Alignment in Action: Owning Your Area - Jim Chapin, OC, Central Michigan

In Episode 4 of Alignment in Action, the focus shifts from philosophy to authority in practice.

After establishing vision, trust, and identity in earlier episodes, this conversation examines what happens when real decisions must be made inside a staff—when someone has to own outcomes, manage people, and carry standards forward.

This episode centers on offensive coordinator Jim Chapin and how alignment holds when responsibility is distributed rather than centralized.

This Alignment in Action episode is paired with the Alignment in Action AI Companion, a behavior-based evaluation and planning tool built directly from these conversations to help coaches assess alignment, ownership, and decision-making when responsibility moves beyond the head coach. For staffs looking to ensure standards hold under pressure and function without constant oversight, this series provides a clear lens and practical application.

⁠⁠Alignment in Action AI Companion⁠⁠

Before hearing from Chapin, Head Coach Matt Drinkall explains how authority is structured inside the program:

• Why he views himself as an “owner,” not a micromanager

• How responsibility is divided across coordinators and departments

• Why clarity and information-sharing prevent silos

• How alignment accelerates once systems are in place

This structure sets the conditions for coordinators to operate with autonomy and without ego.

• Owning the football side: Authority means responsibility, not freedom from accountability

• Vertical leadership with trust: Alignment starts with serving the head coach’s vision

• Decision-making under pressure: One voice ultimately decides, even after collaboration

• Low ego, high output: Authority without insecurity or performative control

• Player advocacy: Coaching quarterbacks without fear, blame, or panic

• Simplicity over volume: Avoiding bloated systems in favor of executable football

• Handling adversity: Calm leadership when results lag or pressure rises

• Standards that survive change: Teaching new players “how we do things” repeatedly

Alignment isn’t proven when everyone agrees.

It’s proven when decisions are made, when accountability is real, and when responsibility doesn’t fracture trust.

This episode shows how authority functions inside an aligned staff, not loudly, not centrally, but through clarity, humility, and ownership.

Connect on X:

Jim Chapin: @CoachChapin

Keith Grabowski: @CoachKGrabowski

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