Athletic Directors: Reminding Yourself What is Ultimately Important

The life of an athletic administrator is often crazy, hectic and at times overwhelming. You put out a fire and the next one erupts, and you never seem to get a handle on all the tasks and responsibilities. It is easy to get caught up in the details and chaos, and to forget what is ultimately important.

Missy Townson, athletic director at Prescott (Arizona) High School, had an interesting take on the craziness and relentless nature of the position.

“By Friday, most athletic administrators have already lived an entire week’s worth of emotions. We celebrate student success, navigate difficult parent conversations, solve issues, support coaches, manage budgets, and try to ensure every event reflects the values of our schools and communities.” Amen!

So as not to be overwhelmed, Townson relies on understanding who she is, what she values, and the standards that will guide her when circumstances are difficult.

“This means that I cannot carry problems home, because this will affect and impact those who matter the most – my husband and children. Success at work – if it can be attained – means very little if I fail with my family.”

Travis Seese, athletic director at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, makes a conscious effort to overcome and insulate himself from the pressure and negatives of the job.

“I surround myself with positive people and try to stay connected to former athletes,” Seese said. “It is rewarding, comforting and reassuring to hear how athletes are succeeding in life and that you might have impacted their lives. This keeps me grounded and going forward.”

When considering what is ultimately important, Sean Dowling, the former athletic director at North Plainfield (New Jersey) Public Schools, reflected on why he became an athletic administrator.

“Since my high school days, I always knew that I eventually wanted to be an athletic director. I was enamored with the position, because I wanted to serve the student-athletes, coaches and communities that had given me so much. I was a servant leader before I knew what this entailed; I wanted to help, nurture, guide and inspire as I had been.”

“Athletics changed my life, and the role of an athletic director is more than supporting programs, building culture, and creating opportunities for student-athletes,” Townson stated. “Now, I understand it is about stewardship to help create environments that teach resilience, responsibility, teamwork, sacrifice and character. I’ve shifted from managing to serving people.”

To focus on the welfare of student-athletes and their experience, which is ultimately important, Josh Plisko, director of athletics for Johnston County Public Schools in Smithfield, North Carolina, believes controlling his time involvement and schedule is a critical piece. Time is valuable, and lack thereof causes pressure and anxiety.

“It is important to block out time on your schedule so that you can productively handle your responsibilities,” Plisko said. “This also should include time to reflect, recover and to get back to your priorities. The primary focus has to be on young people, their experience, and helping our coaches to meet the needs of their student- athletes.

“I share with everyone the following statement: ‘If it’s not on my calendar, it doesn’t exist.’ Now, problems will arise and they will alter the schedule, but the goal is to control my time so that I don’t feel overwhelmed.”

To accomplish this objective, Plisko noted three things he does to protect his time: 1) Make your meetings as concise and to the point as possible – try to keep them under 45 minutes; 2) block out an hour a week to devote to projects that are personally fulfilling, and 3) “black out” some time where you don’t have meetings, don’t take phone calls and can decompress.

Remaining connected to student-athletes is also vital, and Seese takes definite steps to achieve this goal.

“I make a conscious effort to interact with them in the hallways, at practice sessions, or before and after games,” Seese said. “Informal conversations allow me to build relationships. We also have several programs that provide additional opportunities to connect with athletes throughout the year such as our Athletic Honor Society and Athletic Internship Program. This provides me with an additional opportunity to work closely with them and to help support their growth and development.”

During those hectic weeks, Dowling also thought it was important to reconnect with his student-athletes.

“I think that it is vital to take time, get out and watch practice sessions and to see the benefits that young people are gaining and the fun that they are having, Dowling said. “Also, ‘catch your coaches’ doing something great when they encourage and positively motivate their student-athletes. This re-energizes me and helps me to get ‘back on track.’ The observed energy, enthusiasm, fun, relationships and effort put everything back into perspective.

“We have the greatest job in the district, and we get to see ordinary student-athletes do extraordinary things with the help of caring, dedicated coaches. On those ‘down,’ crazy days, I just remind myself of this fact, and I regain focus,” Dowling concluded.

“Having a close group of fellow athletic directors who understand what exactly the job entails is absolutely essential,” Seese said. “Since they know the challenges, pressures and difficulties, they exist as a perfect sounding board, source of advice and encouragement. They also might be able to make you laugh at a problem while sharing that they also have experienced it.”

Townson added that “being in a leadership position can feel lonely at times because difficult decisions rarely make everyone happy. Having people around you – trusted mentors and colleagues, who value principles over popularity is critically important. Even though hearing, ‘You handled everything perfectly,’ is good and reassuring, it is more important to hear, ‘Keep doing what is right.’ Leadership is not about being perfect, it is about being intentional and consistent.”

While there are going to be some difficult, contentious conversations, athletic directors need a way to effectively cope and refocus. Seese suggested you should take a moment to process it, learn from it when necessary, and move on.

“Effective leaders have to move forward without constantly obsessing over what happened. Everything moves quickly, and so must you,” Seese said.

Dowling suggested you take a walk, and “Go observe a second- grade physical education class, because all they do is have fun.” This should bring you back to your purpose and reality.

“My faith plays an important role,” Townson said, “Peace of mind and doing what is right does not come from controlling circumstances, it comes from controlling my response and approach.”

Challenging days may not be easy, and they occasionally occur as an administrator, but you always have to remind yourself of what is ultimately important.

Dr. David Hoch is a former athletic director at two high schools in Baltimore County (Maryland) for 16 years. He has 24 years of experience coaching basketball, including 14 years on the collegiate level. Hoch, who has a doctorate in sports management from Temple (Pennsylvania) University, is past president of the Maryland State Athletic Directors Association, and he formerly was executive director of the Maryland State Coaches Association. He has had more than 800 articles published in professional magazines, as well as four textbook chapters. Dr. Hoch is the author of five books: Coaching within the Education-Based Athletics Concept; The Parents’ Guide to Education-Based Athletics; Leading an Education-Based Athletic Program; A Lifetime of Memories from Education-Based Athletics: Humorous, Inspirational and Occasionally Sad; and Refocusing on Education-Based Athletics – A Call to Action. Hoch is a member of the NFHS High School Today Publications Committee. He can be reached at davidhochretad@gmail.com.