Athletics’ virtue has been obliterated by one scandal after another played out publicly in various media. If one thing can come from all of the recent media coverage of alleged coach “abuse” of student-athletes, it should be that we all need to pay more attention to what it happening within athletics programs… even if there […]
Why You Should Scrap Your Mission Statement
Most mission statements are useless. Organizations spend time crafting and word-smithing statements that they want to use as a guiding force for the people that work there. However, few organizations get beyond words on a web page or a printed piece of paper. Some even print glossy color posters of their mission statement and hang […]
Five Keys for Focus and Action
We all get busy, in fact overwhelmed, at times with multi-faceted jobs and increasing workloads and expectations. It’s easy to fall into a state of paralysis if you don’t have an effective way to manage all of your projects and tasks. Plus, when are you supposed to work on the big picture items in your […]
Spelman College- Missing the Boat on Athletics
In November Spelman College, an historically black college for women in Atlanta, announced it was eliminating its NCAA Division III intercollegiate athletics program. Citing a desire to serve more students with the resources now dedicated to athletics (roughly $900,000), Spelman’s president announced a plan to focus on beefing up fitness, wellness, recreation and intramural programs […]
Getting the most out of student-athlete surveys
Do you regularly collect feedback from your student-athletes? More and more senior administrators are asking to see evidence of athletics’ impact on student learning. This comes as a response to accreditation, budget justification or simply a campus commitment to assessment of student affairs units. Institutions are looking for more accountability. This is a good thing for […]
Effective Leadership: Rules vs Structure
I hate rules. Not because I am a rebel, an egomaniac or disrespect authority. I hate rules because they stifle creativity, innovative thinking and decision-making. (My apologies to all compliance coordinators out there. It’s nothing personal). With proper vision, communication and accountability providing organizational structure, rules can be minimal. The problem is that most people […]
Perspective Podcast #006: What You Can Learn From Student-Athletes
Our research with student-athletes has provided revealing insights for athletics directors and their staffs. Many athletics administrators believe they have the pulse of their student-athletes and many may have a good relationship with them. However, we’ve found that some areas are often missed because these are not typically a part of conversations between student-athletes and […]
Keeping Focus on Your Strategic Core
Too Many Hats. Mission Drift. Job Scope Creep. Survival Mode. Any of these sound familiar? The job of athletics directors today is not getting any easier. Increasing expectations and shrinking resources for AD’s to juggle an array of job duties. And, unfortunately, these duties often have little or nothing to do with an athletics department […]