Jamy Bechler

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

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Jan 28 2018

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

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes · Tagged: Books, Champions of Character, Culture, Daniel Goldman, Darrin Gray, jason romano, John C. Maxwell, John Maxwell, Lead for God's Sake, Leadership, NAIA, Ohio State University, Patrick Lencioni, Peter Drucker, Todd Blackledge, Urban Meyer, Viktor Frankl, Warren Bennis

Dec 25 2017

Episode 042: Glenn “Shemy” Schembechler

Glenn “Shemy” Schembechler serves as the President of GES Advisory Company. Shemy has spent the majority of his life and professional career in the football industry, growing up as the son of legendary coach Glenn E. “Bo” Schembechler. He has evaluated talent for such high-level programs as the University of Michigan, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Chicago Bears, the Washington Redskins, and the Seattle Seahawks. In addition to his father, Shemy has studied under accomplished coaches Gary Moeller, Lloyd Carr, Marty Schottenheimer, and Joe Gibbs. They have all had an indelible impact on his career, and his ability to scout and recommend prospects. Shemy has been a part of many championship and playoff teams, and has been able to evaluate or recommend players that have gone on to Pro Bowl careers (Charles Woodson, Ian Gold and Tom Brady, respectively), as well as inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Joe Montana, Marcus Allen, and Derrick Thomas, respectively).

In today’s episode, we discuss:

  • Growing up with a famous dad
  • Mistakes that coaches and players make that sabotage their success
  • How he is helping student-athletes develop and maximize their potential
  • Stories from the 10-year war between Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler won more than 79% of his games and is in the College Football Hall of Fame.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Podcast Episodes · Tagged: Adoption, Barberton, Bo Schembechler, Dave Brandon, dwane casey, GES Advisory Company, jack harbaugh, jason romano, Jerry Hanlon, Jim Hackett, jim harbaugh, john harbaugh, john u. bacon, John Wooden, Kevin Harrington, Leadership, Michigan Wolverines, NCAA, NFL, Ohio, Ohio State University, Pat Williams, Scouting, University of Michigan, Unselfish, Warde Manual, Woody Hayes

Jan 09 2015

Opportunity Knocks

(originally published on January 9, 2015)

The Oregon Ducks and the Ohio State Buckeyes will battle Monday night in the first-ever College Football Playoffs Championship Game. Both teams have glaring examples of people who took advantage of opportunities presented to them and didn’t quit or become disruptive to their teams. I will come back to these Bucks and Ducks in a moment.

As a long-time coach and now an athletic director, it pains me every time that I see a student-athlete get disgruntled over playing time or their role on the team. In nearly every case, the player quits. Oh, they might not quit the team and they might not even make a visible show but slowly and surely they cash out mentally. Instead of seeing the opportunity in every challenge, as Winston Churchill used to say, they see the difficulty in every opportunity. Unfortunately instead of persevering, they make excuses and take on a victim-mentality.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Personal Growth, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Braxton Miller, Cardale Jones, Football, Heisman Trophy, J.T. Barrett, Marcus Mariota, National Championship, Ohio State University, Thomas Edison, University of Oregon

Apr 12 2012

What’s Important to You?

“It is true that integrity alone won’t make you a leader, but without integrity you will never be one.” (Zig Ziglar)

An Ohio State student and University of Michigan student were taking a graduate school entrance exam.

Afterward, the proctor called both of them into an office and proceeded to tell them that they both missed only one question on the test, but that the Michigan student was receiving an “A” and that the Ohio State student would fail.

[Read more…]

Written by Jamy Bechler · Categorized: Leadership, Personal Growth, Sports, Teams & Organizations · Tagged: Bobby Petrino, Bruce Pearl, Coaches, Jim Tressel, Leadership, Ohio State University, The Encouraging Leader, University of Michigan

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