Collegiate Coaching Diversity Pledge
Menu
Powered by

Insights From A Decade In The Chair With Army West Point’s Mike Buddie

Guest Mike Buddie, Army West Point
15:43 min watch

Summary

Army West Point AD Mike Buddie joins ADU’s Steph Garcia Cichosz at the 2024 NACDA Convention to reflect on his “origin story” as an AD, including the impact of his experience as a collegiate and professional baseball player and World Series Champion. Buddie discusses the value of having and being a “truth teller,” sharing moments from his days as a player and later as a fundraiser under longtime Wake Forest AD Ron Wellman that challenged him to level up in order to advance in his career. Buddie also offers insight into the concept of deep focus, the flow state and morning and evening routines; shares how he evaluates talent and cultivates a sense of purpose in mid-level administrators; and talks about how the Black Knights provide holistic wellness and mental health support for cadet-athletes.

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

  • - I want to dive into the origin story of Mike Buddie the AD and how a few key moments made you the leader you are today. You grew up in Ohio - tell me about that.
  • - How did baseball become the thing for you?
  • - How did collegiate baseball, professional baseball and World Series Championship baseball form part of your leadership philosophy?
  • - How did you react in those moments when the truth-telling was telling you criticism and challenging you to level up?
  • - What were those moments for you in your administrative career - where someone came to you and said if you wanted to advance, you needed to make a change?
  • - What's your process for getting into the flow state now as the AD versus when you were an athlete?
  • - What is your morning routine - even before you get into the office?
  • - What's your wind-down routine?
  • - We talk about having a coaching tree or an AD tree - tell me about your process for identifying talent.
  • - How do you balance evaluating someone's demonstrated results versus their untapped potential?
  • - What strategies do you use to help mid-level/mid-career administrators recognize that their roles are important?
  • - How do you balance needing to get short-term wins today with planning for long-term growth on top of preserving the sense of history and tradition that's part of Army West Point?
  • - How do you support the mental health needs, the holistic wellness needs, of cadet-athletes?
  • - How would you define the Mike Buddie brand - what's the tagline?

Video
Conveying Strength From The Conference Office With The MVC’s Jeff Jackson
Video
Culture & Core Values With Denver’s Josh Berlo
Video
Long-Range Planning With MEAC Commissioner Sonja Stills