St.Francis Red Flash Picks a Winner

I just received a phone call from one of my former students to share with me that he had has just been elevated from assistant coach to head women’s basketball coach at St. Francis College of Pennsylvania.  What makes this news so exciting is that Joe Haigh had a dream and vision and never let anything get in the way of his dream.  Coach Haigh did not have a high-powered advocate who opened doors and paved the way for him. He suffered through hard times leaving a profitable business career and paid the price making major personal sacrifices.  With a supportive wife and 5 children, Coach Haigh figured out a way to barely support his family while learning the profession as a volunteer assistant at D-3 Randolph Macon (under a great coach Mike Rhoades), an assistant at a top notch private high school (Benedictine) and Director of Basketball Operations on Coach Beth Cunningham”s staff at VCU.

Joe Haigh has demonstrated a characteristic that all great leaders have----perseverance.  He was willing to start from ground zero and build a career through hard work and commitment to his dream.  As you can imagine the 1995 graduate of Notre Dame had to build a coaching network starting from scratch.  The new leader of the Red Flash Women’s BBall program sacrificed financial rewards to position himself while gaining the necessary experience to build a portfolio that would ultimately result in becoming a Head Basketball Coach at the Division 1 level.  Fortunately for Joe Haigh he had something that helps every leader become more successful---an understanding spouse that is supporting and encouraging.

Almost all leaders have paid the price early in their careers and have overcome disappointment.  Successful leaders have the toughness to fight discouragement and maintain the drive and determination to make their vision a reality.  Coach Joe Haigh is a great example of being relentless in his pursuit of his dream.  For me, this is a great lesson for every leader.   The naming of Joe Haigh as Head Coach of the St. Francis Red Flash of the Northeast Conference may not be the lead story on ESPN, but maybe it should be.   It is a story of what is great in sports, work hard, be loyal and be smart, and good things will happen.  Congratulations St. Francis, you have a leader who has done it “ the right way” through sacrifice and perseverance.