Leading Through Challenge & Change With TCU’s Jeremiah Donati

Summary

• - The work you did, in law school and then as a sports agent, is extremely timely with the changes happening in the industry today - tell me about that lens for you as an AD.
• - Is there an aspect of you lending your experience to the people in your office who are responsible for things like NIL?
• - One thing that's been on my mind is the need to be ambidextrous - focusing on success right now, today, and focusing on future-proofing your organization. As a leader, you have to do both things.
• - Are there decisions that you were on the verge of making that you have to hesitate to make now?
• - How do coaches respond when you tell them that you're hesitating when it comes to resource allocation?
• - There are times as a new AD that you try to hold on to the things you're good at. You've just made some new hires - tell me about making the decision to give up some of those tasks and duties in order to focus on the things only an AD can address.
• - At what point in your seven years as an AD did you realize, "This is a thing I need to give up"?
• - Tell me how that's been, giving that responsibility up since Ryan Peck's been in the role?
• - Someone once told me - you don't teach values, you hire values. Tell me about that when you hire head coaches.
• - I wonder about the concept of "war games" and preparing for every possibility in college athletics. Tell me about how that plays out for you when it comes to strategic thinking and planning.
• - That's interesting - if this happens, then the response is one thing; if that happens, the response is another thing.
• - If these external things weren't happening, what would you be strategizing for? Competitive success and excellence?
• - That's interesting, the act of prioritizing - you put something to the side and then more things get layered on.
• - Head coaches for revenue-generating sports - are they ever willing to "share" their resources with their non-revenue generating counterparts?
• - People are excited about women's sports right now and the hope is that the excitement matches up with revenue-generating opportunities and success. How do you strategically plan around that excitement?
• - How do you position yourself to be able to take advantage of the excitement and momentum so that it becomes a revenue-generating sport?
• - Your chancellor has been a big supporter of college athletics - tell me about that relationship over your 7 years as AD.