Spring Break
Coincidences and adventures in leadership
No regrets, no expectations
Jose Lopez
Issue date: 5/2/07 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
Goodbye is such a harsh word. Goodbye columns are kind of lame. But sometimes, you only get one chance at saying goodbye after so many tears and so much laughter, so here I go with my lame sentimentalism.
Plus, I've always wanted to write something for the sports section, so I figured I'd finally do it. Timeliness is not my thing.
If I won't be remembered as a person after a year at the helm of the Traveler, at least the sports events that took place during my editorship will.
Incompetence in sports, journalism
Coincidence or not, there was a great amount of parallels about leadership in both the athletic department and the Traveler. The three figureheads of the football, basketball and student paper were fairly incompetent and everyone else working for them knew way more about their respective trades all along.
Recently, someone left a comment on the Traveler Web site criticizing Houston Nutt that he can't coach both offense and defense, and that a true coach should not depend so much on his assistants to get things done.
I couldn't help but agree that a leader should be skilled in all the areas he supervises. Also, I realized that the two people who contributed the most to the success of the football Hogs last season were offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and running back Darren McFadden. The only thing Nutt did right was convince those two talented guys to work for him, pat them on the back and say, "Good job, proud of ya," when things went well.
After Malzahn left the Hogs for something more fulfilling last December, I couldn't help but think the wrong person left the team. Something in me knew that Nutt should have been the one to step aside and allow the more talented Malzahn to take the helm of the Razorback program. From Day 1, I thought he was more qualified to do it, but unfortunately, things were set so that the more competent one was at the lower rank of command.
Leadership at the football team was not the only faulty one. Nice guy Stan Heath might have impressed a committee of people looking to replace Nolan Richardson in 2002. But it was a shame when he couldn't live up to the potential the committee saw in him.
To his credit, Heath did one thing right: he recruited some of the best in the game of college basketball. Not knowing how to motivate them and not knowing how to make them work well as a team were two deadly flaws. Because of this, he lost the respect of some of his players, and eventually his job.
Though he said he did not want to depend on freshman Patrick Beverley, it was that type of individual talent - not Heath's leadership - that carried the team to a surprise NCAA Tournament appearance this year.
Those who worked for me know full well that I pulled a Heath/Nutt all year long. The parallels are uncanny for those who lived it here at Kimpel 119.
They knew at least three times more about journalism than I ever did, and they were the ones who made the magic happen, not me.
Despite the staffing changes that occurred throughout the year, I arguably had the most talented set of individuals working for the Traveler than any previous editor. I might have learned the most out of this experience, but I still know the least.
Not knowing how to motivate them and make them work as a team was deadly for me, and I lost the respect of my staff. I can't blame them, quite honestly.
Though I impressed the media board that elected me to the position of editor at the interview a year ago, I just didn't live up to that potential they might have seen.
At least I can admit that I faltered and that I depended on the individual talent of those working for me to do things well, and I don't go around pretending that I'm something greater and expect to get a pay raise to continue doing things the wrong way.
Time after time, when people approached me about how good the Traveler has been this year and gave me credit for it, I was quick to say, "The only thing I've done is hired talented individuals who are good at what they do."
I will continue saying so every time people congratulate me.
Magic is real
"Coincidences are so much more than amusements," Deepak Chopra says. "A coincidence is a clue to the intention of the universal spirit, and as such it is rich with significance."
Against the odds, the magic of the Razorbacks started with four missed field goals from Vanderbilt and Alabama.
Against the odds, the magic continued when all the critics unanimously picked Auburn to win the SEC West before the season began, but then the Razorbacks gained national attention - and respect - by upsetting then-No. 2 Auburn, then going on to win the SEC West themselves before even the last game of the season.
How strange that the Hogs made it to the SEC Championship only to lose in Atlanta against Florida, which then went on to win the National Championship against Ohio State.
And the basketball Hogs also had their share of magic, too. Their late-season push propelled them toward an unexpected SEC Tournament appearance by upsetting Mississippi State and Vanderbilt at the end of the season and at the tournament.
How strange that the Hogs made it to the SEC Championship only to lose in Atlanta against Florida, which then went on to win the National Championship against Ohio State.
"Because the experience of coincidences is universal, most people take them for granted," Chopra says. But he also thinks the phrase "'meaningful coincidence' is redundant because every coincidence is meaningful; otherwise, it would not happen in the first place."
Painful lessons from coincidence
Paulo Coelho says a blessing ignored becomes a curse. In retrospect, the blessing I ignored was the Tennessee game last year on Nov. 11 (11/11), in which Arkansas (then No. 11) had Casey Dick (who wears No. 11) as the starting quarterback. I went to this game with the one person who has most touched my soul. She had the time of her life with me, and the Hogs easily won the game.
People talk about the universe aligning when it comes to love. The universe aligned for me that night, yet I failed to seize the day with this girl.
After that horrible mistake, things were never the same with her, my life went to shambles and, coincidentally enough, the Hogs went on to lose the rest of their games.
If the Hogs ended their season in a rough patch, I ended last semester crashing into a valley of jagged rocks. I knew I had to do something to recuperate my life.
Out of sheer coincidence, I glanced at one of my textbooks (because I usually don't read them) and saw a page in which Mike Krzyzewski's book, "Leading with the Heart," was cited in a chapter about leadership and motivation.
I read the book during the winter break and I gained a profound sense of purpose because of it. I was determined to become the Traveler's own Krzyzewski.
Well, this semester was still pretty rough for me - at the professional and personal levels - and I did not apply Coach K's tips to my own life very well.
Apparently, neither did Krzyzewski. He had his longest losing streak in 11 years (four games) and Duke was unranked for the first time in 184 weeks. Oh, and then there was that horrible first-round NCAA Tourney loss against … Virginia Commonwealth???!!
Krzyzewski had come a long way since 1983 when his 11-17 record was the worst in Duke history. It just goes to show that although they know exactly what to do, even the best in leadership have their bad seasons.
Three final thoughts
• Almost 50 editors chronicled Frank Broyles' career in the Traveler, and I was the one to document his demise. I'm honored?
• If leadership is hard for a veteran like Krzyzewski, what is there to expect for a rookie like me?
• Thank you to my Gus Malzahns and to my Patrick Beverleys. You know who you are. You saved this paper.
-Jose Lopez has been the editor of The Arkansas Traveler.
Plus, I've always wanted to write something for the sports section, so I figured I'd finally do it. Timeliness is not my thing.
If I won't be remembered as a person after a year at the helm of the Traveler, at least the sports events that took place during my editorship will.
Incompetence in sports, journalism
Coincidence or not, there was a great amount of parallels about leadership in both the athletic department and the Traveler. The three figureheads of the football, basketball and student paper were fairly incompetent and everyone else working for them knew way more about their respective trades all along.
Recently, someone left a comment on the Traveler Web site criticizing Houston Nutt that he can't coach both offense and defense, and that a true coach should not depend so much on his assistants to get things done.
I couldn't help but agree that a leader should be skilled in all the areas he supervises. Also, I realized that the two people who contributed the most to the success of the football Hogs last season were offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and running back Darren McFadden. The only thing Nutt did right was convince those two talented guys to work for him, pat them on the back and say, "Good job, proud of ya," when things went well.
After Malzahn left the Hogs for something more fulfilling last December, I couldn't help but think the wrong person left the team. Something in me knew that Nutt should have been the one to step aside and allow the more talented Malzahn to take the helm of the Razorback program. From Day 1, I thought he was more qualified to do it, but unfortunately, things were set so that the more competent one was at the lower rank of command.
Leadership at the football team was not the only faulty one. Nice guy Stan Heath might have impressed a committee of people looking to replace Nolan Richardson in 2002. But it was a shame when he couldn't live up to the potential the committee saw in him.
To his credit, Heath did one thing right: he recruited some of the best in the game of college basketball. Not knowing how to motivate them and not knowing how to make them work well as a team were two deadly flaws. Because of this, he lost the respect of some of his players, and eventually his job.
Though he said he did not want to depend on freshman Patrick Beverley, it was that type of individual talent - not Heath's leadership - that carried the team to a surprise NCAA Tournament appearance this year.
Those who worked for me know full well that I pulled a Heath/Nutt all year long. The parallels are uncanny for those who lived it here at Kimpel 119.
They knew at least three times more about journalism than I ever did, and they were the ones who made the magic happen, not me.
Despite the staffing changes that occurred throughout the year, I arguably had the most talented set of individuals working for the Traveler than any previous editor. I might have learned the most out of this experience, but I still know the least.
Not knowing how to motivate them and make them work as a team was deadly for me, and I lost the respect of my staff. I can't blame them, quite honestly.
Though I impressed the media board that elected me to the position of editor at the interview a year ago, I just didn't live up to that potential they might have seen.
At least I can admit that I faltered and that I depended on the individual talent of those working for me to do things well, and I don't go around pretending that I'm something greater and expect to get a pay raise to continue doing things the wrong way.
Time after time, when people approached me about how good the Traveler has been this year and gave me credit for it, I was quick to say, "The only thing I've done is hired talented individuals who are good at what they do."
I will continue saying so every time people congratulate me.
Magic is real
"Coincidences are so much more than amusements," Deepak Chopra says. "A coincidence is a clue to the intention of the universal spirit, and as such it is rich with significance."
Against the odds, the magic of the Razorbacks started with four missed field goals from Vanderbilt and Alabama.
Against the odds, the magic continued when all the critics unanimously picked Auburn to win the SEC West before the season began, but then the Razorbacks gained national attention - and respect - by upsetting then-No. 2 Auburn, then going on to win the SEC West themselves before even the last game of the season.
How strange that the Hogs made it to the SEC Championship only to lose in Atlanta against Florida, which then went on to win the National Championship against Ohio State.
And the basketball Hogs also had their share of magic, too. Their late-season push propelled them toward an unexpected SEC Tournament appearance by upsetting Mississippi State and Vanderbilt at the end of the season and at the tournament.
How strange that the Hogs made it to the SEC Championship only to lose in Atlanta against Florida, which then went on to win the National Championship against Ohio State.
"Because the experience of coincidences is universal, most people take them for granted," Chopra says. But he also thinks the phrase "'meaningful coincidence' is redundant because every coincidence is meaningful; otherwise, it would not happen in the first place."
Painful lessons from coincidence
Paulo Coelho says a blessing ignored becomes a curse. In retrospect, the blessing I ignored was the Tennessee game last year on Nov. 11 (11/11), in which Arkansas (then No. 11) had Casey Dick (who wears No. 11) as the starting quarterback. I went to this game with the one person who has most touched my soul. She had the time of her life with me, and the Hogs easily won the game.
People talk about the universe aligning when it comes to love. The universe aligned for me that night, yet I failed to seize the day with this girl.
After that horrible mistake, things were never the same with her, my life went to shambles and, coincidentally enough, the Hogs went on to lose the rest of their games.
If the Hogs ended their season in a rough patch, I ended last semester crashing into a valley of jagged rocks. I knew I had to do something to recuperate my life.
Out of sheer coincidence, I glanced at one of my textbooks (because I usually don't read them) and saw a page in which Mike Krzyzewski's book, "Leading with the Heart," was cited in a chapter about leadership and motivation.
I read the book during the winter break and I gained a profound sense of purpose because of it. I was determined to become the Traveler's own Krzyzewski.
Well, this semester was still pretty rough for me - at the professional and personal levels - and I did not apply Coach K's tips to my own life very well.
Apparently, neither did Krzyzewski. He had his longest losing streak in 11 years (four games) and Duke was unranked for the first time in 184 weeks. Oh, and then there was that horrible first-round NCAA Tourney loss against … Virginia Commonwealth???!!
Krzyzewski had come a long way since 1983 when his 11-17 record was the worst in Duke history. It just goes to show that although they know exactly what to do, even the best in leadership have their bad seasons.
Three final thoughts
• Almost 50 editors chronicled Frank Broyles' career in the Traveler, and I was the one to document his demise. I'm honored?
• If leadership is hard for a veteran like Krzyzewski, what is there to expect for a rookie like me?
• Thank you to my Gus Malzahns and to my Patrick Beverleys. You know who you are. You saved this paper.
-Jose Lopez has been the editor of The Arkansas Traveler.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
Chris Medrano
posted 5/02/07 @ 3:21 PM EST
Although Jose makes reference to himself about not deserving credit for the success of the Traveler in his farewell article, I must say that the sign of a true leader is choosing people to lead in areas that one does not consider oneself an expert in. (Continued…)
Brandon
posted 5/02/07 @ 8:39 PM EST
The past can not be changed, Jose. You just got to keep moving forward and when you see something that you think might make you happy and more comfortable, you go for it. (Continued…)
your friend
posted 5/03/07 @ 6:53 PM EST
Jose, you don't give yourself enough credit. Name one editor who has had the respect of every single staff member throughout the years!! If you do, I'm sure I can introduce you to someone who didn't think that way. (Continued…)
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