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September 2011, Leadership
The Leadership Challenge for Athletic Directors: Model the Way
“What you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you are saying.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emerson’s quote is one of the best that I have heard in describing the importance of valuing actions over words. In The Leadership Challenge, authors Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner made the following discovery about leadership and the importance of modeling the way:
“Leaders establish principles concerning the way people (constituents, peers, colleagues, and customers alike) should be treated and the way goals should be pursued. They create standards of excellence and then set an example for others to follow. Because the prospect of complex change can overwhelm people and stifle action, they set interim goals so that people can achieve small wins as they work toward larger objectives. They unravel bureaucracy when it impedes action; they put up signposts when people are unsure of where to go or how to get there; and they create opportunities for victory.”
The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership are complimented by what Kouzes and Posner refer to as the 10 Commitments of Leadership. Essentially there are two commitments to go along with each leadership practice. This week we will discuss the first practice, which is called Model the Way and one of its leadership commitments: setting the example by behaving in ways that are consistent with shared values.
Leaders must develop strong beliefs about matters of principle and act in ways that conform to those principles. To be credible, leaders must do what they say they will do. They set the example by aligning their actions with the organization’s shared values. Building consensus around these values will allow leaders to be able to keep projects on course by having an organization behaving in a way that is consistent with these values.
It is always important to check whether your actions are consistent with your values. If you find inconsistency be sure to figure out what you need to do to align your actions with those values. These corrective actions will be noticed and will tell people what your values are much more than any words or speeches.
For leaders it is not enough to deliver motivational speeches. Leading by example is how leaders provide evidence that they are deeply and personally committed to the vision they champion. Credible leaders practice what they preach, which sets the example for others to follow.
For most of us who work in college sports it is an opportunity to turn our avocation (sports) into our vocation; however, the consequence of doing so is that it becomes our entire life with no discernible line of demarcation between personal and professional time. As a result, one of the critical issues facing the college sports industry is the enormous hours required by everyone in the business. It is not uncommon that an athletic department can easily have 250 home contests, banquets and fundraising events per year. These obligations are largely in the evening or on the weekend, and are in addition to working a normal 40-50 hour work week. There is real concern across the country, including at the NCAA level, about the need for a proper work-life balance.
The importance of this issue was first raised with me about a decade ago by my colleague and friend, Dr. Bill Husak. As the athletic director at Loyola Marymount, Bill saw firsthand the toll these hours place on athletic administrators and their families. Subsequently, the NCAA conducted an excellent study several years ago that confirmed the problem and offered suggestions for improving the work-life balance. The problem, however, still persists today largely because the real solutions cannot be legislated by the NCAA; rather, they reside locally in every athletic department and primarily with the athletic director.
The competitive athletics environment places demands on its employees that lead to stress, tension, health problems and unnecessary turnover. Creating an athletic department environment that promotes a healthy work environment will require a concerted leadership effort by athletic directors to combat the 24/7 work commitment that has become the norm within the industry.
A successful life requires us to have time for our job, our family and friends, and to pursue our non-work interests. Demonstrating your own pursuit of success and satisfaction in all three areas sends a positive message for those that work for you. After all, as Mark Twain once observed, “Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example.”
Given the workload on athletic administrators it makes good sense to hold people accountable for results, but to give them flexibility in how they achieve those results. One small example is to understand that while the profession is measured by a scoreboard, our administrators should not always be tied to the clock. Regular acknowledgement of the number of days and hours that staff work is critical. Allowing people to telecommute occasionally in return for evening and weekend work requirements can be helpful. Additionally, allowing the families and friends of athletic administrators to come to the games for free is an important way for them to integrate their professional and personal lives in a manner that contributes to a positive work-life balance.
Prioritizing work for subordinates is especially critical. Conscientious employees often cannot discern what work is a true priority versus what work would simply be nice to get done. Helping the staff to understand the difference and to set reasonable deadlines for each category of work can contribute to a less stressful situation.
Working in college athletics is a very rewarding profession. Athletic directors have the opportunity to demonstrate their leadership skills by setting the example to their staff that work-life balance is critically important to themselves personally and by creating a healthy work environment, so others can better balance their professional and personal obligations; and, in so doing they will be making a significant leadership contribution to the industry by following the Kouzes and Posner mantra of modeling the way. As Albert Schweitzer once observed, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.”
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