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From NCAA Champion To Senior Leader With Army West Point’s Tom Theodorakis

Guest Tom Theodorakis, Army West Point
17:35 min watch

Summary

Army West Point Deputy AD & Chief Revenue Officer Tom Theodorakis sits down with ADU’s Steph Garcia Cichosz at the 2024 PACnet to reflect on his experience as part of an NCAA Championship men’s lacrosse title at Syracuse and how he learned to push past his comfort zone during his time as a student-athlete. Theodorakis, who was recently elevated to the Deputy AD position, also discusses the evolution of “fit” as he ascended throughout various Division I departments, why he embraces feedback, how he “manages the clock” when overseeing various external units and the importance of empowering staff.

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

  • - You've had a very interesting career trajectory; as you've gone through your journey, how has your definition of fit evolved for you professionally and personally?
  • - At what point along the way did you learn to push yourself out of your comfort zone? 
  • - Is curiosity part of your leadership toolkit? What is the calculus when you consider a new opportunity? 
  • - What's been the common theme across all of your career stops?
  • - How have you evaluated yourself for gaps - and if you find any gaps, how do you address them?
  • - How do you react to critical feedback?
  • - You oversee all external units at Army - what does your Google calendar look like?
  • - How do you mentally shift gears when moving between meetings, tasks or duties with various external units?
  • - Tell us about your communication style - both to the people who directly report to you and with your AD Mike Buddie?
  • - You were a member of the 2004 National Championship team with Syracuse Men's Lacrosse - when you take that game jersey off, what happens next?
  • - When we talk about doing the little things it takes to get to a championship - what were some of those things for you as an athlete and what are some of those things for you now as a senior leader?
  • - How do you create space in your life to recharge?
  • - What does that look like in your life outside the office?

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