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Lessons For Leaders With Notre Dame’s Jack Swarbrick & GWU’s Andrew Goodrich

Guest Jack Swarbrick, Notre Dame; Andrew Goodrich, Gardner-Webb
20:12 min watch

Summary

Notre Dame Vice President and James E. Rohr Director of Athletics Jack Swarbrick sits down with Gardner-Webb Vice President and Director of Athletics Andrew Goodrich at the 2023 NCAA Convention to share the leadership lessons he’s learned from 15 years in the big chair for new and aspiring ADs. Swarbrick reflects on the coaches, educators and early experiences of responsibility that shaped him, discusses his best practices for hiring coaches and selecting “highly motivated and highly talented” team members, talks about the importance of mental downtime and leaving space for the unexpected and recommends one book aspiring leaders must read.

The conversation is indexed below for efficient viewing (click the time stamp to jump to a specific question/topic).

  • - Is there a story from your childhood or early in your career that shaped you and influenced your leadership style today?
  • - Did you feel pressure to instill your own philosophy or values on the department when you first took the chair in 2008?
  • - How do you balance having a fun work environment with holding teams and individuals responsible for their attitude, efforts and results?
  • - What are your best practices for coaching searches? How do you keep it private and how do you evaluate potential coaching candidates?
  • - How do you incorporate student-athletes in that process?
  • - What was one moment or experience that you had that was especially challenging? What helped you win that day or that moment?
  • - What books or podcasts would you recommend for new and aspiring ADs?
  • - Success isn't always about what you do - it's sometimes about what you don't do. Are there frequently-made mistakes that ADs make that we should look out for if and when we have the chance to take over an athletic department?
  • - How has faith played a role in your leadership philosophy?

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