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January 2012, Leadership
The Leadership Challenge for Athletic Directors: Inspire a Shared Vision
“Leaders inspire a shared vision. They gaze across the horizon of time, imagining the attractive opportunities that are in store when they and their constituents arrive at a distant destination. Leaders have a desire to make something happen, to change the way things are, to create something that no one has ever created before.”
~ James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, The Leadership Challenge
Outstanding athletic directors believe that they can make a difference. They have the desire to make something happen and usually have a clear vision of how to do so. Unfortunately, a vision conceptualized and seen only by the athletic director is not enough to create the momentum to make significant changes in the direction of the athletic department. It takes the support of the athletic department’s many constituents to affect that kind of change. Generally people will not follow if they do not view the vision as their own. Athletic directors need to understand that they cannot command commitment; they can only try to inspire it. So, how is it that athletic directors can begin to create a shared vision for the athletic program?
Success in that endeavor requires a commitment to a process of studying the environment, strategizing about program options and selling the plan that emerges. The following elements are usually part of that process:
- Understand your department’s past history
- Listen closely to comments from student-athletes, coaches, administrators, boosters and fans
- Identify the department’s potential strengths that will provide a sustainable competitive advantage
- Build support for emphasizing areas that differentiate your program from others
- Sell the emerging vision through a disciplined marketing and public relations campaign
Kouzes and Posner point out that as counterintuitive as it might seem, the best way to lead people into the future is to connect with them deeply in the present. The only visions that take hold permanently are shared visions – and an athletic director will create them only when he or she listens very closely to others. The authors have found that the best leaders are able to bring their people into the future because they engage in the oldest form of research: They observe the human condition.
When I was the athletic director at Long Beach State I had the privilege of working for an outstanding president, Dr. Robert Maxson. Dr. Maxson brought many strengths and experiences to the job, not the least of which was his own experiences as an athlete and coach. He not only understood sports and the positive role it plays on behalf of a university, but he also understood the problems sports can pose for an institution from his 10 years as president at UNLV.
Dr. Maxson had a tremendous personal commitment to his position, which manifested itself in working very long hours. Unlike most administrators, however, Dr. Maxson understood that the answers to complex questions about important institutional strategic planning issues would not result from an endless series of administrative meetings and unlimited reams of paper reports; nor would it result from an isolated president trying to emulate a visionary and dreaming up a strategic plan alone. Rather, he understood that the answers to how to move the institution forward would emerge from impromptu conversations with students, faculty, staff and supporters. Armed with a bottomless supply of Diet Coke, the ubiquitous Bob Maxson was seen everywhere on campus from dawn to dusk, and then at games or plays until midnight. Given his southern roots and drawl, we called it management by “how y’all doing?” The man seemed to be everywhere and he was talking to everybody. More importantly, he reveled in the many conversations he had and friendships that he was creating as he roamed the campus. When he felt compelled to have administrative meetings he often turned them into walking tours around campus that served public relations purposes as well.
Complimenting this particularly effective management style was a laser like focus on the person he was speaking with. When you were engaged in a conversation with Dr. Maxson you could rest assure that he was fully engaged in listening to what you were saying and what you were not saying. He was an astute observer of people with a cultivated ability to recall everyone’s name and their areas of interest. These skills led the 28 school CSU System to select Maxson as its outstanding president four out of his ten years as president and upon his retirement to hire him to train its new presidents.
As Kouzes and Posner suggest in their book, an important element of Maxson’s success was his proficiency at connecting deeply with all of his constituencies in the present. From these many exchanges came the genesis for how Dr. Maxson was going to move Long Beach State forward strategically and the goodwill to allow it to happen. The school rallied around his planning efforts and the new substantive direction he was leading it in because they saw that it reflected their vision, and not just his preferences.
Like college presidents, athletic directors have to interact with a wide spectrum of people. Expectations exceed what is often possible financially. Difficult choices have to be made about personnel and programs. Strategic plans have to be developed, written and executed. Sustainable success, however, only comes when the athletic director inspires a shared vision by engaging broadly, listening intently, building bridges and observing the human condition in all respects.
Get out of the office and give it a try…it sure beats meetings!
If you are interested in ordering a copy of The Leadership Challenge by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, a link to Amazon has been provided for you in the left margin of this page. I think you’ll find it to be a worthwhile addition to your management library.
Dave O'Brien J.D. has been a college sports executive and educator for over 25 years. He served as a Division I athletic director at Long Beach State University, Temple University and Northeastern University for 16 years (1991-2007).
O'Brien is currently the Director of the Sports Management Program at Drexel University where he also teaches at the undergraduate, graduate and law school levels. In addition to his academic position, O'Brien is the managing partner of the O'Brien Sports Group which provides a wide range of consulting services to the college sports industry, including NCAA rules compliance, risk management audits, business support services, executive recruitment, training workshops and more. He is also an editor of College Sports Business News.
O'Brien is active nationally in sports law matters as co-author of a monthly column on college sports law issues published in College Athletics and the Law and as a consultant on sports topics including pay equity, retaliation, harassment, Title IX, and coaching contracts.
Prior to becoming an athletic administrator, O'Brien served in a variety of roles in higher education, which included assistant to the president for legal and legislative affairs at Montclair State University and the assistant vice president for administration and finance at Long Beach State. He also served on the legislative staff of the New Jersey Senate and practiced law in New Jersey.
O'Brien is a graduate of Moravian College and Seton Hall Law School, and has also attained certification from the Sports Management Institute as part of its inaugural class. He can be reached at dobrien@collegesportsbusinessnews.com