Greetings Golfer,

Have you seen the video of the Rutgers’ basketball coach throwing balls at his players? He was going crazy, also hitting and kicking the kids. This wasn’t an isolated incident – this was his “coaching style.”

Leadership comes in many forms – some not so good, some very good. I just read an article in the Sun-Sailor about the retiring principal of Minnetonka High School. He said “If you really want to have a good high school, it has to be about the culture within the high school. It’s more about expectations than rules. Culture’s tough to build, but when you do it, you know it.” That is what good leadership is all about.

Throwing balls at players? That’s lazy leadership. It’s not putting in the time and effort to build a culture where people grow and thrive.

Let’s hope that the Gopher’s new basketball coach can build a strong, healthy culture – it can’t happen overnight. I hope he’s committed and not just using the U of M as a stepping stone.

At least the U didn’t hire that Rutgers’ coach.

Cheers,

Tom Abts
GM and Head Golf Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com