Des Moines Business Record, IA
12-03-06
CEO rules apply in sports, too
Jamie Pollard would probably make a great CEO. As the athletic director at
Iowa State University, he deals with budgets, personnel and planning, and he
certainly has displayed one key characteristic of leadership: He gets things done.
Earlier in the year, Pollard snatched away the coach of a successful basketball
program to take over the men's team at ISU. Greg McDermott appeared to be
happy coaching at the University of Northern Iowa, his alma mater, and was
enjoying success. But Pollard decided to get him, and he got him.
Then came the dramatic search for a football coach to replace Dan McCarney.
When you're operating in a big-time football conference and your coach departs,
there's a huge amount of pressure to find a top-notch replacement and find him
fast. Pollard scored an upset by persuading Gene Chizik to leave a high-powered
program at Texas and move to Ames.
Of course, money plays the leading role in these courtships. Iowa State and its
frustrated private supporters are sitting at the same poker table with Nebraska
and Oklahoma, and it's tough to stay in the game. It's even tougher when you're
trying to recruit against successful warm-weather schools all across the South.
But the Cyclones really want to win the pot some day, so they're all in.
Still, it takes more than money to beat the competition, whether you're trying to
score touchdowns or sell insurance, and Pollard might have some lessons to
teach the business community.
To do well, he has to evaluate talent, network within the industry to figure out
who might be available and who really isn't, and then turn on considerable
powers of persuasion to land his choice. Pollard had to convince Chizik - a man
with stature in his profession - that success is possible, even likely, at a place
with a modest stadium, so-so weather and one of the nation's most challenging
schedules.
What Pollard did was a lot like bringing new business talent to Central Iowa from
the coasts. It's easy to see what's so great about New York or San Francisco. A
great leader brings in the right people and makes them see what could be great
here.