Personal Philosophy
My personal philosophy is that a successful athletic director has the ability to communicate effectively with every stakeholder in the program, with the ability to justify decisions to parents and coaches. He or she can also identify, hire, and manage talented coaches, while advocating for the program’s needs with administrators and board members. An athletic director must be a cheerleader and advocate for the student-athletes, while being a go-between for coaches and parents. And finally, he or she is the spokesperson for the athletic program, who can negotiate ethical sponsorship deals while managing booster clubs and organizing fundraisers.
I believe that an athletic director should make each decision with the best interest of the student-athletes in mind. This means that he or she cannot be afraid to make a coaching change when necessary, suspend a student-athlete for not maintaining a standard level of academic performance, or cancel a sporting event under unsafe circumstances. The objective of an athletic program should be to provide student-athletes with a positive, safe, competitive experience beyond the classroom that can be used to further develop them as young men and women. Given the variety of constraints at any institution, I do not believe that an athletic director should be judged based on the winning percentages of the teams in the program. Rather, I believe he or she should be judged on the quality of the program as a whole. In my experience, a quality program means that there is equity among all sports, coaches abide by and instill the philosophy of the school while coaching their teams, and student-athletes are given fair opportunities to compete in their chosen sports.
I believe that an athletic director should be accountable for his or her actions, and for the actions of the athletic program. Thus, there should be consequences imposed on an athletic director who makes unethical decisions. Athletic directors should consistently evaluate and provide feedback to his or her coaches so that they can be held to a certain standard. High standards include: being prepared for practices and games, developing players’ skills, devising team strategies, and maintaining a professional demeanor at all times. He or she should treat each team in the program with fairness and equity as it relates to the allocation of financial resources.
As an athletic director, my goal is to provide student-athletes with a safe and enriching environment that encourages them to physically and mentally challenge themselves. My goal is for players to improve, to feel positive about athletic participation, and to learn life lessons through competition.