Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.
Today’s guests on “The Coachable Coach” series are Randy Norton (Head Coach) and Taren Martin (Associate HC) from UAB women’s basketball.
“The Coachable Coach” series on the Success is a Choice Podcast Network goes beyond the X’s and O’s as Jamy Bechler talks with some of the best sports coaches.
Adam Gordon spent 17 years in the coaching industry, making stops from the JUCO level to High-major Power 5 basketball. In 2010, along with Andy Farrell, he co-founded a company called Rising Coaches with the mission of servicing the coaching industry. In June of 2019, he stepped away from his coaching career and decided to run Rising Coaches full-time. He is now growing his passion project which has an incredible following, support and brand awareness into a profitable business that helps basketball coaches all across the country.
Michael Lombardi spent three decades in the NFL as an executive with the 49ers, Browns, Eagles and Raiders. From 2014-16 he was also an assistant to the coaching staff of the Patriots. In addition to his current work with The Athletic, he’s also worked for other media outlets, including Sports Illustrated, the NFL Network, NFL.com and The Ringer. He is a frequent guest on talk shows, podcasts, and NFL shows. Lombardi worked alongside such NFL legends as Bill Belichick, Bill Walsh, and Al Davis. He and basketball coaching legend, George Raveling, provide daily insights through their site The Daily Coach. The former Cleveland Browns General Manager also hosts his own podcast “The GM Shuffle” with Adnan Virk, and co-hosts a Saturday morning sports betting program on Sirius XM for Vegas Stats & Information Network. In late 2018, Lombardi released Gridiron Genius: A Master Class in Winning Championships and Building Dynasties in the NFL, featuring a foreword by Bill Belichick.
“Hey, Jamy, do you have a minute?”
This was the question the athletic director asked me as I was getting ready to take my college basketball team on a team-building experience.
It was early January and school had not yet started.
Little did I know that in the next few minutes, I would be receiving my invitation to a well-known club that has plenty of members all across the country.
“Jamy, we are going to go in a different direction at the end of the year and you will not be returning as our head coach.”
And just like that, as one of the younger head coaches at the NCAA level, I was a card-carrying member of the “I Got Fired” club.
I have been involved with numerous job searches, both as a candidate and while serving on committees. Whether you are looking for a part-time job, a job in your current industry or thinking about changing careers, you have to figure out a way to differentiate yourself. Nearly every job that is available will be a difficult up-hill battle to secure. The odds are sometimes stacked against you because there is so much competition, but there are some things that you can do to help you increase your odds slightly and give you a better chance. Obviously, not all bosses, hiring committees or jobs are alike, but there are some general rules that applicants should follow if they want to give themselves a fighting chance to get an interview.
“How do I get a good job one day?”
“What do I need to do now to start preparing for the ‘real world’?”
“The sports industry is so competitive, what advice would you give?”
“What should I major in if I want to work in sports?”
These are just a few questions that are regularly asked by students or people trying to get into the sports industry. Harvey Mackay wrote a book entitled “Dig Your Well Before You Are Thirsty”. It was primarily a networking book but it also brought up a number of good points in regards to getting a job, getting a better a job and getting ahead in your job.
Mike Hamilton is the Executive Director of Show Hope, a position that he has held since December 2014. Show Hope is an orphan care and adoption ministry started by Christian music entertainer Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife Mary Beth. A man of deep faith, Mike has extensive experience in leadership and development, serving 26 years in intercollegiate athletics at Clemson University, Wake Forest University. Most notably, he was the athletic director at the University of Tennessee and their $105 million budget. Mike also served on the board for Show Hope, as well as other local, regional, and national nonprofits. Mike is also the CEO and Founder of Winfred-Henry Partners, LLC, which provides athletic consulting. Mike and his wife, Beth, live in the Nashville area and have five children through adoption.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
The Huffington Post, a prestigious online site, has published one of the articles that was previously on CoachBechler.com. The Huffington Post was founded by Arianna Huffington in 2005. The website has more than one million comments per month. 
In his book WINNING EVERY DAY, the former Notre Dame football coach, Lou Holtz, tells the story of the Trappist monk who was allowed to say only two words every three years.
After the first three years, he met with the his order’s Brother Superior and said, “Bad bed!”
3 years later, he came back to say, “Bad food!”
After 3 more years of silence, the monk said, “No TV!”
Another 3 years passed. This time, when the monk met with Brother Superior, he handed him his robes and sandals and announced, “I quit!”
Brother Superior said, “Well don’t expect me to try to dissuade you. You’ve done nothing but complain since you got here!”
(originally published on March 7, 2012)
A recent blog posting by Helen Wheelock got me thinking about coaching job searches and who administrators hire. Seems like most of the talk always centers around the DI coaches, especially the “up-and-comers”. I do not profess to know exactly what makes a good coach in all situations. Good coaches in a bad situation can lead to struggles and failures, whereas unproven coaches (i.e. assistants) in good situations can lead to success and excitement.