Since his childhood, Rudy Banyai’s life has been touched by the Packers and other Wisconsin sports teams. His father took him to his first game in 1952. Rudy has worked for the Brewers since 1974 and has been a Packers season ticket holder for 45 years. He also used to work the sidelines when the Packers played at County Stadium. Rudy's son Quinn and the rest of the Banyai family has continued the Packer-rich family traditions. Quinn also worked at Packer games – and he even met his wife Malina (also a long-time season ticket holder) on a Packers road trip. As we learn about the broader leadership context in which the Packers operate, this great father and son duo of Rudy and Quinn joined SGG to discuss:

1.  Growing up in Bayview, playing sports on the playground.

2.  First Packer game was in 1952 at Marquette Stadium.

3.  Favorite players: Bobby Dillon (one eye), Billy Howton, Babe Parilli

4.  Babe Pirelli helmet: Running into a brick wall with a Babe Pirelli helmet on.

5.  Some favorite players: Paul Horning, Ray Nitschke. James Lofton, John Jefferson. Lynn Dickey. Brett Favre.

6.  Taking the bus (and walking up to three miles) to Packers games at County Stadium

7.  Listening to Packers, Braves, and Milwaukee Hawks games on the radio with his dad.

8.  First getting Packers tickets at the Stadium Bar.

9.  Getting Packers season tickets in 1976.

10.  Quinn’s first memory of Lambeau — 12 years old: Packers vs Chargers — getting John Jefferson’s high five.

11.  Getting dropped off to walk to games …with his address and telephone # in pocket in case he got lost.

12.  Working on the sidelines at County Stadium

13.  Ditka and Forrest Gregg arguing on the sidelines

14.  Telling the owner of the Rams, Georgia Frontier, to get off the field

15.  Joe Montana stories when he played for the Chiefs — having bratwurst for his pre-game meal when playing in Wisconsin and signing Quinn’s cheesehead.

16.  Has worked Brewers games since 1974

17.  Worked the locker room area too for football games.

18.  Bart Starr: The first thing he always did was went to his wife Cherry and gave her a kiss.

19.  James Lofton’s “J” on his autograph

20.  How he got a signed football from Jerry Boyarsky

21.  Brewers: Good friends with Pat Listach and Bob Whitman

22.  When he got Mike Matheny to get Hank Aaron’s autograph for him.

23.  One of the best guys from visiting teams: Nolan Ryan

24.  Brooks Robinson: he was a true gentleman

25.  Bob Uecker. “Are you learning, kid?"

26.  Taking a bus load of Pittsburgh Pirates to Lambeau Field with Dick the bus driver.

27.  “We talk about sports…That’s our conversations.”

28.  Quinn’s friendships through the Packers.

29.  Bringing friends down to Packers games: "They were so impressed by Lambeau Field…He still talks about it to this day.”

30.  How Quinn met his wife, Malina, on a road trip to a Packers game in New Orleans. “Despite a Packer loss, it was a big gain!”

31.  Being stockholders in the Packers.

32.  I’ve been with them so long, I feel part of the team.

33.  Lambeau Field: "People just want to go there from all different nations. It’s truly a great experience."

34.  The family’s Sunday morning routine: church, hot ham and rolls, crawlers. Italian beef.

35.  When the Bucks won the NBA lottery.

36.  Going downstairs to watch Packers games growing up.

37.  Growing up all the kids wore their Packers stuff.

38.  Going to a Packers game in 1952 and seeing a Packers player with his arm chained down.

Brian Gutekunst is the general manager of the Packers. A longtime member of the organization, he was named to his current role in 2018. He is one of the team’s key leaders. Brian joined SGG to contribute to our focus on Running a Championship System. We discussed:

1.  Learning the value of competition from his father, who coached at the collegiate level.

2.  His father as a teacher: “He recognized that he had them between ages 18 and 22.”

3.  Roger Harring UW-La Crosse. Rolen Christianson. Toughness. Work ethic.

4.  Mentor: Ron Wolf. Confidence. Aggressiveness.

5.  Mentor: Ted Thompson. Tough decisions in the day to day “with steadiness, integrity and grace.”

6.  How his own experiences with injuries impacted the ways he leads as a general manager. “Everybody has value.”

7.  “It’s good to have a diverse group of people who have different strengths.”

8.  How he organizes information. “Pack Track.”

9.  “The whole idea of gathering all this information is to make good decisions.”

10.  Why the Packers do not out-source data tracking. Keeping information “close to the vest.” And, when you outsource, quick changes can be difficult to make: “If we want to make a change, it’s within hours. Not within weeks or days.”

11.  The importance of the draft room.

12.  How do you track intangibles – individually and collectively? The value of the Packers’ nine scouts who are always visiting college campuses: “I don’t think anything can replicate boots on the ground.”

13.  “Until you get them into your environment…you never 100% know how it’s going to pan out with each player.”

14.  The value of internal development of staff talent. “We get to know the person…Coming from the outside in, it can be more difficult that way.”

15.  Setting boundaries as GM. Protecting time to sit down and watch tape.

16.  Key to facilitating difficult conversations: Over-communication. “If you don’t give them the whys, then they’re going to create their own.”

17.  The influence of Mark Murphy’s management by walking around: “He’s led by example and that’s taken root throughout our organization.”

18.  Mark Murphy, who in many ways functions as other teams’ owners do, has a deep understanding of the game – deeper than most owners. The impact of his everyday leadership – especially as juxtaposed with team owners in other settings.

19.  Ted Thompson: “I always wonder what it would be like if I could still pick up the phone and ask him, ‘What do you think?’”

20.  Self-evaluation.

Running a Championship System (RCS) continues. Matt LaFleur has served as head coach of the Packers since 2019. Known as a top innovator, Coach LaFleur learned about leadership from his parents and many other top coaches over the years. In this episode of SGG, we discussed:

1.  Core values that he learned from his parents. Integrity. Honesty.

2.  Mike Shanahan: “I’ll never lie to you.”

3.  The best leaders are true to themselves.

4.  Surrounding yourself with great people. Priority in putting a staff together: “Give me the person first and the coach second…In our work there’s so much adversity, It’s so competitive. It’s a roller coaster. You’ve got to have the right kind of people to get through the tough times…Because it’s coming…It all starts with the people.”

5.  “Coaching trees” as being more about the process than the individuals themselves.

6.  Learning from other coaches.

7.  Taking time in choosing a staff, including people who are different and complementary.

8.  On leadership and developing ideas: “Talking to too many people can cloud your ideas… If you emphasize everything, you emphasize nothing.”

9.  “In our messaging to our team, we are very, very basic. But I think if you ask our guys what we’re all about, they’ll be able to tell you.”

10.  “It’s a consistent message that we feed to the guys…The hard part for me, heading into year three, is that these guys have heard it so many times…It’s like, how do you give the same message but present it in a different way?”

11.  Finding ways to empower other people as a leader. “You’ve got to allow people to grow and showcase what they can bring to the table.”

12.  The importance of being present as head coach. “Try to be as visible and accessible to all of your players and staff as possible.”

13.  Role of coach in supporting player leadership: “There is nothing more powerful than a player-led team.”

14.  Strategically tapping into veteran player leadership. “It is powerful when they are delivering the message.”

15.  Hiring detailed position coaches “so that all the little things are getting the same attention.”

16.  The importance of physical space in fostering trust, comradery, and strong relationships.

17.  The challenge of making long-term schedules.

Continuing our Running a Championship System series, Packers President Mark Murphy, joined SGG to discuss leadership in the Packers organization and beyond. A former NFL all-pro and college athletic director, Mark has led the Packers since 2007. In this SGG episode, we discussed:

1.  Learning from his father’s “pearls of wisdom.”

2.  The value of unstructured play for kids.

3.  A college coach who influenced Mark: Fred Dunlap. (weekly goals, great communication). “He’s been a real mentor.”

4.  George Allen. “I was a sponge. I learned so much about coaching and leadership.”

5.  Joe Gibbs. “Just to see him and the way he operated…To see him MWBA (manage by walking around), sitting down talking with players… I feel so fortunate.”

6.  Managing by walking around. “It’s not easy to walk into the boss’ office.”

7.  How the “building bridges instead of burning them” lesson from his father paid off in Mark’s relationship with Paul Tagliabue. “I wouldn’t be in my position today if it weren’t for Paul.”

8.  “If you’ve got a mindset where you’re thinking of others before yourself, that’s the first step.”

9.  Starting each day at the office with a “things to do” list.

10.  As a leader, asking yourself, “Who needs me today?”

11.  “In any organization, the most important thing is communication.”

12.  Regarding Coach LaFleur: “There isn’t a day that goes by where we’re not talking.”

13.  Three most important regular meetings/groups: Executive committee (monthly); Senior staff (weekly); Football leadership (every other week or more).

14.  Important “hidden leaders:” Administrative assistants, head coach’s chief of staff, Darryl Franklin.

15.  Indicators of negative culture in an organization.

16.  Avoiding micromanagement.

17.  Leadership development.

18.  Why aspiring leaders sometimes need to “move out in order to move up.”

19.  Maintaining a learning mindset. Utilizing an executive coach and strategic planning expert.

20.  Staying true to yourself. “People can see through you if you’re not sincere, if you’re acting.”

21.  Learning from league colleagues.

22.  Stewardship. “We have this community asset. My role is to be a steward of Lambeau field… We all feel this great sense of responsibility that this is such a unique and special organization and we want to leave it better than we found it.”

Pat Richter is a legendary athlete and leader in Wisconsin and beyond. While many people first recall his exploits as a multi-sport star and trail-blazing athletic director at the University of Wisconsin, he also has deep ties to Coach Vince Lombardi and the Green Bay Packers franchise, where Pat served on the board of directors. Continuing our Running a Championship System series, Pat joined SGG and we discussed:

1.  As a youngster, learning to be tough and competitive from older guys in the neighborhood.

2.  Playing three sports at UW.

3.  Awareness of football growing up – mostly George Halas and the Bears. There was less interest in the Packers until Lombardi started building.

4.  Seeing Lombardi visit Madison when Pat was still in high school…and his early impressions of Lombardi.

5.  Catching a 73-yard touchdown as a college all-star against Lombardi’s Packers.

6.  Lombardi’s reputation among players: tough, efficient, fair, winner.

7.  One of Pat’s initial practices under Lombardi – taking a hard hit, broken nose, and keeping on playing. “I thought that’s what he’s want.”

8.  “He had a great ability to get you to the end of the rope, so teed off, flustered and things like that … and then he’d pull you back in.” There was a compassion there.

9.  “He was efficient.”

10.  Lombardi’s skill as a psychologist – examples after wins and losses.

11.  Lombardi’s lack of coaching tree. His former coaches and players were not successful in coaching.

12.  “Lombardi time.”

13.  Lombardi’s ability to be both entertaining and cold.

14.  Lombardi being completely drained after games – would fall asleep on bus to airport.

15.  Pat’s son’s interaction with Coach Lombardi at practice. “Hi there, Vince!”

16.  Professionalism.

17.  “The greatness of a loss is not so much determined by what was lost than by what was left.”

18.  Making Sonny Jorgensen the team leader.

19.  Taking a leadership role at Oscar Mayer. “Providing added value.”

20.  Lessons took from Oscar Mayer to UW: culture, strategic planning.

21.  Would Coach Lombardi be successful today?

22.  Keys to leadership: listening, integrity, honesty, creativity, adding value.

Jordi Diaz Gibson is a respected professor at Universitat Ramon Llull in Barcelona, where he teaches and conducts research on leadership, schooling, and social networks. Growing up, he was an elite soccer player, competing at some of the highest national levels. From his office in Barcelona, Jordi joined the SGG podcast. We discussed:

1.  Growing up playing soccer in Barcelona, including the influence of his father.

2.  The disconnect between youth soccer clubs and schools in Barcelona.

3.  “Coaching young people as if they are old people…it was not good. It did not have a training focus.”

4.  Problems associated with focusing on short-term results in youth sports. “They stopped liking the game.”

5.  Playing with Xavi.

6.  The impact of coaches on youth athlete development. “You need to really think about how those talents can improve over time. And how can you shape that talent and the way that the athlete is thinking. And shaping the skills…The decisions you make are very, very important for the success and development of the players and the teams.”

7.  The importance of Xavi’s developmental environment with Barca: “He was in the right place at the right time…and he had a great mindset.”

8.  La Masia: Clear system, clear player type, international scouting.

9.  “The same system is applied across all the years of development.”

10.La Masia developing a “360 program” – holistic child development perspective.

11.Carlos Folguera La Masia: “Your dream must be playing there (in the big stadium). But the probability is that you’re not going to make it. And we want you to make the most of your life beyond soccer.”

12.“I learned how to be a person at La Masia.”

13.“You never know how to best support the dream and reality at the same time.”

14.Making difficult decisions about moving on to a different career than soccer.

15.Lessons learned through high-level sport participation.

16.“I really believe in the power of sports. But, as with all powers, we need to think about how to display them and to support kids in the right way.”

17.Jordi’s early focus on youth sports and human development.

18.Maintaining perspective.

19.The challenge of understanding how the game is evolving…and how it may evolve in the future.

20.The critical roles of Johan Cruyff and Pep Guardiola in developing modern soccer schemes.

21.“Disrupting” the way the game is played.

Tracy Krueger was a beloved husband, father, teacher, coach, and referee whose impact could be seen throughout the state of Wisconsin. He was widely known to use sports as a vehicle for “growing the good” in the world around him. In this SGG episode, Tracy’s son, Brendan, joined us to reflect upon some memories of his father. We discussed:

1.  The role sports played in Tracy’s life growing up, including participating as an athlete at UW-Stevens Point and UW-Superior.

2.  Tracy’s guidance for his own kids in sports: If you start it, finish it. Remain committed. Never pressured kids to play sports. “Find that passion and share it with others.”

3.  How Tracy made coaching a family affair.

4.  What led Tracy into coaching.

5.  Tracy’s infectious passion and energy in coaching.

6.  Finding joy and fulfillment when young people developed.

7.  Appreciating “unsung heroes.”

8.  Why Tracy became an official and how he went about it. “He was really a people person.”

9.  Why Tracy spent time with and appreciated the maintenance personnel.

10. A note from a former student. “He believed in me.”

11. Celebrating small victories.

12.“I know you can do it!”

13. “He was sharing what he loved.”

14. Tracy as a mentor and supporter of others. “How can I help this person out?”

15. Baking treats for others.

Rick Polk is the athletic director at Vincent High School in Milwaukee. He also started the OWN IT mentoring program that aims to support young people in the community and beyond. He’s positively impacted thousands of young people and families over the years. In this SGG episode, we discussed:

1.  Learning life virtues from his parents and other adults.

2.  Growing up on 23rd and Locust in Milwaukee: “It was a village.”

3.  The playground at Emmaus Lutheran Church: “That’s where the village started.”

4.  The life-long benefits of sports.

5.  The joy that “two free throws” made by a child instilled a deeper awareness of how much sports mean to young people.

6.  Helping give kids voice: “The small things can go so far in life.”

7.  Directing a youth sports program that offers new sports to kids.

8.  The Growing Up Milwaukee documentary that tells the story of youth in the city and shows how Rick creates space for their voices.

9.  How he became known as “Uncle Rick.”

10.  His “OWN IT” mentoring group.

11.  His journey through difficult life challenges…and the origins of OWN IT.

12.  The importance of bringing the community together.

For more, refer to sportandthegrowinggood.com.

Ryan Hoover was a wildly successful college and professional basketball player. His career spanned over 20 years in the US and Europe. After retirement, Ryan went on to play a critical role at a leading sports technology company and he still serves as an AAU basketball coach on the Under Armour circuit. In this episode of the SGG podcast, we discussed:

1.  His sports experiences playing growing up – and always looking for the highest levels of competition.

2.  Scouting out the best spring and summer sports experiences during the summers of his youth—and using his allowance wisely to make the most of these experiences!

3.  Today’s AAU basketball world which, unfortunately, includes fewer multi-sport athletes.

4.  How participating in multiple sports can foster humility.

5.  Coaching with KC Run GMC on the Under Armour circuit.

6.  The “Extra Mile” program in his team’s program. Focusing on life skills and holistic development.

7.  How young players are developed in Italy. Weighing costs/benefits of pro teams and junior teams instead of college and high school teams.

8.  Playing with 17-year-old Danilo Galinari, who would later go on to NBA stardom.

9.  Communicating with families in the AAU setting. “We just want them to be a part of a great team.”

10.  His team roles in skill development, career development, and family care.

11.  “Whether we want to accept it or not, technology is having a huge impact on our game.”

12.  Working at Shot-Tracker.

13.  How Scott Drew and Baylor Basketball’s early adoption of technology has paid off.