Jamy Bechler

Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.

Episode 116: Jim Carr, NAIA President

Jim Carr is the president of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The NAIA provides opportunities for more than 65,000 student-athletes to play sports at the collegiate level. The NAIA is headquartered in Kansas City. The men’s basketball tournament is the longest running basketball tournament in the nation. Under Carr’s leadership, the NAIA has grown a great deal and has been at the forefront of innovative programs such as the “Champions of Character” and the “Return on Athletics”. 

Carr joined the NAIA in July 1998 as Managing Director and General Counsel and was promoted to Chief Operating Officer, while retaining the title of General Counsel, in 2000.  In September 2006, Carr became the seventh President and Chief Executive Officer of the NAIA. He is a graduate of Millsaps College, has an M.S. in sports management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst and a J.D. from Duke University.  He serves on various boards and councils, including USA Basketball, the Kansas City Life, Baptist Trinity Lutheran Foundation, the Police Athletic League of Kansas City, Missouri Bank and Trust and the Downtown Council of Kansas City.

In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • Recruiting tips for parents
  • Qualities that make a good coach
  • Differences between the NAIA and the NCAA
  • Opportunities for student-athletes to grow and develop
  • … and so much more!!!

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Jamy Bechler Speaks at Midway University

article originally appeared at GoMidwayEagles.com on January 24, 2019

MIDWAY, Ky. — Midway University student-athletes began the second semester in a positive way when nationally recognized leadership expert, speaker and author, Jamy Bechler visited campus and spoke to the student-athletes.

Not only is Bechler a professional speaker, a leadership trainer and an executive business coach, but he also authored an Amazon Best Seller, he has been published in the Huffington Post and is a regular guest on various radio stations and podcasts.

“My desire is to add value to people,” noted Bechler. “I want to see people reach their true potential and achieve their goals. Success is a choice and I love seeing individuals choose to develop and utilize their talents.”

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Episode 114: Bob Wilson, NAIA Hall of Famer

Bob Wilson served as the athletic director at Vanguard University for more than 20 years. He earned the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Athletic Director of the Year honors twice (2002, 2012). Wilson also coached basketball at the collegiate level for more than 24 years. Wilson served the NAIA in significant ways over the years, including chair of NAIA Region II, chair of the National Administration Council, president of the Basketball Coaches Association, men’s basketball rater, and chairman of the NAIA Basketball Tournament. In addition, Wilson served as vice president of the GSAC, and was a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics. He conceptualized the Champions of Character initiative on the Vanguard campus when he created VU’s Gold Pride program. During his tenure, the department won 16 Champions of Character Team awards, two student athletes were voted Leroy Walker winners, and two head coaches were named Coach of Character. In March 2007, Wilson was inducted into the NAIA Men’s Basketball Hall of Fame. He is the author of “The Ripple Effect” and currently serves as a partner with Comprehensive Athletics Consulting, LLC.

 
In today’s episode, we discuss:
  • Developing student leadership
  • Creating a championship culture
  • Hiring and job search tips
  • … and so much more!!!

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Culture Is A Choice

“Don’t tell them what you’re going to do – that’s vision.  Do what you’re going to do – that’s culture. Culture eats vision for lunch”.  (John C. Maxwell)

When I first heard this, I wrote it down and thought that it sounded good.  However, the more I thought about that statement the more I started to see the truth of it.

We need both a strong culture and a positive vision to reach our fullest potential.  If I have to choose, however, I will take a strong culture any day of the week over a clear vision.  Even the clearest vision may not be realized if the culture is poor and weighing you down.

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Episode 062: Todd Gongwer, Author of “LEAD…for God’s Sake”

Todd Gongwer is the best-selling author of “LEAD…for God’s Sake. The book has been called a “game changer” by national championship football coach Urban Meyer. It has been credited with having a huge impact on Coach Meyer’s decision to come out of the broadcast booth and take over the reigns of the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Todd is first and foremost, a husband and father. His expertise in leadership and cultural dynamics comes from a broad range of experiences in the world of business and athletics, spanning over 25 years. He has held numerous executive positions in companies ranging from entrepreneurial start-up to public entity, while also serving as an assistant college basketball coach for over a decade.

Following the successful launch of the Need to LEAD program, a systematic approach to shaping team culture, Todd wrote LEAD…for God’s Sake, A parable for finding the heart of leadership. As the popularity of the book grew, stories of its powerful impact surfaced in such noted publications as ESPN Magazine, Yahoo Sports, ESPN.com and Forbes.com. Testimonies from high profile coaches, business leaders, and educators from around the country continued to stream in, affording Todd the opportunity to work directly with some of the most successful leaders, teams and organizations in America.

Today, when Todd isn’t coaching his own children, he travels throughout the country speaking, teaching, and coaching on the topics of leadership, purpose and cultural dynamics. He lives in Indiana with his wife Traci and their three children; Kaden, Kira, and their newest arrival from Haiti, Wadson.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • Writing a best-selling novel
  • Working with Urban Meyer and other famous coaches
  • Leadership and culture in organizations

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Episode 046: Southeastern University Basketball Coach R-Jay Barsh

R-Jay Barsh is the head men’s basketball coach at Southeastern University. The 2017-18 season marks his sixth season at the helm of the Fire program. At the time of this episode being released, Barsh just won his 100th game moving the 7th ranked Fire program to 12-2 on the season.

In only his second season, he was a finalist for the Don Meyer National Coach of the Year Award as he guided the Fire to a 27-7 record and the program’s first-ever NAIA National Tournament appearance. Before coming to Southeastern, Barsh was the assistant coach at Tacoma Community College.  While at Tacoma, he was considered one of the top recruiters on the West Coast and was even featured in The Bleacher Report for being a main catalyst for the Titans recruiting and developmental success. He also coached at Pugent Sound University, as well. Before he began his coaching career, he enjoyed a successful playing career at Tacoma Community College from 2001–2003. In his first season, he led the Titans to a NWAACC title and a 30–3 overall record. In 2003, Barsh was named Second Team All-Conference and found himself in a unique position, having won NWAACC titles as both a player (2002) and a coach (2012).

Off of the hardwood, Barsh has always felt the call of God on his life and has used basketball as the vehicle to deliver the Gospel of Jesus Christ. For over the past 10 years, he has been an integral part of Northwest Basketball Camps (NBC), which is a Christ-centered camp that utilizes basketball to impact the hearts and minds of young people through Jesus Christ. Through NBC, Barsh has led several camps around the world, including in Italy, the United Kingdom, and Alaska.  He is also the founder of SkyMotivation, which is a ministry he uses to help young people grow in Christ. His website for the ministry has testimonies, devotionals, and even an area where viewers can ask questions about their faith.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • How he defines and measures success as a college basketball coach
  • What he is doing to help develop his players both on and off the court
  • Advice he has for a coach (or leader) going through a losing streak

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The Leadership Playbook Appears on Amazon Best-Seller List

The much-anticipated July 25 release of Jamy Bechler’s The Leadership Playbook: Become Your Team’s Most Valuable Leader proved to be a giant success as it was named the #1 New Release for basketball coaching books on Amazon.com.

Overall, it reached a high of #2 on Amazon’s list of basketball coaching books. Other books on this list include Jay Bilas’ Toughness, Pat Summitt’s Sum it Up, Mike Krzyzewski’s Leading with the Heart, Lew Alcindor’s Coach Wooden and Me, and Phil Jackson’s Eleven Rings.

Bechler is a John Maxwell certified leadership coach and former college basketball coach. He works with various teams and businesses to maximize their success by developing leadership skills and creating a championship culture. His clients have included teams from the NBA and the Big Ten, as well as multi-million dollar corporations.

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Episode 017: Proactive Coaching Partner Rob Miller

Rob Miller is a partner and motivational speaker for Proactive Coaching, which is one of the top leadership training platforms in the country. Along with his Bruce Brown, they help coaches positively impact their athlete’s lives. Rob is also the commissioner of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference, with schools in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. Throughout his career, Rob has been a coach at the high school and college levels. He was also instrumental in building up the NAIA’s Champions of Character program.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • Coaching “kids these days”
  • How coaches impacted him and left a legacy
  • Biggest challenges facing student-athletes

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Episode 016: Crossroads League Commissioner Larry DeSimpelare

Larry DeSimpelare is the commissioner of the Crossroads League, which is arguably the best NAIA conference in the country when it comes to combining national-level competition and an emphasis on character-building. The Crossroads League has schools from the state of Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio. Before becoming a commissioner, Larry served as a collegiate men’s basketball coach at Cleveland State University, Rutgers University, Kent State University, Eastern Michigan University and Concordia University. Along the way, DeSimpelare helped guide those programs to three league titles, eight NIT berths and four NCAA bids, where he helped Eastern Michigan take out Duke and Cleveland State upend Wake Forest in a pair of opening round upsets.

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • The importance of loyalty and how he stayed with head coach Gary Waters for more than 20 years and at 3 different jobs
  • His journey to becoming a collegiate conference commissioner
  • Future Hall of Fame football player Antonio Gates playing basketball at Kent State University

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Marion Student-Athletes Learning Leadership Skills

(originally published on January 25, 2015)

Some Marion High School student-athletes are learning how to be better leaders in order to help their teams on the field of competition and improve the world around them.

About 25 student-athletes from various teams at Marion met weekly this past semester before school to learn about different leadership concepts.

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