On the desk of Warde Manuel’s spacious office in Gampel Pavilion’s lower level is a cover of the December 2012 issue of Harvard Business Review — “Surviving Disruption.”
Prominently displayed like a bible in a hotel room, the cover story has become a thought-provoking primer for leadership types such as the University of Connecticut’s first-year athletic director — UConn’s newest Big Man on Campus.
“It’s not enough to know that a threat is coming,” the subtitle states. “You need to know whether it’s coming right for you.”
But disruption — not “chaos” — can actually be a good thing. It makes organizations more competitive and forward thinking, which is the essence of both the article and the job of major college athletic director.
The days when the AD simply set the schedules, managed the transportation and made sure there was air in the balls, chalk on the fields and referees at the games are no more.
The expectation now is that the AD will be a CEO and rainmaker; the person who generates revenue and lots of it by cultivating and retaining donors, plus enhancing the university’s brand through high performing sports teams and optimal exposure on television, radio and social media.
“We’re in education, but we’re operating under a business model, under business practices that ultimately are going to be designed to benefit the whole, long term,” said Manuel.
Manuel oversees a $60 million budget, with revenue streams generated from ticket sales, corporate sponsors, student fees and the UConn foundation. He manages 170 full-time employees, 200 part-timers, 24 teams and many strong personalities charged with graduating students and winning.
On a daily basis, Manuel is talking to or working on things that influence coaches, student-athletes and customers, including fans, alumni and donors.
“There’s no shortage of interruptions,” said Manuel in a tone that implies that he relishes the unpredictability of a job that pays a salary of $450,000, plus incentives. “One of the things I try to do is to communicate to my staff and communicate to my coaches and the donors, and make sure our communications to our fans is thorough and appropriate.”
He considers himself a delegator, a boss who gives his employees autonomy, but one who expects passion for the job, timely communications and results.
In the past year, the chatter among UConn Nation intensified as significant disruption hit the proverbial athletic fan at Storrs. The Big East Conference has been imploding and UConn has been left in the lurch in regard to its future. Hall of Fame men’s basketball coach Jim Calhoun resigned and was replaced by protégé, Kevin Ollie, who is off to a promising start. Women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma’s contract is up for renewal; Manuel says he anticipates no complications there. The football team has struggled under Coach Paul Pasqualoni; Manuel is sticking with him for now. About $26 million has been raised so far for a much-anticipated $36 million basketball practice facility adjacent to Gampel. Groundbreaking is April 16. Construction should be completed by June 2014. Facility upgrades are planned for baseball, hockey, soccer and softball. The XL Center, one of the homes for UConn basketball, will be getting a much-needed redesign. There is also an internal consideration to play more home games at Gampel, where the student revelry far outmatches the atmosphere at the XL.
“Surviving disruption,” Manuel said in reference to the Harvard Business Review article. “Bottom line is I have great people. I have the opportunity to work with great administrators, great coaches and great students who are all willing to do the work needed to be successful. And given that, I as athletic director, the leader of the department, it’s much easier to get through the issues that arise on a daily basis.”
Running a successful sports operation, Manuel says, comes down to making sure you’re getting a return on your investment. Having strong team players who are competitive and attentive to changing needs of the customer base is critical.
“I say to my staff all the time ‘you’ve got to think like we’re in a game’,” Manuel said. “We’re in competition. We’re in a competition for customers, for student athletes, on the field … And competition is not going to stop to make you feel good. They are trying to beat us. And what can we do to put ourselves in a position to win. What are we going to do when we get knocked down?”
His father, a retired Army sergeant and postal manager, taught Manuel “you don’t ignore challenges. You take them head on. You keep working.”
“Disruption is really about change.” Manuel said. “It’s about something happening that changes the environment and how you adapt as a company and an organization to the disruption in the environment. The ones that do it well try to predict the future of the disruption and start to be early adapters to that change in the environment.”
The married father of two, including daughter Emma, a freshman at UConn, Manuel is an imposing presence at 6-foot-5 inches, with the robust frame of man who played defensive end at the University of Michigan. He’s big. He’s bald. He’s black. He also has master’s degrees from Michigan in social work and business administration. In the white male-dominated universe of college ADs — about 7 percent are African-American — Manuel presents a new paradigm; a new face.
This New Orleans native is comfortable in the locker room and the board room. He plays to a six handicap on the golf course, which certainly will impress potential donors at those fund-raising outings, and he is adept in talking about business analytics or tap-in birdies.
When UConn President Susan Herbst announced Manuel’s hiring last February, she gushed that he was a “rock star.” When it comes to the challenge of continuing the winning tradition at UConn, Manuel is certainly on center stage.
Stan Simpson is host of “The Stan Simpson Show” (www.ctnow.com/stan and Saturdays, 6:30 a.m., on FoxCT). His ‘Faces in Business’ column appears monthly. Know someone who’d make a good subject for ‘Faces in Business’? Contact Simpson at stansimpson@comcast.net
