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. 

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