The NCAA hiring former Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker as president is an inspired choice, as it reinvented the role amid the significant political and fundamental challenges facing intercollegiate athletes. Many believed the board would name an experienced college leader, but this selection is far different from former university presidents Myles Brand and Mark Emmert. One conference commissioner told me it would be incredibly challenging for an outsider to be successful in the role. But perhaps not enough attention was focused on two requirements in the job description: business experience in a government-regulated industry; and government experience solving complex problems. Those were new to the NCAA’s job specs and Baker certainly has those qualifications. I spent 30 minutes one Sunday morning last month getting to know Baker on a Zoom call, and found him to be a thoughtful, calm listener who knows he has a lot to learn. He will learn more this week in San Antonio at the NCAA’s annual convention, where many will meet their new leader for the first time.
To get a better sense of Baker’s style and how he may lead the NCAA, I read his book, “Results: Getting Beyond Politics To Get Important Work Done,” which he co-wrote with his former chief of staff, Steve Kadish, and there were a number of valuable takeaways. In his first day, Baker eschewed the traditional governor’s office as “too damn formal and distant,” and instead hunkered down in an office “closer to the action.” He writes, “It was a place I could literally roll up my sleeves, quickly get to people and spill my coffee.” Those are the themes throughout the book — Charlie Baker is a no-nonsense doer who recruits talented people, loves the “how” of policy as much as the “why,” and leans in on the “gnarly stuff” of problem solving. It’s based around his operating philosophy: “People are Policy — Follow the Facts — Focus on How — Push for Results.”
First, people. In hiring, Baker looks for people who aren’t “interested in making things just 5% better but dramatically better.” He wants “no jerks,” but “strong personalities, commanding presence, and smart as hell — check a big YES on all three. But no loudmouths, know-it-alls and over-the-top arrogance.” Don’t look for a complete overhaul in the national office, as he values balancing new people mixing with veterans, as “new people bring a fresh combination of knowledge, experience, and approaches. Together with known players, they create a healthy and productive dynamic that respects both experience and innovation.”
Baker is a collaborator and consensus builder who wants multiple points of view. Just look at his bipartisan cabinet: Kadish is a Democrat, creating the only Republican governor/Democratic chief of staff in the country. “Collaboration is not a dirty word,” he writes. He uses the best ideas no matter the source, encourages “inspired listening” but with a “sincere interest in feedback.” That should win over many who feel the NCAA office doesn’t listen to the leaders on campus. With the right people, Baker shifts to the “how;” he comes across time and again as a how-to, detail-oriented problem solver who constantly evaluates and adjusts procedures. It’s all about completing the task before him. “How to get things done was too often the unsaid, underappreciated missing link,” he writes, and from Day 1 as governor, “Our mandate was to fix things.”
It’s not about big wins; he believes change “comes in steps, from grinding it out and making steady progress.” He loves the blocking and tackling and believes in getting “deep into the data and revealing the real on-the-ground impact” to solve pain points and achieve results. His relentless focus on getting things done will be tested with the long list of issues facing the NCAA. Don’t expect Baker to keep a low profile; he writes leaders need to get “out of the tower to learn,” to speak with various people directly, get information from outside experts and make site visits and see how things work. He fully understands his decisions will be public facing, for everyone to see and criticize. He also understands the value of working with the media. “The media makes us better at what we do,” he wrote, so I expect Baker to be available and prepared.
Overall, he comes across as commanding and clear in his positions. “Doubt, confusion, and conflict in decision-making not only mean delay; they are enervating,” he writes. This will please college leaders who bemoan the lack of clarity coming out of the national office. Baker steps down as the most popular governor in Massachusetts history, a remarkable fact for a Republican in the historically Democratic state. Asked how he did it, he told The Boston Globe he didn’t know, but added, “People like the fact that we did try to keep the noise down and we didn’t point a lot of fingers.” That’s just a part of what is needed in college sports today, and Charlie Baker offers the promise of commanding, aggressive, yet steady leadership essential for the NCAA.
Abraham Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
