About the June Stewart Leadership Series
Ep 04 June Stewart Leadership Series Podcast, January 24, 2020
Podcast with Jim Abbott, Oklahoma City University Assistant Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics, Director of Athletics
with host
Trip Durham, 2D Consulting, LLC
Trip Durham
Jim Abbott
For the past 16 years, Jim Abbott has served as Assistant Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics, Director of Athletics at Oklahoma City University. OCU is a member of the NAIA and has captured back-to-back Directors' Cup titles the past two years. During each of Abbott’s 16 years at OCU, the department has placed in the top 15 of the Learfield Sports Director’s Cup rankings, which measures an athletic department's annual success. Abbott has previously served as president of the NAIA Athletic Directors Association.
Abbott is the founder of the Business of Small College Athletics, an annual workshop that provides professional development sessions geared toward NCAA D2, D3, NAIA, and NJCAA athletic administrators. 2020 marks the ninth year of the workshop which has attracted attendees from around the country. He is also the founder/Host of @smallcollegeath and the weekly #scachat.
Abbott has twice been named the NAIA National AD of the Year (2008 and 2017). He has also been recognized as the 2010, 2015, and 2018 Under Armour Central Region Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and been named the Sooner Athletic Conference Athletic Director of the Year on five occasions, including in 2016-17.
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Podcast Length: 22:11
Highlights of the Podcast, hosted by Trip Durham, 2D Consulting LLC
2:00: Abbott defines what leadership means to him and the skills required and how you need to be aligned with the mission of your university/conference in order to be the most effective leader.
2:50: His thoughts on the importance of building a “micro-culture” in the sports information office, to align with the culture of the athletics department overall and the mission of your university, saying “It’s the little things that you do everyday to contribute to leadership.”
4:15: Abbott’s thoughts on what strategies to implement to be an effective leader. Among his thoughts – first, you, as the AD, has to define what “success” means at your institution, and help coaches and staff understand what success looks like for your school. Among his remarks, Abbott talks about being a huge proponent of helping his staff grow, that he is engaged fully in his own professional development and is providing opportunities for his staff to do the same.
Additionally, Abbott speaks on what his expectations are for himself and his staff, saying “I’m a believer that I’m not going to ask you do to something I haven’t done myself, harkening back to my roots in minor league baseball, pulling tarps, and other unglamorous duties that contributed to the mission of the organization.”
6:20: A discussion on understanding the goals and missions of the sports information staff, and the type of check-ins and evaluations Abbott does with his SID staff. Abbott notes, “I need consistent communication with everyone on our staff. We have full staff and smaller meetings throughout the year … I try very hard not to just give ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers, but to explain what goes into that answer to help people grow.”
12:05: Abbott talks about “service above self” as an athletic department employee, and directs his remarks towards SIDs, knowing the struggles of finding the right integration of work demands and personal life. “It all comes down to not losing sight of the mission.”
14:30: Talking about the balance of making sure not to over-manage a unit in his department, and talks about managing his SID staff and the expectations he has for that staff.
About the June Stewart Leadership Series Podcast
CoSIDA debuted the June Stewart Leadership Series in the Fall of 2019 as part of our year-round professional development and continuing education program for our members.
This series adds to our existing professional development initiatives and is named in honor of the late June Stewart who served as CoSIDA's first female president during the 1990-91 academic year. Stewart was a longtime Vanderbilt University administrator and a pioneer for women in college athletics. The series was created in honor of Stewart's great leadership, her love and commitment to the profession and her legacy in giving back to CoSIDA.
This special June Stewart Series showcases noted speakers and experts who will address CoSIDA members on timely communications and leadership topics and issues.
Designed exclusively for CoSIDA members, this series of webinars and podcasts will offer perspectives on leadership and perspectives on managing and directing collegiate athletic communications.
Click here to read more about CoSIDA Hall of Famer
June Stewart.