Building Excellence

#40: Mike Buddie leads the athletic department of the best leadership institution in the world at Army West Point. A former New York Yankee, World Series champion, and 13 year professional baseball player, he has been a part and seen what it takes to lead and build a culture of excellence. 

Here are some key points:
- Work your but off so that you have no regrets
- Priorities & balance (Where do you spend your time?)
- Pressure & expectations 
- Culture and leadership within the New York Yankees 
- Having confidence and expecting to win
- If you ignore something you are condoning it
- Having vision and getting people to buy into that vision
- Be where your feet are in everything as a parent, husband, and leader
- Learn from every experience, both good and bad
- People first and winning matters
- His leadership at West Point 
- Excellence & expectations 

Excellence:
- Coming up with a way to exceed your own expectations and your own potential. 
- What is your God given gift and how can your get the most out of that gift?

Enjoy the show!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. We just wanted to share a few quick questions as we move into the new year and you look to make your New Years resolution and goals. 

3 Questions:
- What do you want?
- Why do you want it?
- What are you going to do to get it?

- What type of person do you want to be and become in 2022?
- What are you thankful for and what have you learn in 2021?

#39: Justin Games ATC, SCAT, is the athletic trainer for the Furman University Paladin men’s basketball and tennis teams.

Prior to coming to Furman in 2014, Games served as an outreach athletic trainer for ATI Physical Therapy in Chicago, Ill., for three years, providing athletic training coverage for the athletic teams of Harper College.  He has additional experience as a Clinical Instructor and supervised athletic training students while at West Virginia and at Harper College.  Also, Games served an additional internship with the Tennessee Titans in the National Football League. Has additional training in manual treatment techniques of Graston, and biomechanical analysis of upper extremity movement patterns.  

Games earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Miami University in 2009 and completed his Master's degree and Athletic Trainer Residency from West Virginia in 2011. 

In the show Justin touches on a variety of topics within health, leadership, & excellence. Enjoy the show!

#38: Rob Walton is the Oklahoma State University baseball pitching coach. During his time at OSU Coach Walton has coached 23 All-Big 12 pitchers, three first-team All-Americans, two Big 12 Pitcher of the Year honorees and a first-round Major League Baseball Draft pick. Prior to returning to Stillwater, Walton spent the previous 14 years at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, where he was the Golden Eagles’ head coach for nine seasons. He was a four-year letter winner as a pitcher at OSU from 1983-86 and played on four College World Series teams for the Cowboys.

In his nine seasons at the helm of ORU, Walton compiled a 367-167 (.687) record and was named the Summit League Coach of the Year five times. Under his direction, the Golden Eagles were an NCAA Tournament team each year and produced five seasons with 40 or more wins, including a 50-win campaign in 2004. In his 14 seasons in Tulsa, Walton helped ORU produce 16 All-Americans, 14 conference player or co-players of the year and 12 conference pitchers of the year. Additionally, the Golden Eagles had 45 players selected in the Major League Baseball Draft over that span. During Walton’s tenure, ORU continued its record streak of conference championships, which reached 15 in 2012. With Walton as head coach, the Golden Eagles made nine NCAA Regional appearances and reached a Super Regional in 2006.

He was also the Head Coach for USA Baseball & in 2016 was awarded the Assistant Coach of the Year in college baseball. Even more important than all the awards is the lives of the many players he has coached and impacted. 

Enjoy the show!

#37: Starting with the end in mind and what you accept is what you get are all a part of the questions Aaron highlights in today's episode. 

Aaron has a unique perspective as he was around Gonzaga basketball in the early years as the culture was being established. From basketball Aaron transitioned into teaching where he ultimately landed at Oklahoma State University.

Aaron is currently a  Associate Professor in the Management Department of the Warrington College of Business at the University of Florida. He received his PhD from Oklahoma State University. His research focuses on strategic leadership and governance, examining what drives strategic leaders like executives and politicians to act as well as the ultimate implications of these individuals for organizational outcomes. Aaron’s research has been published in outlets such as the Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, and Journal of Management, among others. Aaron is an active member of professional organizations dedicated to the field of management, including the Academy of Management, Strategic Management Society, and Southern Management Association. Within the Strategic Management Society, he currently serves in the officer rotation of the Strategic Leadership & Governance Interest Group and he has previously served both on the advisory panel for the Research Methods Community and as a Representative at Large in the Strategic Leadership & Governance Interest Group. He also co-chaired a Strategic Management Society special conference focusing on theories and practice relevant to strategic leadership and governance. Aaron also served a three-year term on the board of directors for the Southern Management Association. He currently serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Management and is on the editorial boards of the Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, and Strategic Organization.

Enjoy the show!

#36: Nate Loenser shares what it means to maximize your abilities, make no excuses, and live life with grace. 

Loenser is currently with the University of Nebraska basketball program. Loenser spent five seasons with the Bulls, including three seasons as an assistant coach for Hoiberg and Jim Boylen. He helped develop 2021 NBA all-star Zach Lavine as well as Kris Dunn, Ryan Arcidiacono, Justin Holiday, Chandler Hutchison, David Nwaba, Denzel Valentine and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot during his tenure with the Bulls. Loenser also served as the Bulls’ NBA Summer League coach in 2019, a roster which featured NBA Lottery pick Coby White and ran the Bulls’ predraft workouts for three seasons.Prior to joining the Bulls coaching staff, he was the head coach of the Windy City Bulls D-League team in 2016-17. 

Loenser spent two years on Hoiberg’s Iowa State staff and was a key component in helping the Cyclones to a pair of Big 12 Tournament titles. He was the Cyclones’ Director of Player Development in 2014-15, as ISU went 25-9 and tied for second in the Big 12. That season, Georges Niang earned All-America honors, while Niang, Monté Morris and Jameel McKay were recognized on the All-Big 12 teams. McKay was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. 
 
In his first season, Loenser served as graduate assistant as the program enjoyed one of its best seasons in program history.  The Cyclones finished with 28 wins, won the Big 12 Tournament title and reached the NCAA Sweet 16. 
 
After one season at Northern University High School in Cedar Falls, Loenser began his collegiate coaching career at Southern Mississippi. He served on Larry Eustachy’s staff for six seasons, helping the Golden Eagles post a pair of 20-win seasons and reach the CIT in 2010.  Loenser returned to Iowa to coach high school basketball, serving as the head coach at Spirit Lake High School before joining the Iowa State staff in 2013.
 
A native of Cedar Falls, Iowa, Loenser was a 2002 graduate of Iowa State, where he played baseball for the Cyclones in 2001. He was a four-sport athlete (baseball, basketball, football, and golf) at Northern University High School.
 
Enjoy the show!

#35: Dave Owens was hired as the women's bobsled head coach in May 2010 to lead the U.S. team through the 2014 Games.

After his collegiate football career at the University of Tulsa and a semi-pro football stint in Europe, Owens competed as an elite bobsled push athlete on the World Cup team for four seasons. He finished as high as fourth in the four-man bobsled 2000 World Championships. 

Owens retired from competition after undergoing surgery for testicular cancer, but remained active in the sport as an official. Nominated for his tenacity, strength and dedication to the sport, Owens was selected to carry the Olympic torch for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. 

Owens has worked as an FIBT official since 2002. He served as the assistant chief of competition at the 2002 Olympics and assistant race director at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games while organizing internal and external logistics for athletes and equipment.

Owens has coached for more than 18 years including the football, baseball and track programs at Holland Hall School in Tulsa, Okla. Owens is also the president of Eagle Training Systems, Inc.

Owens earned his Bachelor of Science in Fitness and Exercise from the University of Tulsa. He and his wife, Kim, are the proud parents of five-year-old triplets; Kennedy, Eisenhower (Ike) and Madison

Enjoy the Show!

#34: Allison Sheffield is a Broker Associate with Chinowth & Cohen Realtors who has personally handled 884 transactions from contract to closing worth over 287 Million in sales volume. 

Allison moved to Tulsa with her family when she was 7 years old, graduated from Union Public Schools, received an associates degree from Tulsa Community College, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oklahoma. 

After graduating from OU in December 2006, Allison moved back to Tulsa and spent three years on staff at Chinowth & Cohen Realtors working under Sheryl Chinowth & Lee Cohen before transitioning into full-time real estate sales in 2010. 

Allison’s primary area of expertise is in listing and selling new construction after many years of extremely successful partnerships representing home builders, neighborhood developers, and homeowners in Tulsa. 

Allison holds a Certified Residential Specialist designation and is the only Master Certified New Home Sales Specialist designation holder in Oklahoma from the National Association of Home Builders. 

Allison has been married to her husband, JJ, for 12 years and they are the proud parents of two children, JR and Callie.

So many great lessons in the show today!

Enjoy the show!

#33: Former ESPN producer & current host of the Sports Spectrum Podcast shares his story and some of the powerful lessons he has learned along the way. 

For 17 years, Jason was an Emmy-Award winning Producer and Senior Manager at ESPN. He has created and produced content for shows such as SportsCenter, Monday Night Football, Mike and Mike in the Morning, Sunday NFL Countdown, College Gameday, MLB’s All Star Game and many more. From there he stepped into his current position at Sports Spectrum. 

Growing up with his brothers in New York sports were always at the epicenter of what they did. As Jason ventured to college he started his journey into the sports media & broadcasting world. He eventually landed a job in the profession after college. Through a series of events he wound up at ESPN. After a great career at ESPN he then decided to take a leap of faith trusting God, as he stepped out to work at Sports Spectrum. Jason's story is one of passion, purpose, courage, persistence, and faith. 

For more information on Jason check out his website https://www.jasonromano.com
He is also the author of two books Live to Forgive & The Uniform Of Leadership.
To hear him on the Sports Spectrum podcast check out: https://sportsspectrum.com

Enjoy the show!

#32: Jay McAuley is the Head Men's Basketball Coach at Wofford College. A proven leader, Jay talks in depth about what it means to be a great leader, as well as what it takes to build a culture. 

Growing up in Georgia Jay grew up in a competitive household. Not only that, but he had two great examples in his parents. He shares what life was like growing up and how sports played an integral part in his upbringing. Jay's story is one of persistence, drive, and hard work. As a walk on at the University of Georgia he had to go through a coaching transition and earn his spot through a second tryout. When his playing days at Georgia came to an end he then made the jump to coaching. From UGA, Wofford, GWU, Furman, and now as the Head Coach at Wofford, you get to hear the ins and outs of Jay's journey. At each coaching stop he has gotten the chance to learn from great coaches and has been a key factor in building the cultures and programs. 

In the show you will get to see how Jay goes about establishing his culture, understanding his players, and what it takes to develop excellence daily. As one of the best coaches and leaders out there, this is a masterclass on leadership. 

Enjoy the show!