Providing Insights on Leadership and Success. Coach Bechler is a John Maxwell Leadership Team Member.
Today’s guest on the “Leaders Growing Leaders” series is Mark DeMichael, the VP of Student Life and Athletics at Indiana Wesleyan University.
During the “Leaders Growing Leaders” series on the Success is a Choice Podcast Network, Jamy Bechler talks with leaders on how they are growing and developing other leaders.
The series tries to examine how various leaders are making the people around them better and building a stronger, healthier culture.
Greg Tonagel is the head men’s basketball coach at Indiana Wesleyan University. Tonagel and the Wildcats have won three NAIA Division II National Championships in a five year spans with titles in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Since Tonagel took over the program in 2005, he has become the winningest coach in program history both in total wins and winning percentage. Prior to coming to IWU, Tonagel served as Director of Basketball Operations at Valparaiso University, where he also played for legendary Homer Drew and appeared in four NCAA Tournaments as the starting point guard. He also led his LaPorte High School team to the last single class state finals in 1997. Much of the unprecedented success of the Wildcats can be attributed to the culture Tonagel built at IWU. The IWU culture is built around two Biblically transforming principles; I am Third and Fearless. This has helped the influence of IWU basketball to extend far beyond the court. Tonagel and his staff have been committed to using basketball as a platform for discipleship.
Mark Fauser has been a television and movie actor, director, screenwriter, and producer. He had parts in such shows as Jag, Evening Shade, Coach, SeaQuest, and Quantum Leap. He moved from Hollywood to Marion, Indiana in the early 2000’s and proceeded to help build up the Community School of the Arts as the Executive Director. He has continued to add value to the Marion community as the Director of Marketing for the City and currently serves as a Creative Development Consultant for Marion Community Schools. He has a love and passion for helping the community and has a desire to give back. His relationships with such stars as Jim Caviezel, Kelly Ripa, Billy Bob Thornton, and his mentor Burt Reynolds were key as he was able to get them to help the Community School of the Arts in various ways. In 2006 he won the Marion Grant County Chamber of Commerce Chairman’s Award. In 2007 he won the Indiana University Public Service Award and the Grant County Community Achievement Award. He was presented with the 2011 Indiana Governor’s Arts Award for his work as a writer, actor and his leadership for the Community School of the Arts. He lives with his wife and three children in Marion, Indiana and works out of a home office that is decorated from wall-to-wall with action figures.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
Dan Wood is the Executive Director of the National Christian College Athletic Association. He joined the NCCAA national office staff in 2000. Dan was the recipient of the 2016 Professional Excellence Award from Southern Wesleyan University’s (SWU) School of Education. He serves on the Advisory Board of Sports Spectrum Magazine, is a member of Greenville Connect Ministry, and as a member of ALIVE Wesleyan he has provided leadership in building and capital campaigns and youth ministry. Prior to his time with the NCCAA, he was involved in Christian Higher Education, beginning in 1987 as a professor, coach, and Athletic Director at Christian universities. Dan was awarded NCCAA and NAIA Coach of the Year in Men’s Soccer and Men’s Golf; received the NCCAA Meritorious Service Award; and was inducted into SWU and Oklahoma Wesleyan University’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
Jeff Raver is a John Maxwell Certified National Sales and Leadership Coach, motivational speaker, as well as the founder and president of Begin To Win. Jeff previously held the position of Director of Training for over 20 years, as well as the position of Vice President of Sales and Marketing, at CVS Systems, a national electronics distributor. He recently spent 2 1/2 years growing an electronics retail company from a small start up to one of the fastest growing Dish retailers in the Midwest. As Vice President of American Wireless Entertainment, Jeff was responsible for hiring managers and sales people, as well as opening 6 locations in a year and a half. He has experience in every aspect of the sales business and knows the process very well. Jeff is passionate about everything he does and he is an excellent choice as a coach, trainer, or consultant for you or your company. Jeff spent most of his life in central Indiana with his wife and three daughters, but Jeff and his wife Penny recently moved to North Port, Florida, allowing Jeff the freedom to travel the nation as a coach and consultant.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
Ryan McCarty is the former director of customer and employee relations at TCC, the largest Verizon Authorized Retailer in the nation. He was hired by the CEO, Scott Moorehead, who grew TCC from $135 million to $1 billion in sales. Together, Scott and Ryan created a culture that empowered employees through a powerful cultural movement.
Under Ryan’s guidance through TCC’s “Culture of Good,” which enables others to do good in their communities for the value of the investment rather than the return on investment, TCC donated $1 million to Riley Hospital for Children; provided 250,000 backpacks full of school supplies to children; gave away supply packs to 5,000 teachers; and contributed $100,000 in grants to organizations focused on improving the environment.
Ryan created Culture of Good, Inc. to inspire other businesses to create truly altruistic programs that make the world a better place. Ryan believes in order for a company’s Culture of Good to be successful and meaningful, giving back must be engrained in the foundation of its core values. Through Culture of Good, Inc. Ryan helps other organizations engage the hearts of their employees and empower them to make the changes they wish to see in their communities.
In today’s episode, we discuss:
(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.