If I could chat with Tom I would tell him.....

[grapplefann]

Huh?

I was talking about negative "image," not the man. I think of politicians that hire PR guys to make them seem nicer. Tom doesn't need that.

 

[lookleft goright]

I have to say, I did roll my eyes a bit when Madtown said Tom needs someone to manage his social media presence. If we are only talking about winning national championships which means recruiting, then I do not think Tom's image is that big of a problem. I think the problem has more to do with how other coaches can paint the Hawks. Robots, bullies, Terry is lose cannon etc.. Can social media help with that, sure. However, social media does not recruit a kid.

A coach and other wrestlers recruit the kid. This is not like buying Coke or Pepsi where the consumer really does not care so much which it is but rather wants a cold soda. These are life decisions and the kids and the parents put a lot of thought and emotion and research into it. I highly doubt more tweets or a bigger Facebook page would change the fate of the Hawkeye Program.

Most of the suggestions seem to be about creating an image. Maybe I am wrong and a lot of kids don't want to be Hawks because of a negative image they have which was created on Social Media before they ever meet TnT or visit the Hawks. However, I think the truth will always shine thru and the cream rises to the top. Social Media is not going to change that. IMHO

 

[PD4thespawn]

I’ll probably get hammered here but I’m gonna dissent a bit.... I was a union Vice President for years and whenever I hear this CEO type of vision I roll my eyes sounds like maybe hes the ceo of a “consulting” firm..... Lots of times this is the advice of people who have no real experience being in the gut of the organization and putting in overtime .... working all hours of the night and day and actually rising to the challenges that go unnoticed but truely drive the profits of an organization.....people on the floor which in this case wrestlers will respond better to someone that has been where they are knows very well exactly what they are going through..... Tom and Terry are exactly that and they have a very well established culture with a proven history....they’re hands on coaches..... not someone sitting in meetings with catered lunches trying to come up with catchy flavor of the month corporate fads.... I found the OPs post condescending and somewhat of an insult.... Coaches coach.... marketers market..... the Brands have the most proven business model in wrestling.... Gable.... the factors that have caused our temporary lull in national titles are things like an overall parity in the sport..... Gable disciples coaching everywhere and the growth of high school wrestling in much bigger populace areas than Iowa.....Ohio State and PSU not only sit in the middle of the best recruiting hotbed in the country..... they have nicer facilities and lots more financial backing..... the Brands are adjusting and all things considered have the programs future looking pretty damn good.... probably not the popular opinion here but its mine..... if the OP feels obligated to help with the program give them financial backing and let Tom run the program

and thats why my pension is underfunded

 

[Inthecircle]

Thanks for your input. Does the Hawkeye Wrestling have Core Values, holding merit and importance, then be worthy of praise? Yes most definitely.
The culture is built within your mission statement, such as;
The culture of Hawkeye Wrestling strives for unity through commitment and a common goal. To be an individual role model of relationships, academics and faith, by being dedicated and loyal to these aspirations through hard work and intensity. Upon implementation of these actions, we will strive to be Champions of a team.

From there specific goals are set and the daily activities needed to achieve the goals.
Tom Brands does “walk this talk”of the above thesis.

The post alluded to to not being about wrestler development or recruitment, yet as I come to a conclusion of your piece, it is about recruitment.

The statement from Gilman prior to his final NCAA Tournament and his mindset now are different. It is a fact that he has learned to compartmentalize his life
This is direct correlation in time to the changes Tom has made since Gilman’s statement. The message has changed the culture has not.
We have a known culture, or the janitor would not have been able close on a prized recruit.

Would you be willing to write about cultural differences between Sanderson, Ryan and Brands. This would allow for a meaningful compare and contrast discussion. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

[nitlion6]

I would first tell him “thank you” for his great Hawkeye wrestling and coaching careers. Then I would give him some advice. This advice would not be about wrestler development or recruitment. I grew up as a very mediocre wrestler in rural Iowa. Tom knows more about wrestling in his little pinky finger than I do. However, I would give him advice about being the CEO of a high performing team or organization. I am the CEO of a large organization with over a 100 locations and 10,000 employees. I don’t tell you that last fact to brag. I tell you that because I do know something about organizational leadership and performance. If Tom can improve, it is in the CEO category of his job. Here is what I would tell him:

1) Define the culture. Culture is the most overused word but also the most overlooked when developing a team or organization. In the the short term fantastic athletes or a great idea in the business industry can beat a team/organization with a great culture. But, over time, it is the culture that creates a durable high performing organization. Having a great culture is not organic and does not happen on its own. The leader must be very intentional about setting core values, which lead to the culture. Then the leader must “walk the talk” every day.

I am not close to the wrestling room, but the Hawkeye wrestling culture is not clear to me. If I had to guess, I would define it as “hard work and intensity”? Certainly not bad values, but is that the culture that will attract new recruits? Is that the culture that will promote success over time? I sometimes think our wrestlers are actually too intense about winning and at times tentative because of it. I will never forget Gilman dropped a quote his senior year about “he wrestles everyone like they are trying to take his livliehood away”. We all celebrated the intensity on this board. But, when a 20 year old kid thinks like that they are likely to show up at nationals tighter than a drum. I think that is what happened. Anyway, Tom needs to clearly define the culture through core values, constantly talk about those values, put those values up in the room and on TShirts, and then be consistent with those values over time. I think Spencer Lee in many ways empitomizes the culture that we want. But, you can’t let a specific team member define the culture because team members come and go. The cultural clarity has to come from Tom.

By the way, as much as I hate to admit this, Cael has done a masterful job at this and I think this is the real difference between PSU and other programs right now.

2) Keep the past relevant. The biggest asset of the Hawkeye wrestling program is its past. Right now freshman high school wrestlers never saw Dan Gable wrestle or coach, never saw Tom Brands wrestle, and probably don’t even remember the Hawks ever winning a team national championship. We need to keep telling the history of the program and get great Hawks of the past front and center of the program. I spit up my coffee the other day when I saw a video on social media with several Hawkeye wrestling greats talking about Dresser being the guy to transform ISU wrestling. ISU is now leveraging our past! I’d get Lincoln and all of our other greats up in front of fans, recruits and on social media as often as possible.

3) We need a special event. I honestly feel like we waste the beginning of our schedule every year. We have the best facility and best fan base in the country. We could create an event that is like August and the Masters to the PGA tour. Create something big. Invite the best 3 non Big10 teams every season to a duals event. Make a big deal about it. Bring back past great Hawkeye wrestlers for the event (see point 2 above). Bring recruits to the event. Make the event so special that every wrestling team wants to be a part of it. I think this event could attract ESPN coverage. I know Tom’s philosophy is to ease his wrestlers into the season, but I think the upside is just too tremendous.

4) Be prepared for public speaking. Okay, this gets a bit more critical. I think we all love the brutal honesty of how Tom Brands gives interviews. But, this sometimes leads to rambling, no clear message, and he looks unprepared. For a guy that is hyper prepared for everything in his life, he obviously gives no prep to public speaking. You can’t just say “our guys need to wrestler harder” and then ramble on after every meet. The blue chip wrestling recruits are different today. Unfortunately, many of them come from wealthier families that can afford to put them in wrestling clubs and fly them around the world for wrestling events. Those recruits and their families watch all of these coaching sound bites on FLO and YouTube to evaluate the coaches. While I encourage Tom to keep his honesty, I would also encourage him to whenever possible talk about the Hawkeye culture (see point 1 above) and have some key bullet points or themes that he wants to get across to recruits. As much as I really don’t like Tom Ryan, he is the master at this. He never wastes a public speaking opportunity. And, whether we like it or not, we are a sound bite world now. My kids watch hours of 6 minute YouTube videos. You have a short window to touch these kids and you can’t waste it.

I’ve got a long list of other ideas, but my fingers are getting sore and I am sure you are getting tired of reading this. All just my $.02. I may be way off. I am proud of Tom, our current wrestlers, and our fantastic history. I am proud to be a UI alum. All of this is meant to be constructive feedback and not negative criticism.

I love the early season "BIG EVENT".
Iowa, Okie St, Cornell and NCST.
Problem with being ESPN worthy is BTN has first choice.

 

[24 so far]

I never claimed he did. Likewise, I don't think anyone was being anything other than respectful and encouraging when it came to him making a donation to the HWC.

That's your viewpoint, mine is different.

 

[nitlion6]

Another factor that gets overlooked in the "culture" assessment is the power of negative propaganda.

I may be a little paranoid, but I don't think there is anything like the negativity thrown at Iowa by a group of hard core haters. Tom also once mentioned a "binder" he got, showing what's happening out there. Some may be from ISU or Minny fans, but most are PSU's. The utter anti-Iowa garbage, misinformation and stereotyping that goes on themat forum by less than a dozen posters is staggering. Look at all the jackals who come over here to troll.

FLO's yakking heads are predominantly PSU fans and in their discussions (most recently re Spencer), are not above repeating garbage, portraying Iowa in less than flattering terms.

Sad to say, but this kind of stuff is beyond Brands or anyone else's ability to control. They lead by example, but if prospective recruits read boards, and believe what they read, that, along with negative stuff coming from opposing coaches during recruitment, could scare recruits away.

I believe the key to counter this is to win a title and have great "ambassadors" for the program in their wrestlers (e.g. Spencer).

Yep. It is a conspiracy. Everyone is out to get you. You better do something about it. Hurry, your sky is falling.

 

[natchrlman]

Another factor that gets overlooked in the "culture" assessment is the power of negative propaganda.

I may be a little paranoid, but I don't think there is anything like the negativity thrown at Iowa by a group of hard core haters. Tom also once mentioned a "binder" he got, showing what's happening out there. Some may be from ISU or Minny fans, but most are PSU's. The utter anti-Iowa garbage, misinformation and stereotyping that goes on themat forum by less than a dozen posters is staggering. Look at all the jackals who come over here to troll.

FLO's yakking heads are predominantly PSU fans and in their discussions (most recently re Spencer), are not above repeating garbage, portraying Iowa in less than flattering terms.

Sad to say, but this kind of stuff is beyond Brands or anyone else's ability to control. They lead by example, but if prospective recruits read boards, and believe what they read, that, along with negative stuff coming from opposing coaches during recruitment, could scare recruits away.

I believe the key to counter this is to win a title and have great "ambassadors" for the program in their wrestlers (e.g. Spencer).

Yep. It is a conspiracy. Everyone is out to get you. You better do something about it. Hurry, your sky is falling.

Go back to your own board Troll

 

[grapplefann]

Yep. It is a conspiracy. Everyone is out to get you. You better do something about it. Hurry, your sky is falling.

He didn't really say that did he? In truth, you supported his point with your sarcastic post.

 

[MadTown Hawk]

I appreciate everyone’s thoughts about my post. I have learned some things. Here are a few reactions.

My initial post did not come from a spot where I “was running my mouth” and I think that I know all of the answers. I clearly don’t. My post came from a spot where I love Hawkeye wrestling and am a Tom Brands supporter. We haven’t achieved our primarily goal of winning a team NCAA championship for quite some time. Given that, I think a positive discussion around how things could be better is worthwhile. I only wrote the post because I care. Frankly, I get tired of all of the posts about “firing Tom” as the solution.

I still stand behind my thoughts as valid but I don’t pretend they are the answers for the Hawks winning another national championship. I do, however, regret that I highlighted my occupation. I think it detracted from my post. It really doesn’t matter what I do. Whether I am a welder or CEO, you can evaluate whether these thoughts make sense to you. I am not selling anything. You can take or leave these ideas. It doesn’t matter to me. Also, like all of you, how I give money or to whom I give it is a deeply personal matter that involves my entire family.

I was really happy to read IAChief32’s post about “family” now being a core value of Hawkeye wrestling. Historically, I have heard Tom talk about his team as a bunch of individuals. What I used to hear was something like “If they each do their work, focus on what they individually need to do, then the team stuff takes care of itself.” I think millennials and younger folks are looking to be part of something bigger. They want to be connected to a larger team or community. It is a little thing, but I think focusing on family as a core value will bring the team closer, get them more aligned, hold them more accountable to each other, and help with recruiting. Again, I may be way off on this. Just my $.02.

 

[natchrlman]

I appreciate everyone’s thoughts about my post. I have learned some things. Here are a few reactions.

My initial post did not come from a spot where I “was running my mouth” and I think that I know all of the answers. I clearly don’t. My post came from a spot where I love Hawkeye wrestling and am a Tom Brands supporter. We haven’t achieved our primarily goal of winning a team NCAA championship for quite some time. Given that, I think a positive discussion around how things could be better is worthwhile. I only wrote the post because I care. Frankly, I get tired of all of the posts about “firing Tom” as the solution.

I still stand behind my thoughts as valid but I don’t pretend they are the answers for the Hawks winning another national championship. I do, however, regret that I highlighted my occupation. I think it detracted from my post. It really doesn’t matter what I do. Whether I am a welder or CEO, you can evaluate whether these thoughts make sense to you. I am not selling anything. You can take or leave these ideas. It doesn’t matter to me. Also, like all of you, how I give money or to whom I give it is a deeply personal matter that involves my entire family.

I was really happy to read IAChief32’s post about “family” now being a core value of Hawkeye wrestling. Historically, I have heard Tom talk about his team as a bunch of individuals. What I used to hear was something like “If they each do their work, focus on what they individually need to do, then the team stuff takes care of itself.” I think millennials and younger folks are looking to be part of something bigger. They want to be connected to a larger team or community. It is a little thing, but I think focusing on family as a core value will bring the team closer, get them more aligned, hold them more accountable to each other, and help with recruiting. Again, I may be way off on this. Just my $.02.

I was kinda critical of your first post.... you won me over with this one.... one thing most of us have in common we love the Hawkeye wrestling program and want it to be successful

 

[lookleft goright]

I appreciate everyone’s thoughts about my post. I have learned some things. Here are a few reactions.

My initial post did not come from a spot where I “was running my mouth” and I think that I know all of the answers. I clearly don’t. My post came from a spot where I love Hawkeye wrestling and am a Tom Brands supporter. We haven’t achieved our primarily goal of winning a team NCAA championship for quite some time. Given that, I think a positive discussion around how things could be better is worthwhile. I only wrote the post because I care. Frankly, I get tired of all of the posts about “firing Tom” as the solution.

I still stand behind my thoughts as valid but I don’t pretend they are the answers for the Hawks winning another national championship. I do, however, regret that I highlighted my occupation. I think it detracted from my post. It really doesn’t matter what I do. Whether I am a welder or CEO, you can evaluate whether these thoughts make sense to you. I am not selling anything. You can take or leave these ideas. It doesn’t matter to me. Also, like all of you, how I give money or to whom I give it is a deeply personal matter that involves my entire family.

I was really happy to read IAChief32’s post about “family” now being a core value of Hawkeye wrestling. Historically, I have heard Tom talk about his team as a bunch of individuals. What I used to hear was something like “If they each do their work, focus on what they individually need to do, then the team stuff takes care of itself.” I think millennials and younger folks are looking to be part of something bigger. They want to be connected to a larger team or community. It is a little thing, but I think focusing on family as a core value will bring the team closer, get them more aligned, hold them more accountable to each other, and help with recruiting. Again, I may be way off on this. Just my $.02.

The days of rugged individualism seem to be dwindling. Kids are taught about being a part of a team and the importance of community etc. Empathy and caring etc are stressed. It is not about be the best and if someone else wants to be the best, they have to work harder. Tom keeps talking about a difference in the room and the room having a different feel to it. I am guessing that is because most of the kids come from this sort of a background. I could be wrong, but "the times, they are a changing'" and so are the Hawks and so are TnT.

 

[grapplefann]

I was really happy to read IAChief32’s post about “family” now being a core value of Hawkeye wrestling. Historically, I have heard Tom talk about his team as a bunch of individuals. What I used to hear was something like “If they each do their work, focus on what they individually need to do, then the team stuff takes care of itself.” I think millennials and younger folks are looking to be part of something bigger. They want to be connected to a larger team or community. It is a little thing, but I think focusing on family as a core value will bring the team closer, get them more aligned, hold them more accountable to each other, and help with recruiting. Again, I may be way off on this. Just my $.02.

That's not really what I've been hearing. I may remember him saying something like that in the first few years, but I didn't take it the way that you did. For years now, I've heard him talk about the wrestling lifestyle: work hard at practice, eat right, sleep right, study hard at school, respect your girlfriend, support your family, practice your faith – the total package. Combat sports are intrinsically "selfish." Someone wins. Someone loses. I think that TB does about as good a job as anyone about talking values without pretending that life is fair.

We also see millennials differently. I think ALL people want to be connected to something bigger, but what I see at my workplace are young folks asking, "What's in it for me?" Perhaps among their teams, families, or groups they feel differently, but we always have to show them what they have to gain personally from things. With huge college debts and limited professional job prospects in our sector, I can understand why, but that attitude doesn't serve them very well in the long term.

 

[slushhead]

I appreciate everyone’s thoughts about my post. I have learned some things. Here are a few reactions.

My initial post did not come from a spot where I “was running my mouth” and I think that I know all of the answers. I clearly don’t. My post came from a spot where I love Hawkeye wrestling and am a Tom Brands supporter. We haven’t achieved our primarily goal of winning a team NCAA championship for quite some time. Given that, I think a positive discussion around how things could be better is worthwhile. I only wrote the post because I care. Frankly, I get tired of all of the posts about “firing Tom” as the solution.

I still stand behind my thoughts as valid but I don’t pretend they are the answers for the Hawks winning another national championship. I do, however, regret that I highlighted my occupation. I think it detracted from my post. It really doesn’t matter what I do. Whether I am a welder or CEO, you can evaluate whether these thoughts make sense to you. I am not selling anything. You can take or leave these ideas. It doesn’t matter to me. Also, like all of you, how I give money or to whom I give it is a deeply personal matter that involves my entire family.

I was really happy to read IAChief32’s post about “family” now being a core value of Hawkeye wrestling. Historically, I have heard Tom talk about his team as a bunch of individuals. What I used to hear was something like “If they each do their work, focus on what they individually need to do, then the team stuff takes care of itself.” I think millennials and younger folks are looking to be part of something bigger. They want to be connected to a larger team or community. It is a little thing, but I think focusing on family as a core value will bring the team closer, get them more aligned, hold them more accountable to each other, and help with recruiting. Again, I may be way off on this. Just my $.02.

Your post was thoughtful, detailed, and credible with evidence from your own life experience. There should be no need for you to justify or defend that.

 

[MSeil]

 

[rossel 33]

Yep. It is a conspiracy. Everyone is out to get you. You better do something about it. Hurry, your sky is falling.

My sky isn't falling. Just pointing out something which has been talked about and documented to some extent... negative garbage directed at Iowa's wrestling program.

And you are one of the loyal PSU troll foot soldiers, doing your part.

You come here to the Iowa forum and regularly criticize Iowa wrestlers, coaches, and the pro Iowa posters.

Cael never won the ncaa and never beat Iowa, when he was at ISU... why is that?

You often post about Cael is so much better than everyone else coaching, without talking about the recruits he starts with or acknowledging a wrestling club with more $$$$ than the next 10 clubs combined.

We get it... your Cael walks on water. Why don't you go back to your own board now.

 

[HoundedHawk]

Your post was thoughtful, detailed, and credible with evidence from your own life experience. There should be no need for you to justify or defend that.

Of course, he should defend it. Everyone's responsible for their expressed opinions.

As for me, I asked him some very pertinent questions and wished he would have answered them.

 

[EvilMonkeyInTheCloset]

I would first tell him “thank you” for his great Hawkeye wrestling and coaching careers. Then I would give him some advice. This advice would not be about wrestler development or recruitment. I grew up as a very mediocre wrestler in rural Iowa. Tom knows more about wrestling in his little pinky finger than I do. However, I would give him advice about being the CEO of a high performing team or organization. I am the CEO of a large organization with over a 100 locations and 10,000 employees. I don’t tell you that last fact to brag. I tell you that because I do know something about organizational leadership and performance. If Tom can improve, it is in the CEO category of his job. Here is what I would tell him:

1) Define the culture. Culture is the most overused word but also the most overlooked when developing a team or organization. In the the short term fantastic athletes or a great idea in the business industry can beat a team/organization with a great culture. But, over time, it is the culture that creates a durable high performing organization. Having a great culture is not organic and does not happen on its own. The leader must be very intentional about setting core values, which lead to the culture. Then the leader must “walk the talk” every day.

I am not close to the wrestling room, but the Hawkeye wrestling culture is not clear to me. If I had to guess, I would define it as “hard work and intensity”? Certainly not bad values, but is that the culture that will attract new recruits? Is that the culture that will promote success over time? I sometimes think our wrestlers are actually too intense about winning and at times tentative because of it. I will never forget Gilman dropped a quote his senior year about “he wrestles everyone like they are trying to take his livliehood away”. We all celebrated the intensity on this board. But, when a 20 year old kid thinks like that they are likely to show up at nationals tighter than a drum. I think that is what happened. Anyway, Tom needs to clearly define the culture through core values, constantly talk about those values, put those values up in the room and on TShirts, and then be consistent with those values over time. I think Spencer Lee in many ways empitomizes the culture that we want. But, you can’t let a specific team member define the culture because team members come and go. The cultural clarity has to come from Tom.

By the way, as much as I hate to admit this, Cael has done a masterful job at this and I think this is the real difference between PSU and other programs right now.

2) Keep the past relevant. The biggest asset of the Hawkeye wrestling program is its past. Right now freshman high school wrestlers never saw Dan Gable wrestle or coach, never saw Tom Brands wrestle, and probably don’t even remember the Hawks ever winning a team national championship. We need to keep telling the history of the program and get great Hawks of the past front and center of the program. I spit up my coffee the other day when I saw a video on social media with several Hawkeye wrestling greats talking about Dresser being the guy to transform ISU wrestling. ISU is now leveraging our past! I’d get Lincoln and all of our other greats up in front of fans, recruits and on social media as often as possible.

3) We need a special event. I honestly feel like we waste the beginning of our schedule every year. We have the best facility and best fan base in the country. We could create an event that is like August and the Masters to the PGA tour. Create something big. Invite the best 3 non Big10 teams every season to a duals event. Make a big deal about it. Bring back past great Hawkeye wrestlers for the event (see point 2 above). Bring recruits to the event. Make the event so special that every wrestling team wants to be a part of it. I think this event could attract ESPN coverage. I know Tom’s philosophy is to ease his wrestlers into the season, but I think the upside is just too tremendous.

4) Be prepared for public speaking. Okay, this gets a bit more critical. I think we all love the brutal honesty of how Tom Brands gives interviews. But, this sometimes leads to rambling, no clear message, and he looks unprepared. For a guy that is hyper prepared for everything in his life, he obviously gives no prep to public speaking. You can’t just say “our guys need to wrestler harder” and then ramble on after every meet. The blue chip wrestling recruits are different today. Unfortunately, many of them come from wealthier families that can afford to put them in wrestling clubs and fly them around the world for wrestling events. Those recruits and their families watch all of these coaching sound bites on FLO and YouTube to evaluate the coaches. While I encourage Tom to keep his honesty, I would also encourage him to whenever possible talk about the Hawkeye culture (see point 1 above) and have some key bullet points or themes that he wants to get across to recruits. As much as I really don’t like Tom Ryan, he is the master at this. He never wastes a public speaking opportunity. And, whether we like it or not, we are a sound bite world now. My kids watch hours of 6 minute YouTube videos. You have a short window to touch these kids and you can’t waste it.

I’ve got a long list of other ideas, but my fingers are getting sore and I am sure you are getting tired of reading this. All just my $.02. I may be way off. I am proud of Tom, our current wrestlers, and our fantastic history. I am proud to be a UI alum. All of this is meant to be constructive feedback and not negative criticism.

Well that all sounds nice..........but if I had a chat with Tom, I'd just tell him:

Go kick Cael out of Penn State for a year so that you can win the national championship.

That simple.

 

[herkcy]

MadTown,

Thanks for posting. I wish more people would extend themselves like that. I'm sure there are a lot of good experiences, thoughts, etc. out there that could help the program. Problem is I'm sure some of them aren't shared because of the chastising some of the trolls here will give them.

If you truly think you can help I'd suggest reaching out to the powers that be. With Google I know you can track down email addresses of someone affiliated with both the team & the HWC.

I think it's pretty apparent that the whole staff is adjusting on all fronts, but until a national title is won & even after changes & adjustments always need to be made.

 

[Kwoodhawk]

I would first tell him “thank you” for his great Hawkeye wrestling and coaching careers. Then I would give him some advice. This advice would not be about wrestler development or recruitment. I grew up as a very mediocre wrestler in rural Iowa. Tom knows more about wrestling in his little pinky finger than I do. However, I would give him advice about being the CEO of a high performing team or organization. I am the CEO of a large organization with over a 100 locations and 10,000 employees. I don’t tell you that last fact to brag. I tell you that because I do know something about organizational leadership and performance. If Tom can improve, it is in the CEO category of his job. Here is what I would tell him:

1) Define the culture. Culture is the most overused word but also the most overlooked when developing a team or organization. In the the short term fantastic athletes or a great idea in the business industry can beat a team/organization with a great culture. But, over time, it is the culture that creates a durable high performing organization. Having a great culture is not organic and does not happen on its own. The leader must be very intentional about setting core values, which lead to the culture. Then the leader must “walk the talk” every day.

I am not close to the wrestling room, but the Hawkeye wrestling culture is not clear to me. If I had to guess, I would define it as “hard work and intensity”? Certainly not bad values, but is that the culture that will attract new recruits? Is that the culture that will promote success over time? I sometimes think our wrestlers are actually too intense about winning and at times tentative because of it. I will never forget Gilman dropped a quote his senior year about “he wrestles everyone like they are trying to take his livliehood away”. We all celebrated the intensity on this board. But, when a 20 year old kid thinks like that they are likely to show up at nationals tighter than a drum. I think that is what happened. Anyway, Tom needs to clearly define the culture through core values, constantly talk about those values, put those values up in the room and on TShirts, and then be consistent with those values over time. I think Spencer Lee in many ways empitomizes the culture that we want. But, you can’t let a specific team member define the culture because team members come and go. The cultural clarity has to come from Tom.

By the way, as much as I hate to admit this, Cael has done a masterful job at this and I think this is the real difference between PSU and other programs right now.

2) Keep the past relevant. The biggest asset of the Hawkeye wrestling program is its past. Right now freshman high school wrestlers never saw Dan Gable wrestle or coach, never saw Tom Brands wrestle, and probably don’t even remember the Hawks ever winning a team national championship. We need to keep telling the history of the program and get great Hawks of the past front and center of the program. I spit up my coffee the other day when I saw a video on social media with several Hawkeye wrestling greats talking about Dresser being the guy to transform ISU wrestling. ISU is now leveraging our past! I’d get Lincoln and all of our other greats up in front of fans, recruits and on social media as often as possible.

3) We need a special event. I honestly feel like we waste the beginning of our schedule every year. We have the best facility and best fan base in the country. We could create an event that is like August and the Masters to the PGA tour. Create something big. Invite the best 3 non Big10 teams every season to a duals event. Make a big deal about it. Bring back past great Hawkeye wrestlers for the event (see point 2 above). Bring recruits to the event. Make the event so special that every wrestling team wants to be a part of it. I think this event could attract ESPN coverage. I know Tom’s philosophy is to ease his wrestlers into the season, but I think the upside is just too tremendous.

4) Be prepared for public speaking. Okay, this gets a bit more critical. I think we all love the brutal honesty of how Tom Brands gives interviews. But, this sometimes leads to rambling, no clear message, and he looks unprepared. For a guy that is hyper prepared for everything in his life, he obviously gives no prep to public speaking. You can’t just say “our guys need to wrestler harder” and then ramble on after every meet. The blue chip wrestling recruits are different today. Unfortunately, many of them come from wealthier families that can afford to put them in wrestling clubs and fly them around the world for wrestling events. Those recruits and their families watch all of these coaching sound bites on FLO and YouTube to evaluate the coaches. While I encourage Tom to keep his honesty, I would also encourage him to whenever possible talk about the Hawkeye culture (see point 1 above) and have some key bullet points or themes that he wants to get across to recruits. As much as I really don’t like Tom Ryan, he is the master at this. He never wastes a public speaking opportunity. And, whether we like it or not, we are a sound bite world now. My kids watch hours of 6 minute YouTube videos. You have a short window to touch these kids and you can’t waste it.

I’ve got a long list of other ideas, but my fingers are getting sore and I am sure you are getting tired of reading this. All just my $.02. I may be way off. I am proud of Tom, our current wrestlers, and our fantastic history. I am proud to be a UI alum. All of this is meant to be constructive feedback and not negative criticism.

In Spring Training in Jupiter, Florida the St. Louis Cardinals brought in Clemson Football Coach Dabo Sweeney to talk to them about "winning culture".

Cardinal Coach Shildt had told Dabo that if he could come and if he only had ten minutes to talk to the team they would be glad for that. Dabo replied " I can't say my name in ten minutes". He spoke for 50 minutes.

 

[Is_there_vodka_in_heaven]

Cardinal Coach Shildt had told Dabo that if he could come and if he only had ten minutes to talk to the team they would be glad for that. Dabo replied " I can't say my name in ten minutes".

That's one of the douchiest lines I've ever heard. Maybe I'm misinterpreting.

 

[Kwoodhawk]

That's one of the douchiest lines I've ever heard. Maybe I'm misinterpreting.

Not sure what you thought he meant, but I assumed he meant that he could talk a lot and couldn't stop once he got going. So for him to ONLY talk for 10 minutes would be next to immposible.