We sat down with Central Michigan head coach Matt Drinkall to talk about how a program is actually built — not through scheme or slogans, but through people, systems, and daily standards.

This episode anchors the series.

Before resources scale.

Before facilities matter.

Before wins validate anything.

Matt reflects on lessons from Kansas Wesleyan, Army West Point, and now Central Michigan — specifically how leaders support people when the work is constant, the calendar never stops, and demands continue to rise.

The conversation centers on staff construction, trust, alignment, and what must remain unchanged as roles, titles, and resources evolve.

This episode sets the foundation for every conversation that follows.

This Alignment in Action episode is paired with the Alignment in Action AI Companion, a behavior-based evaluation and planning tool built directly from these conversations to help coaches assess alignment, ownership, and decision-making when responsibility moves beyond the head coach. For staffs looking to ensure standards hold under pressure and function without constant oversight, this series provides a clear lens and practical application.

Alignment in Action AI Companion

Key themes include:

Leading when time, clarity, and environment matter more than money

How staff culture must survive calendar pressure and fatigue

Why authenticity outlasts authority

Building systems that don’t rely on constant supervision

Preventing silos as staffs grow larger and more specialized

What assistant coaches should expect from leadership — and what leadership should expect in return

Why truth, alignment, and consistency matter more than consensus

Matt will continue to appear throughout the series to reinforce key themes — but from here, the perspective shifts.

The episodes ahead move into the position rooms.

Upcoming conversations feature assistant coaches and coordinators — different roles, different pressures — all operating within the framework established here.

Each episode examines how standards actually show up:

In meetings

In corrections

In collaboration

In moments where volume disappears and execution still matters

This episode lays the groundwork.

The rest of the series shows how it holds up.

Connect on X:

Matt Drinkall: @DrinkallCoach

Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski

Coach and Coordinator Network Smart Clinics are built for coaches seeking clarity, alignment, and practical takeaways — not theory.

If this episode sparked ideas you want to apply in your own program, learn more at coachandcoordinator.com.

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