With 31 seconds to go in their annual dogfight in Columbus, 6 foot 10 center Jared Berggen drilled a three pointer that brought the Wisconsin Badgers from behind to knock off the home standing #8 ranked Buckeyes of Ohio State. While having your 6 foot 10 center launch a three on the most important possession of the game would seem to fly in the face of conventional wisdom, making the right call at the end of the game over his long and distinguished career has become the trademark of Badgers Head Coach Bo Ryan and the coach intuitively knew this was a great shot. Realize that making the right call is nothing new to Bo Ryan. In his 15 years as Head Coach at University of Wisconsin-Platteville, he won four Division III National Championships. Clearly Bo Ryan has demonstrated an amazing ability to use his intuition to make the correct decisions that have been the cornerstone of his 646 coaching victories in college basketball.
Great leaders and great coaches seem to always make the right call and many experts will tell you the reason: great leaders are extremely intuitive. When we look at the definition of intuitive we get two different interpretations of the concept.
1. Act or faculty of knowing or sensing without the use of rational process.
2. Immediate cognition.
While some individuals look at intuition as a mystical gift, the reality is great leaders and coaches have an amazing ability to aggregate tons of information acquired over their lifetime and process that information almost instantaneously. Great athletes have that same talent and use it to create winning situations. Maybe the greatest example of intuition in the athletic arena is Derek Jeter’s backhanded flip in game 3 of the 2001 American League playoffs to nail Jeremy Giambi at the plate in the seventh inning to preserve Mike Mussina’s 1-0 lead. As A’s manager Art Howe gasped, “I don’t have a clue as to how or why he was even involved in the play.”
Just like Ryan setting up his 6 foot 10 center, Jeter used all his experiences and knowledge to quickly size up the situation and immediately synthesize the information to position himself to make the game saving play.
Great leaders have that intuitive ability because they pay attention to every circumstance and process that information. Leaders focus on every situation they experience both from their own personal experiences and from viewing others. They not only observe the actions of others but they retain that data and store it in their memory bank. The critical message to be included in your leadership style is, "Do not to be so self absorbed that you only pay attention to yourself. Instead, gather every bit of information from both good and bad leaders so you instantly know what gives your organization (team) the best chance for success." Winning athletes and coaches make critical plays at critical times because they have worked to be able to use all their aggregated knowledge. While it appears great leaders often instinctively know the right decision, they have acquired loads of resource information over the years to use to make those "instinctive" decisions. Don’t be confused and think that intuition is some god given talent, winners develop that intuition by paying attention to everything around them and then filtering that information through a leadership funnel. As Coach Ryan has done numerous times, he has watched games and asked himself, “If I were coaching in that situation, what would I do?”. Be like Bo and ask yourself, “What would I have done if I were the leader in that situation?” There is a good chance you will have a similar situation occur in your leadership life.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Friday, February 24, 2012
Crimson Tides' Anthony Grant's Best Call---Addition by Subtraction
Last night I had the opportunity to watch the Alabama Crimson Tide hoopsters take apart a pretty good Arkansas squad in Fayetteville. The interesting part of the game was that the Tide was playing without their two best players who have been suspended on and off for most of the season. While Jamychal Green and Tony Mitchell never made the trip to Bud Walton Arena, the remaining guys pulled together and dominated after a shaky start. In today’s world of instant gratification, it is highly unusual for any coach to make a decision that hurts the current situation for the benefit of the long term. However, most great leaders know that early pain and discomfort is often critical in creating the necessary structure for success down the road.
When I hired Anthony Grant six years ago I posed the question, “How will you know if your players buy into your system?” Interestingly he said that if they do not buy-in, they will quit because they do not want to put in the required effort or it will be so apparent that they will soon not be a part of the team. Sure enough the first year, his two tallest players both left the team and Coach Grant was left with short numbers and no starter over 6’6. While that might have seemed like a sure fire way not to succeed, just the opposite happened. Those who truly committed came together and embraced the system, the coaches and their teammates, and set a Colonial Athletic Association record for most wins in a season, won the conference tournament and beat Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Anthony Grant has a set of values and everyone in the program must understand the importance of those values. Remember that the reality of leadership is making decisions that are good for the entire group and accepting the responsibility for the success of the mission. It is about building a solid enduring organization or team. Sometimes leaders have to rid themselves of individuals who are destructive and bring the rest of the group down. It does not mean that they are bad people but it means that they are roadblocks to creating the correct culture. Coach Grant is always talking building a culture on his team. If you can build a culture where everyone understands and has focus on the same objectives, your chances are very good you will achieve at least to the ability of the individuals and you actually have a chance to achieve above the ability of the individuals. Some leaders (coaches) feel they can change anyone’s attitude and make them valuable contributors. The one thing to realize is that attitudes are formed over a lifetime and you may not be able to affect attitudes of some folks. When it become apparent that someone will not adapt to your value system, you may need to pull an Anthony Grant and cut loose the individual for the good of the group. Addition by subtraction may be most important play that you call to build a winner.
When I hired Anthony Grant six years ago I posed the question, “How will you know if your players buy into your system?” Interestingly he said that if they do not buy-in, they will quit because they do not want to put in the required effort or it will be so apparent that they will soon not be a part of the team. Sure enough the first year, his two tallest players both left the team and Coach Grant was left with short numbers and no starter over 6’6. While that might have seemed like a sure fire way not to succeed, just the opposite happened. Those who truly committed came together and embraced the system, the coaches and their teammates, and set a Colonial Athletic Association record for most wins in a season, won the conference tournament and beat Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Anthony Grant has a set of values and everyone in the program must understand the importance of those values. Remember that the reality of leadership is making decisions that are good for the entire group and accepting the responsibility for the success of the mission. It is about building a solid enduring organization or team. Sometimes leaders have to rid themselves of individuals who are destructive and bring the rest of the group down. It does not mean that they are bad people but it means that they are roadblocks to creating the correct culture. Coach Grant is always talking building a culture on his team. If you can build a culture where everyone understands and has focus on the same objectives, your chances are very good you will achieve at least to the ability of the individuals and you actually have a chance to achieve above the ability of the individuals. Some leaders (coaches) feel they can change anyone’s attitude and make them valuable contributors. The one thing to realize is that attitudes are formed over a lifetime and you may not be able to affect attitudes of some folks. When it become apparent that someone will not adapt to your value system, you may need to pull an Anthony Grant and cut loose the individual for the good of the group. Addition by subtraction may be most important play that you call to build a winner.
Monday, February 20, 2012
A Dynasty And A Legacy----UConn and Geno
One of the rarest of all occurrences in college athletics happened this weekend. The University of Connecticut women’s basketball squad lost a home game at Storrs, Connecticut. After 99 consecutive home victories, the St. John’s Red Storm ended the UConn Huskies incredible streak that started March 6, 2007.
The winning streak emphasized the fact that the Huskies are truly one of the few authentic dynasties in sports. Players have come and gone, challengers have taken their best shots but the Huskies have maintained their elite level since 1985 when Geno Auriemma was hired to lead the Huskies. With a winning percentage of over 85%, the Huskies under Coach A have maintained their place (along with Tennessee) as the most dominant women's basketball program in NCAA history. As we have often heard in sports or any competitive endeavor, getting to the top is very difficult, staying there is almost impossible. Yet Auriemma charges have maintained that status with amazing consistency.
The questions becomes simply, “How?”
About 5 years ago, I asked Coach Auriemma to address a gathering of 35 of the top assistant women’s basketball coaches in the country (a program I started called Villa 7), to help prepare them to become Head Coaches. While Geno’s presentation might have lacked “political correctness”, the message was right on target and relevant for any leader whether in sports, business, politics or education. The crux of the message was simple, “don’t make excuses and don’t accept excuses!” In his inimitable way and in no uncertain terms, he challenged each to overcome every obstacle and make something big happen. He emphasized that leaders make things happen and do not focus on why something cannot be accomplished, but rather on what we need to do to make it happen.
With that attitude, Coach Auriemma built the Uconn program to a level of distinction comparable to John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins of the 1960’s and 70’s.
And while Auriemma and Wooden’s personalities are as different as daylight and darkness, they had one similar belief that provided the structure for their dynasties ------THEY WOULD NOT SETTLE. They demanded total commitment and did not relent as time went by. One of the difficult things for any leader is to maintain all the leadership traits that have brought them success early. Understand that naysayers and bureaucrats who build difficult barriers will continually challenge leaders who have the ultimate responsibility for the organization. Those situations tend to wear down the focus of even very good leaders.
We can all take a lesson from Geno from his relentless dedication to being the best. It is very tough not to have some of your focus chipped away throughout the years. While it may be human nature to become more mellow as time goes by, it is important not to settle. One good analogy is young teachers who begin their careers with a burning desire to help students learn, yet after fifteen years many teachers have lost their passion and are just going through the motions and collecting a paycheck. Every once in awhile each of us need to look at ourselves to re-energize and make sure we still have that same passion as when we started. Without question, Geno Auriemma still has that same that same drive as when he began the challenge of building a program at UCONN, a program that had one winning season in the history of the school prior to 1985, his first year at the helm. Great leaders have the strength and confidence not to get beaten down. Believe in yourself and all the good you are doing and most of all----DON’T SETTLE FOR ANYTHING BUT THE BEST FROM YOUR TEAM.
The winning streak emphasized the fact that the Huskies are truly one of the few authentic dynasties in sports. Players have come and gone, challengers have taken their best shots but the Huskies have maintained their elite level since 1985 when Geno Auriemma was hired to lead the Huskies. With a winning percentage of over 85%, the Huskies under Coach A have maintained their place (along with Tennessee) as the most dominant women's basketball program in NCAA history. As we have often heard in sports or any competitive endeavor, getting to the top is very difficult, staying there is almost impossible. Yet Auriemma charges have maintained that status with amazing consistency.
The questions becomes simply, “How?”
About 5 years ago, I asked Coach Auriemma to address a gathering of 35 of the top assistant women’s basketball coaches in the country (a program I started called Villa 7), to help prepare them to become Head Coaches. While Geno’s presentation might have lacked “political correctness”, the message was right on target and relevant for any leader whether in sports, business, politics or education. The crux of the message was simple, “don’t make excuses and don’t accept excuses!” In his inimitable way and in no uncertain terms, he challenged each to overcome every obstacle and make something big happen. He emphasized that leaders make things happen and do not focus on why something cannot be accomplished, but rather on what we need to do to make it happen.
With that attitude, Coach Auriemma built the Uconn program to a level of distinction comparable to John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins of the 1960’s and 70’s.
And while Auriemma and Wooden’s personalities are as different as daylight and darkness, they had one similar belief that provided the structure for their dynasties ------THEY WOULD NOT SETTLE. They demanded total commitment and did not relent as time went by. One of the difficult things for any leader is to maintain all the leadership traits that have brought them success early. Understand that naysayers and bureaucrats who build difficult barriers will continually challenge leaders who have the ultimate responsibility for the organization. Those situations tend to wear down the focus of even very good leaders.
We can all take a lesson from Geno from his relentless dedication to being the best. It is very tough not to have some of your focus chipped away throughout the years. While it may be human nature to become more mellow as time goes by, it is important not to settle. One good analogy is young teachers who begin their careers with a burning desire to help students learn, yet after fifteen years many teachers have lost their passion and are just going through the motions and collecting a paycheck. Every once in awhile each of us need to look at ourselves to re-energize and make sure we still have that same passion as when we started. Without question, Geno Auriemma still has that same that same drive as when he began the challenge of building a program at UCONN, a program that had one winning season in the history of the school prior to 1985, his first year at the helm. Great leaders have the strength and confidence not to get beaten down. Believe in yourself and all the good you are doing and most of all----DON’T SETTLE FOR ANYTHING BUT THE BEST FROM YOUR TEAM.
Thursday, February 16, 2012
The CAA and Tom Yeager----Prospering In the Turmoil of Conference Re-alignment
Without question the most difficult job in the world of sports is being a NCAA Division 1 conference commissioner. Think about having to deal with a University President who has a definite agenda and the answer to almost every issue; an Athletic Director who is charged with winning games, graduating students and financially managing a multi-million dollar budget and 16 coaches whose major focus is winning games. Now multiply that situation by 12 or 15 (the number of schools in a conference) and that is the day in, day out job a conference commissioner. Having teams that compete to the maximum in the athletic arena and then work together to build a conference that makes decisions that may be good for the group, but are sometimes at the expense of an individual school, has all the earmarks of an extremely dysfunctional organization. To make matters more difficult, Universities and their leadership are always looking for (in their minds) a better home for their program with very little concern for their current situation. Witness the crazy geographical make-up of some conferences and current domino game going on in conference affiliation like TCU going from the Mountain West to the Big East to the Big 12 within a year and you get a feel for the volatility of Division 1 athletics. Certainly these situations and issues challenge even the best leaders and conference commissioners every day. Yet some conferences have prospered in this crazy environment because of solid leadership by conference commissioners..
One of the best and most respected commissioners in Division 1 (who has faced this challenge for over 25 years) is the Colonial Athletic Association’s Tom Yeager. As the only commish in the history of the CAA, Tom has seen the dramatic change in college athletics and withstood the fleeting loyalty of University Presidents to build a rock solid conference that does things right. The CAA has had Final Four appearance in men’s and women’s basketball, National championships and big runs in NCAA Championships in just about every other sports and has done it with no major violations and a reputation for doing things right. The question arises, “How can anyone lead a group that has big egos, divergent missions and a burning desire to beat the brains out of the other members of the group?”
Tom Yeager has that challenge and has managed it beautifully. How? Tom Yeager has almost no ego. He is totally committed to achieving the best result for the schools and the conference without feeling any personal need to be the “main man”. Because of his lack of ego, he has been able to use the talents of all the Universities and their presidents, A.D.’s and coaches to massage the best result without creating confrontational situations. Like all great leaders, Tom has been able to draw on the collective knowledge, skill and energy of the entire group to maximize the productivity of the conference while making everyone feel that they are big contributors to the success of the group.
Understand that your mission as a leader is to accomplish a result that provides the most possible success for the group. It is not about you as the leader but about how we all will benefit by working together. Using all the talents of the group to get the bottom line result is the true test of a leader. Learn a lesson from Commissioner Yeager, ego gets in the way of building a team. That is the reason Tom Yeager has been the CAA Commissioner for over 25 years during this time of conference affiliation leapfrog, the CAA is stronger and more successful than ever.
One of the best and most respected commissioners in Division 1 (who has faced this challenge for over 25 years) is the Colonial Athletic Association’s Tom Yeager. As the only commish in the history of the CAA, Tom has seen the dramatic change in college athletics and withstood the fleeting loyalty of University Presidents to build a rock solid conference that does things right. The CAA has had Final Four appearance in men’s and women’s basketball, National championships and big runs in NCAA Championships in just about every other sports and has done it with no major violations and a reputation for doing things right. The question arises, “How can anyone lead a group that has big egos, divergent missions and a burning desire to beat the brains out of the other members of the group?”
Tom Yeager has that challenge and has managed it beautifully. How? Tom Yeager has almost no ego. He is totally committed to achieving the best result for the schools and the conference without feeling any personal need to be the “main man”. Because of his lack of ego, he has been able to use the talents of all the Universities and their presidents, A.D.’s and coaches to massage the best result without creating confrontational situations. Like all great leaders, Tom has been able to draw on the collective knowledge, skill and energy of the entire group to maximize the productivity of the conference while making everyone feel that they are big contributors to the success of the group.
Understand that your mission as a leader is to accomplish a result that provides the most possible success for the group. It is not about you as the leader but about how we all will benefit by working together. Using all the talents of the group to get the bottom line result is the true test of a leader. Learn a lesson from Commissioner Yeager, ego gets in the way of building a team. That is the reason Tom Yeager has been the CAA Commissioner for over 25 years during this time of conference affiliation leapfrog, the CAA is stronger and more successful than ever.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Jeremy Lin----The Moneyball Poster Child
One of the best stories in sports in the last 25 years Is the meteoric rise of Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin. His play has been nothing but “Linsational”. The big question is, “How did someone who can totally dominate games and be the key to 5 straight NY Knick wins, been un-drafted and cut by 2 other teams after short tryouts?” The answer is one that leaders and coaches need to keep stored in their memory bank. Lin, who scored more points (109) in his first four starts then any NBA player since the NBA-ABA merger in 1976-77, is the prototypical underdog. Not offered a college athletic scholarship, the son of two 5 foot 6 parents, Lin has always been dismissed because he did not fit the norm. In other words, Jeremy Lin’s success flies in the face of conventional wisdom.
Conventional wisdom would tell you that point guards need to be super quick, have great ball-handling skills and have competed at the highest level and dominated games. Conventional wisdom is just that -- conventional. If Steve Jobs would have accepted conventional wisdom, no one would be talking on their iPhone or reading this blog on their iPad. It is amazing to see so many teams draft or recruit players based on potential rather than how they play the game. Coaches and player personnel staff tend to create profiles and then put people in positions based on their projected abilities rather than results. Lin has always been a winner dating back to his High School state championship team in Palo Alto to his outstanding career at Harvard. How much value does being a winner and having success in every endeavor bring to the table? Apparently it does not mean much to the experts.
As a leader, I would encourage you not to fall into the trap that because everybody else is doing something, then that is the way things need to be done. Evaluate people and situations based on your own set of values and do not accept what everyone else is doing or saying as the gospel. Always remember that individuals who are successful tend to know how to create an environment where they will continue to be successful. Fortunately, Mike D’Antoni was forced to give Lin a real opportunity because of injuries and poor play of his anointed point guards. Tom Brady (199 pick in 2000) and Albert Pujols (402 pick in 1999 draft) are examples of superstars who were not highly valued yet have greatly surpassed other much more acclaimed contemporaries in the draft.
Jeremy Lin’s success probably does more to reinforce the Billy Bean’s Moneyball theory than any athlete of the modern era. Bean looked at every aspect of how baseball was played and how teams were put together. He rejected conventional wisdom and built a competitive franchise with limited resources while focusing on the realities of success rather traditionally accepted beliefs. Maybe Jeremy Lin will be the guy who opens the eyes of sports executives to build teams differently. Maybe he will make many leaders abandon stereotypical thinking?
That would be very “Lin-novative”. Will the Knicks continue to win with Lin playing the key role or will they fall back into the superstar mentality and give Amare and Melo the ball at the expense of the team. It should be interesting.
Conventional wisdom would tell you that point guards need to be super quick, have great ball-handling skills and have competed at the highest level and dominated games. Conventional wisdom is just that -- conventional. If Steve Jobs would have accepted conventional wisdom, no one would be talking on their iPhone or reading this blog on their iPad. It is amazing to see so many teams draft or recruit players based on potential rather than how they play the game. Coaches and player personnel staff tend to create profiles and then put people in positions based on their projected abilities rather than results. Lin has always been a winner dating back to his High School state championship team in Palo Alto to his outstanding career at Harvard. How much value does being a winner and having success in every endeavor bring to the table? Apparently it does not mean much to the experts.
As a leader, I would encourage you not to fall into the trap that because everybody else is doing something, then that is the way things need to be done. Evaluate people and situations based on your own set of values and do not accept what everyone else is doing or saying as the gospel. Always remember that individuals who are successful tend to know how to create an environment where they will continue to be successful. Fortunately, Mike D’Antoni was forced to give Lin a real opportunity because of injuries and poor play of his anointed point guards. Tom Brady (199 pick in 2000) and Albert Pujols (402 pick in 1999 draft) are examples of superstars who were not highly valued yet have greatly surpassed other much more acclaimed contemporaries in the draft.
Jeremy Lin’s success probably does more to reinforce the Billy Bean’s Moneyball theory than any athlete of the modern era. Bean looked at every aspect of how baseball was played and how teams were put together. He rejected conventional wisdom and built a competitive franchise with limited resources while focusing on the realities of success rather traditionally accepted beliefs. Maybe Jeremy Lin will be the guy who opens the eyes of sports executives to build teams differently. Maybe he will make many leaders abandon stereotypical thinking?
That would be very “Lin-novative”. Will the Knicks continue to win with Lin playing the key role or will they fall back into the superstar mentality and give Amare and Melo the ball at the expense of the team. It should be interesting.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Susan Walvius--Using Coaching Techniques To Build a Company
In 1990 trying to build a women’s basketball with limited resources, poor facilities and no tradition, I hired a 25 year old with only 3 years assistant coaching experience to tackle the daunting task of building a foundation for VCU Women’s Basketball. That hire turned out to be very significant and five years later VCU was playing in their first post-season tournament and had notched over 20 wins while competing in the very tough Metro Conference. Why did I entrust that challenge to someone so young and inexperienced? I saw all the elements of a great leader and problem solver in Susan Walvius. Others noticed quickly also and after resurrecting VCU women’s basketball, Coach Walvius moved on to West Virginia and South Carolina where she re-energized both programs and positioned them to become significant programs on the national level. To highlight her coaching acumen, in the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, Walvius was recognized as a finalist for Naismith National Coach of the Year.
In analyzing the elements of Coach Walvius’ leadership style that were key to the success of her teams, three important characteristics were very evident.:
1. A true problem solver---Susan always was focused on how to deal with the challenges that were readily apparent and never let the things that she could not control interfere with the task at hand. In recruiting rather than settle for less talented players than the traditional winners could recruit, she found new pools of talent. Susan recruited very talented players from the then Soviet Union and worked through all the operational issues of visas, government (Soviet control) and language. Susan recruited the first Soviet (Russian) player to play at a NCAA program and Anna Pavlikhina opened the VCU recruiting to other Russian, Swedish and Irish players who Coach Walvius blended in beautifully with American athletes. Great leaders do things, they do not just talk about doing things.
2. Always focused on the bottom line result---Coach Walvius was amazing in her ability to adjust and understand that the end result was the critical outcome. She would continually evaluate and put individuals in positions to be successful which led to major wins both on and off the court. Unlike some leaders, she never worried about her own ego but concentrated on her team’s performance and how to improve both the individual and team.
3. She was a great learner----Susan was always looking for better and more productive ways to do things. She never had the attitude that she had all the answers. That characteristic allowed her to grow and become better everyday as a leader and coach. Some leaders think they have it all figured out and therefore create an atmosphere of “status quo”.
Using her leadership and coaching skills, Susan has taken on an exciting new challenge as co-founder and CEO of an exciting new company named Sheex. With co-founder former UT Vol superstar Michelle Marciniak, the two have launched this new endeavor that uses materials similar to those in athletic wear to manufacture sheets and bedding that provide all the same benefits of the new high tech athletic gear. Coach (CEO) Walvius understands how to lead and how to win. This is a great example of a leader actually implementing an idea and concept rather just talking about it. GREAT LEADERS DO, BAD LEADERS TALK ABOUT DOING. I will bet that everyone will be familiar with Sheex in five years. Check out sheex.com, you will be impressed.
In analyzing the elements of Coach Walvius’ leadership style that were key to the success of her teams, three important characteristics were very evident.:
1. A true problem solver---Susan always was focused on how to deal with the challenges that were readily apparent and never let the things that she could not control interfere with the task at hand. In recruiting rather than settle for less talented players than the traditional winners could recruit, she found new pools of talent. Susan recruited very talented players from the then Soviet Union and worked through all the operational issues of visas, government (Soviet control) and language. Susan recruited the first Soviet (Russian) player to play at a NCAA program and Anna Pavlikhina opened the VCU recruiting to other Russian, Swedish and Irish players who Coach Walvius blended in beautifully with American athletes. Great leaders do things, they do not just talk about doing things.
2. Always focused on the bottom line result---Coach Walvius was amazing in her ability to adjust and understand that the end result was the critical outcome. She would continually evaluate and put individuals in positions to be successful which led to major wins both on and off the court. Unlike some leaders, she never worried about her own ego but concentrated on her team’s performance and how to improve both the individual and team.
3. She was a great learner----Susan was always looking for better and more productive ways to do things. She never had the attitude that she had all the answers. That characteristic allowed her to grow and become better everyday as a leader and coach. Some leaders think they have it all figured out and therefore create an atmosphere of “status quo”.
Using her leadership and coaching skills, Susan has taken on an exciting new challenge as co-founder and CEO of an exciting new company named Sheex. With co-founder former UT Vol superstar Michelle Marciniak, the two have launched this new endeavor that uses materials similar to those in athletic wear to manufacture sheets and bedding that provide all the same benefits of the new high tech athletic gear. Coach (CEO) Walvius understands how to lead and how to win. This is a great example of a leader actually implementing an idea and concept rather just talking about it. GREAT LEADERS DO, BAD LEADERS TALK ABOUT DOING. I will bet that everyone will be familiar with Sheex in five years. Check out sheex.com, you will be impressed.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Coach Mike Brey's Fighting Irish Has Enlisted Big Mo
When Notre Dame knocked off unbeaten Syracuse on January 21, most folks thought that the upset of the number 1 Orange was a fluke by a mediocre Fighting Irish squad. Particularly since the closet appeared to be bare in South Bend with the departure of three starting seniors and losing All Big East candidate Tim Abromaitis (knee injury) prior to the 2011-12 season. However, Mike Brey’s crew have rebuilt themselves and now are contending in the Big East with a 7-3 ledger.
What Brey has done is something that can provide value to any organization and that is to capitalize on momentum. Struggling to stay above .500 after 19 games, the schedule looked daunting with games against Big East powerhouses Syracuse, early season surprise Seton Hall, defending National Champion UConn and top 15 Marquette. Yet the Irish’s big win over the then undefeated Orangemen, changed their entire season. That win set the stage for three consecutive upset wins and now has them positioned very favorably for the post-season.
Great leaders take advantage of wins to engage their organizations so that the team members believe in the vision of the leader. Victories must be celebrated and recognized so that team members can feel a real sense of accomplishment.
The Fighting Irish through Brey’s careful tutelage are feeling good about themselves and have developed into a very cohesive unit. Leaders not only need to look for positive outcomes but they must get the team members to understand how that victory benefits them individually as well as the team. By having the individuals feel a part of the victory, they will work that much harder and individual team members will step up on different occasions. All of which builds on the momentum and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In the Irish’s 76-59 domination of Marquette on Saturday, Frosh Pat Connaughton scored 23 points to take the heat off upper classmen Scott Martin and Jack Cooley.
Coach Mike Brey has done more with less over his career at Notre Dame then almost any coach in the country and that is the true test of a leader. He has done it because he has enabled his players and made them believe they can win against the traditional elite of the Big East. By celebrating victories, Brey encourages his players to focus on the positive and the true foundation of being a team. Celebrating victories makes every member of the team recognize that when the group succeeds, everybody shares in the victory. If the Fighting Irish can maintain their momentum they have an authentic shot at a second place finish in the Big East. Can Brey's charges maintain Big Mo?
What Brey has done is something that can provide value to any organization and that is to capitalize on momentum. Struggling to stay above .500 after 19 games, the schedule looked daunting with games against Big East powerhouses Syracuse, early season surprise Seton Hall, defending National Champion UConn and top 15 Marquette. Yet the Irish’s big win over the then undefeated Orangemen, changed their entire season. That win set the stage for three consecutive upset wins and now has them positioned very favorably for the post-season.
Great leaders take advantage of wins to engage their organizations so that the team members believe in the vision of the leader. Victories must be celebrated and recognized so that team members can feel a real sense of accomplishment.
The Fighting Irish through Brey’s careful tutelage are feeling good about themselves and have developed into a very cohesive unit. Leaders not only need to look for positive outcomes but they must get the team members to understand how that victory benefits them individually as well as the team. By having the individuals feel a part of the victory, they will work that much harder and individual team members will step up on different occasions. All of which builds on the momentum and becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In the Irish’s 76-59 domination of Marquette on Saturday, Frosh Pat Connaughton scored 23 points to take the heat off upper classmen Scott Martin and Jack Cooley.
Coach Mike Brey has done more with less over his career at Notre Dame then almost any coach in the country and that is the true test of a leader. He has done it because he has enabled his players and made them believe they can win against the traditional elite of the Big East. By celebrating victories, Brey encourages his players to focus on the positive and the true foundation of being a team. Celebrating victories makes every member of the team recognize that when the group succeeds, everybody shares in the victory. If the Fighting Irish can maintain their momentum they have an authentic shot at a second place finish in the Big East. Can Brey's charges maintain Big Mo?
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
NCAA President Mark Emmert Reform Movement---An Ongoing Leadership Case Study
Over the next month the NCAA member schools will vote on two override issues that were approved by the Board of Directors last summer. Both are being positioned as student-athlete welfare issues, but many long time athletic directors wonder if this is the first step in the creation of a “Super Division”. As the non-BCS schools struggle to financially support their programs and find alternative revenue sources (mostly student fees), the huge television deals and bowl payouts provide significant revenue streams for the Big 6 conferences.
The Board has passed legislation where athletics departments can provide an annual supplement of $2,000 above the normal athletic scholarship. However 161 of the 355 Division 1 schools signed an override measure against the stipend, enough to suspend the measure for now. The reality of this movement is that this legislation will divide the Association into haves and have-nots. NCAA President Mark Emmert says that this is permissive legislation. No school has to provide the stipend to its athletes. However, the reality is that a school will quickly be classified as to whether they provide the stipend or not. Those programs that cannot afford to provide the stipend, will quickly be stigmatized as not committed to “big time” athletics.
To many Athletic Directors who have been in the game for a long time, they perceive President Emmert ‘s reform movement as the early stages of the ultimate move to a “Super Power” Division with different rules and different agendas. Typically this is an example of a leadership style (used frequently in Higher Education) where different scenarios are created over a long period of time that ultimately lead to a major desired outcome. Compare that leadership style to the one where leaders just deal with the main issue and explain the pros and cons of the big issue and the implementation process.
So President Emmert and the NCAA Board has two options:
1. Pass many pieces of legislation that ultimately demonstrate the extreme differences in the 355 Division 1 members so there is no doubt there is a need for the creation of a new “Super Power” Division.
2. Deal with the inequities in college athletics right now and develop a plan (based on input from all levels of the Division 1 membership) that outlines how this “Super Power” Division would operate and then present that concept.
With the huge amount of money that is at stake here, it is really hard to fathom that sooner or later the big boys won’t want both a bigger share and more control. The next 6 months should provide interesting as President Emmert pushes his agenda. Will his leadership provide a strong unified Division 1 or will college athletics turn into a bifurcated system of have and have-nots. Stay tuned to see where President Emmert’s reform movement and leadership takes Division 1.
The Board has passed legislation where athletics departments can provide an annual supplement of $2,000 above the normal athletic scholarship. However 161 of the 355 Division 1 schools signed an override measure against the stipend, enough to suspend the measure for now. The reality of this movement is that this legislation will divide the Association into haves and have-nots. NCAA President Mark Emmert says that this is permissive legislation. No school has to provide the stipend to its athletes. However, the reality is that a school will quickly be classified as to whether they provide the stipend or not. Those programs that cannot afford to provide the stipend, will quickly be stigmatized as not committed to “big time” athletics.
To many Athletic Directors who have been in the game for a long time, they perceive President Emmert ‘s reform movement as the early stages of the ultimate move to a “Super Power” Division with different rules and different agendas. Typically this is an example of a leadership style (used frequently in Higher Education) where different scenarios are created over a long period of time that ultimately lead to a major desired outcome. Compare that leadership style to the one where leaders just deal with the main issue and explain the pros and cons of the big issue and the implementation process.
So President Emmert and the NCAA Board has two options:
1. Pass many pieces of legislation that ultimately demonstrate the extreme differences in the 355 Division 1 members so there is no doubt there is a need for the creation of a new “Super Power” Division.
2. Deal with the inequities in college athletics right now and develop a plan (based on input from all levels of the Division 1 membership) that outlines how this “Super Power” Division would operate and then present that concept.
With the huge amount of money that is at stake here, it is really hard to fathom that sooner or later the big boys won’t want both a bigger share and more control. The next 6 months should provide interesting as President Emmert pushes his agenda. Will his leadership provide a strong unified Division 1 or will college athletics turn into a bifurcated system of have and have-nots. Stay tuned to see where President Emmert’s reform movement and leadership takes Division 1.
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