The Modest Roots of the Final Four Coaches

The The Daily Coach shared an article yesterday on the modest beginnings of the four college coaches leading their teams to the Final Four in Phoenix this weekend. My airport will be a busy place! As I read the article, I could only begin to think about my humble beginnings, and those of many leaders I work with here at IBM.

The men’s Final Four will be played in front of more than 75,000 fans in Arizona on Saturday — but the seeds of the coaches’ success were sown in relative anonymity roughly a decade ago.

Before guiding their respective programs to the pinnacle of college basketball, UConn’s Dan Hurley, North Carolina State’s Kevin Keatts and Alabama’s Nate Oats were developing their coaching philosophies and convictions at the high school level.

Hurley coached St. Benedict’s Prep in New Jersey for nine seasons, Keatts was at Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia for 12 years, and Oats was at Romulus High School outside of Detroit for 11.

The modest roots of the Final Four coaches have some key lessons for leaders:

1. There are talented people working at all levels

We often look for traditional pedigrees when making hires and believe those we appoint to positions should have impressive degrees or experience under top leaders in their field.

But the truth is that there are capable people at all levels with boundless potential who often just need the right opportunity to prove themselves.

Don’t typecast simply because someone has perhaps taken the road less traveled.

2. Don’t be scared off by an untraditional past

We often look at lower-level experience as a detriment when appointing people to various positions. But often, the blue-collar experiences of the past have provided some sort of edge that will serve them in the long term.

We may want to rethink how we view outliers on a resume and view humble roots as a positive rather than a negative.

3. The grunt work of today can serve us long term

Hurley, Keatts and Oats have at one point or another likely fundraised, driven a bus, washed uniforms or performed some other menial task they certainly no longer need to.

But those chores likely made them more organized, more disciplined and a bit grittier.

The jobs we currently perform may be a nuisance, but they could also be sharpening different skills and adding layers of resolve, thus setting us up for greater success down the road.

When America watches the Final Four this weekend, it’ll see the glitz and glamour of college basketball on the sport’s biggest stage.

But the pomp and pageantry of the present for these coaches likely wouldn’t be possible without the grit and grind of the past — and that wasn’t forged in front of a national audience.??

It was cultivated a decade ago in obscurity — high school coaches working tirelessly with no one else looking on.?

As for me... I started life as a Middle School Industrial Arts Teacher. Oddly, that experience helped me in many ways.

1. PREPARATION - I had to prepare valuable content for 6 "Meetings" a day... 30 meetings a week... with 25-32 "prospects" in every "conference room". Lack of preparation would result in disaster.
2. KYC - I had to "Know my Customer". Every student is different. Special Needs kids deserved my best as a teacher... as did the future valedictorian or salutatorian. Some would go to college... some would work at the Winnebago Industries motorhome factory where I taught in Forest City, Iowa. I made early mistakes by not knowing my kids as well as I should have. When I took time to "Know my Customers"... I delivered better results.
3. Making the complex easy to understand - ?We live in a world of complexity, whether you're teaching, coaching, selling, or managing... being able to communicate complex ideas to a classroom, team, or customer in a manner they can consume is critical.
4. Presentation Skills and Audience Control - It's pretty easy to host a Zoom call with a team of 9 who you lead. Leading a classroom with 32 kids takes another level of expertise. Keeping their attention, focusing them on the key ideas, and making sure they walk away with the right insights and skills is a LOT more challenging in a classroom than it is a conference room. You have to bring your "A-game"!
5. Achieving Results - Metrics are everywhere... whether you're in sales or the classroom. In sales, I've been to 20+ 100% or Presidents Clubs for making my numbers. In the classroom, kids learned... gained confidence... and produced results they were proud of! Better yet, I entered them in the statewide Industrial Arts competition and they took 1st Place!

We formed corporations, sold stock, created a product, and held sales contests. We wrote resumes, video taped job interviews, and talked about the world of work. We were organized, safe, and always learning. When I went back to Forest City for my kids 30th class reunion... the stories were amazing. TOGETHER we made a difference!

Translating everything I learned as a teacher has helped me in my role as the Global Leader of IBM's Sales Performance & Strategy Program. My job hasn't changed much... from humble beginnings with a salary of $11,600 in 1977... to what I do today... it's all about helping people gain confidence, collaborate to win, and celebrate victories!

Carpe Diem!

Marc