and that keep alumni (I have a degree from both Universities) engaged with the University.  Yet they walk the tightrope of blending wins with building character in their athletes.

This happens because leadership sends incredibly powerful mixed messages.  What is the highest priority?  Is it following the core values of the University or is it winning games?  By paying winning coaches huge sums of money and giving them long-term contracts, University leadership answers that question by their actions.  "Winning is our main focus so you need to recruit players who can win."  Are recruits like Allen Iverson at Georgetown, Ron Artest at St. John’s or PacMan Jones at West Virginia the individuals we want representing our University?  To make matters worse because of the overly competitive culture of college athletics and the big money opportunity, we spend the majority of time making athletes better players not better people.  Very little time in college athletics is focused on teaching life lessons, not because coaches do not want to, but because they  have major time constraints and must set priorities based on athletic performance and staying eligible.  College athletes’ time is focused on practice, strength and conditioning activities, preparing for games (film and scouting reports), classes, academic advising, tutors and study hall.  Blend those time requirements with crazy travel and you have created a model where there is basically no time to work with athletes outside those coach established priorities.  There is little or no time for value building or communication about life challenges. 

When young athletes watch Jalen Rose talk about the positive value of trash talking or Iverson’s rant on “practice”, aspiring young athletes who are developing their own value system,  desperately need influences to mitigate the Iverson-Rose mentality.  Instead the system places these adolescents into AAU programs (coached by individuals with no particular credentials) that not only facilitates but encourages (as XU's star point guard Tu Holloway says) gangster mentality. Naturally when the pool of recruits for Division 1 basketball comes from AAU basketball there is a pretty good chance you will get some of the behaviors exhibited in the "Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout".  To think that college coaches and athletic directors are going to totally change the behaviors and attitudes of these recruits, who have spent years in the AAU system,  is both naïve and unrealistic. 

If you want to eliminate situations like the “Crosstown Shootout” knockout, the leadership needs to change the system rather blame the closest individuals.  Easy to say but this change needs to affect the entire culture of college athletics, a task about as easy as turning a battleship 180 degrees.  Leadership is all about change and significant change.  For this gigantic change to happen it will require a leader with incredible passion and a huge reservoir of determination.

In an attempt not to just identify problems, these concepts would be a good start to changing the system:

1.     Eliminate AAU and the crazy travel competitions of middle school and high school aged athletes.

2.     Allow coaches more time to build relationships and get to know potential recruits in the recruiting process.

3.     Change the academic schedule to a 12-month schedule where in-season athletes have less classes so they are not conflicted with major time management problems.

4.     Create a different funding model for college athletics so coaches’ salaries do not put them into such a high-pressure situation to win.

5.     Mandate a life lessons coach who has access to athletes and head coaches and is given appropriate authority.

Tebow----a follow-up

I wrote this blog about a year and a half ago on wordpress.  It pretty much supports what is going on in Denver.

http://sanderleadership.wordpress.com/2010/04/26/broncos-leadership-tebow/

Denver Broncos----Where are the boobirds now?

After inserting Tim Tebow into the starting line-up, The Broncos have won 7 out of 8 and are positioned to win the Western Division in the AFC.  Many of the experts and know-it-all pundits have been left scratching their head as they opined that the former Florida QB could not win in the NFL.  The Broncos who were widely criticized for selecting Tebow in the first round of the draft two years ago, have done something that I would encourage all leaders to do.
Focus on what people can do, not on what they cannot do.  John Fox has put together a strategic plan that capitalizes on the strong defense and the talents of Tebow.  Fox has not tried to force the offense to do things they are not capable, instead he has built an offense that is predicated on staying close and then using Tebow's amazing "will to win" to take over.
Naysayers have said what happens when the defense allows 30 points?  Last week the mile high guys put 35 on the board to knock off Minnesota 35-32.
That victory indicates the Broncos have figured out how to win in just about any type of situation.  They have figured out there are no style points in the game.  So while some people in authority worry about the process (I had a boss once who consistently espoused that philosophy) others worry about achieving the   desired end result.   A solid strategy using the resources available have done wonders for Denver.
The Broncos and Fox have also reinforced the Moneyball theory that leaders should be more concerned with past results (success playing the game) rather than looking at potential.  How many experts thought Ryan Leaf would be a big star with his size, great throwing motion and athletic ability?  How many thought Tim Tebow would be a flop because of his bad throwing motion and non-convential style?
Fortunately for the Broncos and Tebow, Coach Fox understands the concept of taking what a person can do and maximizing those abilities rather than focusing on what he can't do.

Sun Devils Make Switch in Mid-stream

Super agent Leigh Steinberg tweeted yesterday,  "Just had one of the most bizarre endings to a set of productive discussions to bring a client to a new situation.  Everything was set, few tweaks left, and the principal decision maker yanks the deal w no real explanation."
That communication described the dealings of Arizona State with SMU Head Football Coach June Jones.  Jones who had been hugely successful at Hawaii and SMU and had NFL Head Coaching experience had been offered the Sun Devils job with Steinberg working out some small details when ASU pulled the plug on the offer.  According to radio station Arizona Sports 620, "donor backlash" became a big concern for ASU and ultimately led to the decision that the offer needed to be rescinded.

Over the years I have probably hired over 50 head coaches and before making an offer, we were strongly committed to that individual and had analyzed all the implications of that hire.  To me this is a case where the decision makers in Tempe were more interested in winning the press conference than finding the right person to lead the program.  How much did the high profile hiring of Rich Rodriguez at U of A impact ASU's decision to change horses in mid-stream?  Many leaders fall into a trap of trying to have a huge short-term benefit at the expense of a quality long-term solution.

Years ago I hired Jeff Capel to be our Head Basketball Coach at Virginia Commonwealth University.  Jeff had only two years experience as an assistant basketball coach and was actually viewed as the junior assistant on staff.  Yet I had tremendous confidence that he could relate to our players (he was a great player at Duke in the mid 90's), develop a philosophy that would promote winning on the court and in the community and basically solidify the foundation of our program.  In the press conference naming Coach Capel, the President of the University Eugene Trani announced, "I want everyone to know that this is entirely Dr. Sander's decision." (hardly a resounding vote of confidence)  Boosters approached and indicated they were not sure about this decision.  However it was amazing when we quickly won the conference championship and moved onto the NCAA tournament, boosters were toasting Coach Capel and the president was on the court helping Jeff and the players cut down the nets.

The lesson for leaders is simple.  Complete your due diligence and understand what you are trying to accomplish then have the confidence and courage to do what you know is correct.  As a leader do not become so enamored with "winning the press conference" that you lose focus on the ultimate responsibility of long-term success.

Urban Meyer---Passion vs Priorities

Buckeye nation is truly excited about being able to woo one of the nation’s most successful and respected coaches to return to his native state to direct the fortunes of OSU football.  Interestingly enough, unlike many coaches who would move into a super high profile job, Urban Meyer understands the rigors and stresses that go along with being a leader with a high-pressure job that is scrutinized by millions of rabid followers.  He has been in that position before and it basically brought him to his knees on two different occasions.  This time Coach Meyer claims he has his priorities established. In conjunction with his children, he has entered into a personal lifestyle contract that delineates conditions regarding time commitments and family responsibilities.

Leaders usually get to their position because they are totally engaged in building an organization and have shown total dedication to that community and its mission.  Quite often the focus and determination that creates the foundation and environment for the organization’s success can take a major toll on the individual’s personal health and his family life.  One of the most difficult thing for any leader and clearly exemplified by Urban Meyer is keeping things in perspective with an appropriate allocation of time and energy.  Without question, leaders need a burning passion for their mission and followers, yet they must be able to develop boundaries so that they do not lose sight of reality.  Realize losing perspective can manifest itself in many results that become counter-productive:

1.    Health concerns

2.    Family issues

3.    Inability to realistically prioritize        

4.    Over statement of importance

5.    Losing sight of personal value system

Coach Meyer claims he can now cope with the difficult challenge of being totally committed to bringing the Buckeyes back to the position of National Championship contender while being able allocate enough time and energy to his non-football life to not have the same physical and mental breakdowns he had at Florida.  As a leader you need to understand the reality of this situation.  The question is “How much is enough?”  I would encourage every leader to step back and look at their own situation through the eyes of their loved ones to audit their own time, energy and engagement.  By completing that self-audit you will be a better leader for a much longer time.  Realize everyone’s capabilities and situations are different and you are the only one who can truly analyze yourself.  DO NOT FOOL YOURSELF!

Coach Rodriguez---Risk vs Reward

As a leader, one of the most critical decisions you will make is the choice of who will lead important components of your organization.  Greg Byrne, the Athletic Director at University of Arizona, has just made a football coaching choice that will pretty much define his career.  Great leaders are not afraid of taking well-thought calculated risks and the choice of Rich Rodriguez to lead the Wildcat football fortunes is clearly risky.

On the positive side, Coach Rod led West Virginia to national prominence and came close to a shot at the BCS national championship.  He is a highly motivated and focused taskmaster that recruited most of the players who are completing a 10-2 season at Michigan.  Urban Meyer is quoted as saying, “If you hire Rich Rodriguez, you’re getting one of the five greatest minds in college football.”

However on the opposite side of the ledger you are getting a coach that compiled a 15-22 record at the University of Michigan with three consecutive losses to hated rival Ohio State.  In conjunction with that losing record Rodriguez compiled 4 major NCAA violations (excessive practice time and using graduate assistants as a full-time coaches) that were direct and overt violations of NCAA regulations.  Additionally Coach Rodriguez had numerous players transfer.  While transfers with a new coach are not unusual and are expected, the departure of All Big Ten lineman Justin Boren to arch-rival Ohio State did elicit some red flags.  As reported by Detroit Free Press’ Michael Rosenburg, “Rodriguez’s staff uses some of the foulest, most degrading language imaginable.  I know coaches curse, and I’m no prude, but this goes way beyond a few dirty words.  He belittles his players.  This is a big reason why offensive lineman Justin Boren left the team.  He felt his dignity was at stake.”  While the W and L’s were great at West Virginia, Coach Rod eventually developed conflicts with WVU president Michael Garrison that resulted in his departure to Michigan after four months earlier signing a long contract extension to stay in Morgantown.  Lawsuits followed and ultimately Michigan paid WVU $2.5 million and the coach paid an additional $1.5 million.

Without question Athletic Director Greg Byrne knows exactly what he is getting with Rich Rodriguez.  Byrne’s leadership position and career is riding on this decision.  Will Rodriguez’s successes on the field mitigate the other issues he will bring to Tucson.  Hopefully the leadership concept of “big risk, big reward” will manifest itself in Central Arizona.  The big question, "How much baggage is too much?"  The next few three to four years in Tucson may give us the answer.  Every leader needs to understand how much is enough.

Rex vs Pat---No Contest

One of the most important characteristics of being a great leader is toughness, being able to deal with adversity.  Over the last couple of weeks there have two major news stories that demonstrate how leaders deal with adversity.  Remembering that followers pick up "cues" from their leaders and athletes often mimic their coaches, the contrast in these reactions by two high profile coaches provide an interesting pair of case studies.

A week ago, at the Jets vs Patriots game, the always affable Rex Ryan over-reacted to a fan's taunt ("Rex, Belicheck is better than you.") by responding and being captured on video, "Shut the f*** up!"  As a second offense, the NFL levied a $75,000 fine on the volatile Ryan.  Rex explained, "This is who I am.....I'm about as big a competitor as there is and, at that time, I was in no mood to hear anything, but I also have to handle that better."  Observing those comments, the one things that stands out like a sore thumb is the number of I's in Ryan's comments.  This statement demonstrates not only a lack of toughness of dealing with some innocuous banter but also the focus of the leader is all about himself.  What message does that send to his players?

Compare Coach Ryan's reaction to that of UT Volunteers' Coach Pat Summitt, who was recently diagnosed with early onset dementia.  Her first public reaction was, "there is not going to be any pity party and I will make sure of that."  She emphasized that her opportunity to coach the Lady Vols was an honor and now would become more of a team effort.  "I love being your coach and the privilege  to go to work every day with our outstanding student-athletes."  Summitt (unlike Ryan) did not talk about her challenges but rather about how her UT family would persevere.  Her strength, determination and toughness have a significant effect on the UT family and serves as as constant reminder of the traits Summitt demonstrated over her 1,071 career wins.  As former Vol superstar, Candace Parker, tweeted to Summitt, "Coach you never cease to amaze me with your strength and courage.  Whenever you face adversity you tackle it head on."

It is pretty clear to see which of these two coaches understand leadership and who is focused on their own personal agenda.

Jimbo hit the Jackpot

Toward the tail end of Bobby Bowden illustrious career, Florida State named Jimbo Fisher Head Coach in waiting.  With Florida State being viewed as one of the top programs in the country, the decision to move an individual with no head coaching experience into the top job spoke volumes about their confidence in Fisher.  Prior to the his inaugural season in 2010, Fisher was also awarded an entry level salary of $1.8 million to lead the Seminoles.  His first year met with some success as FSU finished with a 10-4 record, yet a season far from the glory days when the Seminoles were competing for national championships. 

What was the response of the University President Eric Barron?  Good ole Jimbo received a raise of approximately 50%  ($950,000) to raise his salary to $2,750,000.  Barron’s public rationale for the raise, “You are always looking at whether or not you have the potential to lose a good coach and end up having to pay more in order to get the next one.”  If Coach Fisher can put three more 10-4 records together and President Barron uses the same formula, the FSU Football Coach will be making about $9.5 million in 2014.

In my estimation Fisher’s salary has nothing to do with the possibility of him leaving and the Seminoles needing a new coach.  No one is going to be beating down Jimbo’s door to open the vault and have him guide their program.  The real reason behind this super raise is the concept of “keeping up with the Joneses”.

A few hours down the road, the hated Gators brought in first time head coach Will Muschamps and did open the vault to the tune of $3.22 million for his annual compensation.

In Barron’s mind he could not have the inexperienced Florida Head Coach making significantly more in salary than his guy.  As a leader realize that you need to do what is appropriate and right for your organization.  I have seen many people in charge make decisions based on bad decisions of their competitors.  Getting involved in arms races with other groups and organizations can get very risky.  Understand your own situation first and then see what is going on in the marketplace.  

A Leadership Challenge---the Circle of Privilege

In economics there is a concept called the circle of poverty that is defined as "set of factors or events by which poverty, once started, is likely to continue unless there is outside intervention." In many organizations and particularly in sports organizations there is a similar situation which I call the "circle of privilege".  Once privilege is granted to one individual in as much as they are exempt from the standard policies and responsibilities, the genie is out of the jar.  The "circle of privilege" will continue with coaches setting their own agendas and priorities while feeling no accountability to their supervisor.  They will create their own culture (Penn State, Ohio State, USC, Oklahoma,etc.).  Individuals who are treated as privileged will perpetuate that type of situation either in their current organization or one to which they ascend.  The culture of coaching is particularly vulnerable to the "circle of privilege" because there is no formal training of coaches in the USA so coaches learn their trade through on the job training and assume many characteristics of their mentors.  An assistant coach at Big Time U who has been exposed to the superstar head coach, when hired at Mid Major U as Head Coach, will have similar expectations and ideas of his/her importance and control.  As a leader (Athletic Director) and someone who is the ultimate decision maker on the hiring of this coach, you must clearly set the expectations and responsibilities of the coach so there is no cloudiness as to who is in charge.  If left to his/her own devices and experiences, the new coach will continue the  "circle of privilege".  Naturally as the superstar coach's  proteges find new leadership positions and allowed to institute their own set of priorities, the "circle of privilege" grows exponentially.   Because the hiring of head coaches come from the pool of assistants from the Big Time U's,  the true power in college athletics has ultimately shifted to the coaches.  Until University leadership is willing to break the chain of the "circle of privilege", college athletics will continue to suffer through scandals like Penn State, Ohio State, Miami and USC.  As a leader you need to accept your role and not submit your authority to anyone irrespective of their status or public image.  Until leaders break the "circle of prestige", college athletics will be very much like a battleship with no one at the helm,  a huge force that will create its own path.  Leaders need set the course and make sure everyone is headed in the same direction with no ulterior motives that detract from the common good for group, organization or team.  By establishing parameters when individuals are placed in positions of authority in regard to what their boundaries are on the front end, there should be very situations when those people exceed their power.

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JoPa---the Superstar Coach Paradiigm

Many people wonder how such a horrific sexual abuse of children and it's cover-up could actually happen and be minimized at such a prestigious institution as Penn State.  The reason and underlying reality is that Universities (and other bottom line organization) create an environment that facilitates the "Superstar Coach Paradigm".
What happens is that Athletic Directors and intermediate leaders face an incredibly complex challenge because while they are the "boss" (at least on the formal organizational chart), they have very limited control of the "superstar" who works for them. The Athletic Director's supervisors and super-ordinates develop relationships with the "superstar coach" and  then provide them unadulterated access to the ultimate decision makers (Presidents and Board Members) that basically subverts all power of the Athletic Director.  At many universities, football and basketball coaches are the most visible and influential individuals on campus.  They have incredible access and power.  They have access to the media and a platform to promote themselves, their programs and their ideas.  At Penn State Paterno had a significant impact on the culture at State College as he was given carte blanche to operate the football program.  Presidents and board members fall prey to this dysfunctional organizational structure by allowing total control by"superstar coaches". They fall prey to this recipe for disaster for many of the following reasons: the Halo Effect, access to powerful supporters and donors who become friends of the coach, being part of the inner circle of the "superstar coach and recognition as the individual who provides the foundation for success for the "superstar coach".  When this lack of control builds  an environment where the coach is not held accountable for anything grows rapidly.  The coach's won-lost record becomes the sole criteria in which he/she is evaluated.  The standards that other coaches or employees are held to, are not applied to the "superstar coach".  Soon coaches realize they are bigger than everything else and start to only answer to themselves.  PSU Athletic Director Tim Curley (who I served with on the NCAA Championship cabinet for 4 years)  became the poster child for this type of situation as he became only a figurehead as Paterno's boss.  As a leader you have to understand that this situation is very real and you will need to deal with it.  What do you do?  Here are my five recommendations.

1.  Do not look past behaviors, actions or bad decisions that need to be addresses and do it in a timely manner.
2.  Communicate with the "superstar" regarding your objectives, thoughts and plans and make sure they understand.  Remember that communication is a two way street that includes straightforward discourse that includes both speaking and listening.
3. Be omnipresent.  When leaders are always around, they hear and see many things and develop a sense of what is happening.  Being hidden in your office is a sure fire way to have surprises knock on your door.
4.  Have courage.  There will be times when you have to tell the "superstar coach" or the president things they do not want to hear.  In the long run they will be much better off for your truthfulness.
5.  Make the tough right indecisions even though they may be unpopular at the time. Those tough unpopular decisions will be appreciated at a later date.  At the time it may seem painful but it does not compare when problems are ignored or "covered up".

Everyone in the Penn State situation is a big loser.  This horrific tragedy for these children and all the other individuals affected could have been avoided if the this "superstar coach" paradigm would have been squelched and diffused.  No one was willing to step up as a true leader and deal with a difficult situation.  Please take solace when making tough and unpopular decisions, you will have internal satisfaction knowing you did the right thing.

Boise State---A Dream with a Price

In 1996 Boise State was a new member in Division 1A football.  Just like numerous other programs that had made the move to the current FBS classification, the Broncos dreamed of the glory, recognition and national exposure of competing at the highest level.  The majority of college athletics  viewed BSU as just another wannabe with no real reason to expect them to be any more than numerous other schools with lofty aspirations but no ability to elevate their program to a top 10 status.  Many schools with more resources and tradition could not maintain a nationally competitive program.  But Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier  (who became AD in 1982) accepted the credo, "The difference between a dream and a goal is a timeline."  So the vision became the goal and the Broncos have built and maintained a football program that has become the main target for expansion by the Big East.  If Bleymaier would have told someone in 1996 that Boise would be highly sought after by the Big East and be crucial to the Big East long term survival, people would have laughed in his face.  Realizing the Broncos had to create their own plan and model for success, Bleymaier created a strategy different from everyone else typified  by constructing "the blue", the only field in the BCS that is not green.  He managed the success through three different conference and two BCS bowl appearances.  Without his vision and confidence to follow the dream,  Boise State might still be in the Big Sky without the national reputation and name recognition.  As leaders,  understand that dreams do happen when you are willing to take action and perservere through the rough waters.  Bleymaier did not let the naysayers interfere with his dreams and goals.  Unfortunately in the last few months the president at Boise State terminated AD Gene Bleymaier because the Broncos had been found to have violated NCAA rules in five sports.  While the response from Bleymaier and Boise State was commended by the NCAA, Boise State president Bob Kustra "lost confidence" in Gene's ability to handle the compliance function and fired him immediately.  While the incredible success of the Boise State Broncos is totally the efforts of Gene Bleymaier, everyone must realize that every aspect of leadership becomes a potential source of trouble.  Leaders need to make sure that they leave no area vulnerable or even with incredible success, the  leader becomes expendable.  So two great lessons to be learned from a Boise State case study are:

1.  Dreams can be true if you have an unflappable determination and a strategy to turn that dream into a goal.

2.  Even when everything in your dream is coming together, you must pay attention to every aspect of reaching your goal.  One mistake or omission of responsibility can bring you down. 

Lane Kiffin---Apologies Abound

After the tough triple overtime loss to the Stanford Cardinal, USC Head Coach Lane Kiffin blistered the Pac-12 officiating crew for not giving him 1 second on the clock at the end of regulation to kick a 50 yard field goal.  The controversial coach accused one official of lying and basically costing the Trojans the game.  Kiffin has a track record of making inappropriate comments that require apologetic back-pedaling.  Leaders need to realize that everyone makes mistakes and there may be a need to admit to a bad decision.  Once or twice over a long period of time will probably be accepted by most constituents, but continuous gaffs diminishes credibility.  Leaders build equity in themselves by making good decisions, yet that equity can rapidly erode through series of bad decisions or inappropriate actions.  After attacking both Florida Head Coach Urban Meyer and Oakland Raiders President Al Davis (Davis referred to Kiffen as a "flat out liar") on numerous issues and bolting from the University of Tennessee after 14 months, many folks were questioning if Kiffin was the guy you would want to lead a program.  With this most recent outburst, fines from the Pac 12 and Kiffin's limited apology, the question becomes, "Is Kiffin a positive to the USC brand?"  Additionally the players now are taking cues from the coach and making some over the top statements to the media.  Quarterback Matt Barkley accused Arizona State's Vontaze Burflict of being a dirty player and quickly was rebuffed by Pac-12 for inappropriate behavior.  The very next week Barley opined  that Notre Dame quit in their game against USC.  As a leader,  remember that your followers model their behavior after the leader.  When the leader acts a certain way, do not expect the followers to act any other way.  There is no credibility to reprimanding a follower for a behavior that duplicates the actions of the leader.

Russell Wilson and Tom O'Brien---a leadership challenge

Last Spring N.C. State Head Coach Tom O'Brien informed three year starter and ACC player of the year quarterback Russell Wilson that he was no longer a member of the Wolfpack football team even though he had one year of eligibility. Wilson one of the most popular players on the team and recognized leader was not canned for on or off the field behavior, but for following his dream of being a professional baseball player by signing with Colorado Rockies and playing with a minor league affiliate of the Rockies.  O'Brien felt that Wilson was lacking in commitment to the team and the situation would cause uncertainty.  Did this come down to age old misguided philosophy that a coach has to treat everybody the same.  Unfortunately for O'Brien the Wolfpack has suffered and Wilson has taken over the quarterback reigns at University of Wisconsin and has become a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate. O'Brien viewed this decision as one that needed to happen for well-being of the team.  As a leader you need to understand that not everyone is the same so you should not treat everyone the same.  Great achievers and producers build up equity because of their results and contributions and should be treated accordingly.  One of the best coaches I have ever seen (he has won more college tennis matches than any current college tennis coach) is VCU's Paul Kostin.   One of Coach Kostin's most amazing traits is his ability to give each individual exactly what each player needs to reach his/her maximum potential.  Some need praise, some need a scolding, some need almost nothing and P.K. is the best at recognizing that and supplying that relationship.  Coach O'Brien appears to have lost perspective that the individuals are the foundation of the team and their individual performances blended together is what makes a team successful.  Making the decision to not bring Wilson, the recognized team leader, back also brings to question how the rest of the team viewed the coaches commitment to the individual team members.  Does he care about us as individuals or does he just care about the team?  We all know when trust disappears, the leader quickly loses any ability to bring the group together.  The decision by Coach O'Brien was a difficult one.  The question is, "Did he really think through the implications of that decision?"  It could wind up being a very costly decision.  After watching the video below posted below that was recorded before the season, you can understand how difficult some decisions can be.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/video/college-football/Tom-OBrien-on-Russell-Wilson-decision-1096592

Theo and the Cubs----Change is around the corner

With both the Red Sox and the Cubs struggling through disappointing years, change at the top was almost a certainty.  The Bean City boy wonder who took over control of the Sox at age 28 saw greener pastures in the Windy City and made the move.  When new leadership is recruited to a struggling organization one thing is certain and that one thing  is change.  Status quo is not an option so expect to see some major changes on Lake Michigan.  One thing to realize is that Epstein and good leaders need to surround themselves with an inner circle that is both loyal and committed to the same mission, core values and vision as the leader.  Quite often individuals who are hired or appointed into new leadership positions feel an obligation to keep long time employees irrespective of how they buy into the important principles of the leaders.  A sure way to become ineffective as an organization is to have non-committed managers and folks in prominent positions not buy-in to the vision.  Nothing deflates morale quicker than the new leader ascending to a leadership position and espousing great ideas and plans and then nothing changes.  Followers quickly see that the leader has no ability to make progress and will shut down.  So expect the Cubbies to have a new manager, some significant new players and many new front office staff.  The uniforms will look the same but the organization will be very different.  Will the Cubs quickly challenge for the pennant, don't know but expect some significant changes inside those ivy-covered walls of Wrigley Field. As an effective leader, you cannot be afraid of change, you have to embrace it. Don't be surprised to see Cubs former great Ryne Sandberg in the manager's chair in 2012.

Passion versus control----The Will Muschamp Model

No one is going to question first year University of Florida’s Head Football Coach Will Muschamp’s passion.  He has garnered quite a reputation at both Auburn and Texas as a highly intense and emotional coach.  Everyone in the inner cirle of college football was familiar with Muschamp as a rising star in the coaching world.  The question arises, Will that intensity and passion serve him well as the absolute leader or will that intensity soon wear thin on players, assistant coaches , the administration and the media?  Two leadership concepts come to focus:

1.     Leaders have to be themselves.  Trying to be someone you are not almost always fails.  Followers quickly recognize any contrived or unreal behavior.  As soon as a leader is labeled as a phony , the ability for the organization to succeed is greatly diminished and the leader has basically “lost his team”.

2.     A leader who cannot control his emotions on a regular basis will lose respect and ongoing outburst will have the same effect as spanking a child.  On occasion the spanking will get the child’s attention and have a positive result.  After a while the child will just accept that spanking and no impression whatsoever is made.  Leaders need to save those intense demonstrations so the strength of the reaction makes a definite impression

It will be interesting to see as Coach Muschamp’s career moves forward how he will balance being his own passionate and emotional self  with creating a balance so his wide constituent base will not tire of his outbursts and lack of control.  He has already appeared to making an adjustment by making public his intent to modify sideline behavior by eliminating profanity from his vocabulary and speech pattern.  I believe he will figure out how to deal with these two necessary leadership concepts.  What are your thoughts about the following link?

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college_uf/2011/10/espn-cameras-pick-up-will-muschamps-rant-at-refs.html

The Big Domino Game-College Athletics

Over the last three months conference affiliation has changed as rapidly as participants in the World Series of Poker.  When University of Texas went all in with ESPN and created the Longhorn Network,
Texas A&M's leadership viewed this new network as a major advantage for UT in recruiting and exposure and knew they had to make a dramatic move.  Playing second fiddle was not in the Aggies strategic plan and they realized they would have to differentiate themselves from their Lone Star State rival.  Leaders are always looking for a way to differentiate themselves so their organization's brand is both recognizable and relevant.  By jumping to the SEC, Texas A&M will not be viewed by the Texas media as one of the many teams in the Big 12.  They will now be covered completely differently by the media as part of the number 1 football conference in the nation.  Leaders are alway looking for the "halo effect", picking up value by  association with the top brands in college football.  Alabama, LSU and Florida have had a stranglehold on the BCS National Championship and A&M wanted to play in that ballpark.  Over the years as programs have switched conference they tend to gravitate to the same level of competition as the conference membership.  A&M's desire is to expand their brand into a much larger geographical area while being viewed through the same filter as Alabama, LSU, Florida, Georgia and the rest of the SEC.  Why this move has a huge chance for Texas A&M success is the Aggies have the resources to invest.  Many wannabes want to elevate their programs and make the jump but cannot match the resources and end up being the whipping boy.  So as a leader remember you want to differentiate your brand and create a "halo effect" but before you do make sure you have the resources to allow for you to compete at the same level.  Uneven playing fields create major disadvantages and ultimate defeat for the guys without competitive reosurces.