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This is a special episode of The CEO Series for me because we took a trip to Notre Dame Stadium where I played football as a walk-on with my brother during the undefeated season of 2012. We went to my old stomping ground to sit down with coach Marcus Freeman to talk about leadership and that as, in many ways, he is the CEO of their incredible program.
Below are some highlights of that conversation, which have been edited for length and clarity. Watch the full video above.
Coach as CEO
“A CEO, is at the head of a large company, and my company happens to be Our Lady football. At the end of the day, you are responsible for every decision that affects the people in the program and the results that are on the field. So you don't make every decision, but you are responsible for every decision. It's important to make sure you understand. Throughout my career as a coach, the greatest satisfaction came from seeing the players you were involved with succeed.”
The video of the party that went viral after he was hired as a coach
“It was a blur. But I remember walking out that door and seeing the team going crazy – all I wanted to do was hug them. It wasn't about a speech. It was a chance to celebrate and be with the guys yours. right? I tell them all the time: I'm a teammate. I might be the captain, but I'm a teammate. I understand the things you're going through. I'm in this fight with you. And I think they respect that and they understand it. Walking out that door is a moment I'll never forget and cherish forever.”
The Meaning of His Mantra “Choose Hard”
“It all started a few years ago when I was in the Notre Dame weight room working out because our players were being pushed hard. as hard as you can. And it was at that moment that this thought of 'Hard Choice' came to me. We put up a sign that you see when you enter this building that says “Choose Hard.” Because when you get into Notre Dame football, you have to have it mind set. We will go to choose hard today in practice, choose hard today in meetings, choose hard today in the weight room. And for gamers, you're going to be challenged in class, right? You will be in the classroom with some of the most intelligent people in this world. And it's hard, but at the end of the day you chose to come here choose hardaccept it and know that the rewards of choosing hard every day cannot be found anywhere else.”
Philosophy of problem solving
“When a team doesn't win, a lot of people say, trust the process. My mantra is: adjust the process. I spend a lot of time evaluating everything we were doing. Why aren't we playing better? What are we doing schematically? Is there something our players don't understand? Losses happen and it's a part of life. But they hurt. As a leader, you don't want to have too much. Fix it urgently”.
Keeping players in the age of the transfer portal
“Look, if you're the CEO of a company, you have to pay your employees, right? Now if they can go somewhere else and make a lot more money, no matter what kind of company you're running, they're probably going to leave. So we have to make sure our players can maximize the opportunities for name, image and likeness. That's important, but what else keeps them at Notre Dame? What else draws them here? And you have to believe it's your culture. You have to believe it's the way they're treated. Do they enjoy being part of your program? That's so important. And that's a message to me and our other coaches. Let's make sure it's that as hard as we push them, as demanding as we are, we're not condescending. We want them to enjoy being a part of this team and all the opportunities that the University of Notre Dame has to offer.”
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