Sport and the Growing Good

Gabrielle Valdez-Dow is vice president of marketing and fan engagement for the Green Bay Packers. Her career in sports is long and distinguished, including work with the Baltimore Ravens, Florida Panthers, and AEG. As we continue learning about the multi-level leadership of the Packers, her perspective helps us to better understand the broader organizational context. We discussed: 1.  How living and studying in Oregon led her into the field of sports. 2.  Pearls of wisdom gleaned from her father: “love what you do.” 3.  Two influential professors on her journey: Rick Burton and Dennis Howard 4.  The difference between being a fan and the business of sports. “You have to love the business of sports.” 5.  Every day is different. “That’s the beauty of it.” 6.  Servant leadership. 7.  Being a kind of “air traffic controller” in her unit. 8.  Mission, vision, values. What’s noteworthy about the Packers? Stewardship. “Being a steward of our brand, no matter who you are, you are a steward of the brand…We drink the Kool-Aid from top to bottom. What’s best for the brand.” 9.  How she’s changed over the years: “I’ve matured. I’ve relaxed.” 10.  The character and culture is much different here…We don’t have an owner. Everything we do is put back into the team. 11.  Mark Murphy as a supporter of leadership development. Getting her a growth coach. 12.  Jill Ratliff, growth coach. 13.  “The biggest thing for me is listening.” 14.   Using Masterclass for growth for her staff. 15.  How fan engagement is changing. 16.  Getting players on “Call of Duty” and other new, innovative strategies. 17.  “Winning always cures everything.” 18.  The Packers’ community outreach efforts. 19.  Her everyday routines. Working out early. Do not look at email before exercise and morning time with husband. On your resume: add a “personal” section in order to make connections

Continuing our Running a Championship System (RCS) series, we are joined by one the key leaders in the Packers organization, Russ Ball. Russ has a long and distinguished record in football – at both college and professional levels. His wise perspectives on leadership, collaboration, and negotiation are honed from years of experience with some of the top coaches and executives in the country. We discussed: 1.  His positive experiences as a high school football player, learning to win and be a leader. 2.  The impact of his high school coach talking to Russ talking to him while they jogged around the track together. 3.  Working as a strength and conditioning coach with Dave Redding. “He had a knack for finding what button he could push for each person…He knew about them…It was the relationship piece.” 4.  Marty Schottenheimer: “One play at a time.” 5.  The Schottenheimer coaching tree, including Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, Bruce Arians, Howard Mudd… 6.  The Schottenheimer preparation process. 7.  The many roles Russ has taken on over the years, and how he’s learned through these roles. 8.  The value of collaboration and communication across the whole leadership team. “Leaders can’t be everywhere and see everything.” 9.  Relationships are at the heart of negotiations. 10.  “Much is lost for the wont of asking.” 11.  There does not have to be a winner and a loser in a negotiation. 12.  Honesty in negotiation. 13.  The importance of precedent. 14.  “Don’t make it personal. Don’t take it personally.” 15.  “It’s ok to disagree. It’s not ok to be disagreeable.” 16.  Showing someone that you care enough to have a tough conversation. 17.  The only thing you can control in a negotiation is preparation. 18.  “If you’re so busy and you don’t ever give yourself a chance… there’s no time to take a moment for creativity.” 19.  Marcus Allen’s example of work ethic and giftedness. 20.  “Don’t count the time. Make the time count.” 21.  What’s unique about the Packers: the ownership structure. 22.  “Our responsibility is to be a productive steward of what we have.” 23.  Ted Thompson’s words about the importance of the Packers to the fans.

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.

In the first episode of our Running a Championship System (RCS) series, Pulitzer Prize winning writer and Washington Post associate editor David Maraniss joined us to discuss the life and leadership of Vince Lombardi. In this SGG episode, we discussed: 1.  What David knew of Coach Lombardi before beginning the book project. “I wanted to study that tension between his traditionalism and the world that surrounded him.” 2.  Lombardi’s relationship with the media. 3.  “As a biographer, I’m a profound believer that the early years shape someone’s future in profound ways.” 4.  “I don’t think you can overstate the influence that the Jesuits had on Lombardi as a leader.” 5.  Freedom through discipline. “It’s only through putting in the hard work, of learning something in minute detail that you can then have the freedom to experiment off that.” 6.  What David has learned from freedom through discipline: “It’s only by thoroughly learning the craft that you can have the freedom to improvise off of it.” 7.  How Obama, Clemente, and Rafer Johnson were shaped by early experiences. 8.  Readiness for leadership. “You can’t overestimate being totally prepared in terms of true leadership excellence.” 9.  The precarious status of the Packers franchise prior to Lombardi’s arrival. 10.  How Lombardi became a great teacher. “He taught in a way that didn’t assume anything…And he had a capacity to make complex things simpler, easier to grasp.” 11.  Why Lombardi was “useless” on gamedays. 12.  Lombardi as “master of the psychology of the moment.” 13.  An observation on many great leaders – who are professionally successful but commonly struggle with family: “They’re much better at creating a group of leaders out of strangers than they are out of their own flesh and blood.” 14.  Judging players’ performances in precise, specific ways. 15.  Lombardi as a paradox. 16.  A common sentiment among players regarding Lombardi: “On a daily basis, I hated the guy. But, overall, I loved him.” 17.  Differences between Lombardi and Landry, who referred to Lombardi as “Mr. High-Low.” 18.  Did Lombardi seek difference on his staff? 19.  The limited coaching tree of Lombardi. “The Lombardi coaching tree is just this enormous oak tree and nothing could grow under it.” 20.  The hidden jewel in the story of the Packers: Jack Vainisi, the general manager. 21.  Lombardi’s sense of social equity and justice. 22.  Stewardship and the Packers. “There’s a foundation of community pride.” 23.  “He was proof that this little town in the Midwest could survive against LA and New York and everywhere else. And he gave them enormous pride. That’s part of that community spirit. But the paradox is that he also left because of that.”

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.