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Kent Maxson: Leadership, Culture, and Education-Based Athletics · Uncommon Impact

• 0:05
  Nathan Whitaker: Today we have Kent Maxson as our guest.
• 0:07
  Nathan Whitaker: Kent is in charge of athletics at the American School Foundation in Mexico City, a school of several thousand students.
• 0:15
  Nathan Whitaker: It is a part of the international school framework, a framework that I didn't even know existed six, seven years ago.
• 0:22
  Nathan Whitaker: I first met Kent several years ago at an international school conference in Bangkok, Thailand, where I was speaking.
• 0:28
  Nathan Whitaker: And we've gotten to know each other more and more over the years, including the last couple of years when he's come over to the United States during breaks for the NIAAA conference and then to visit family.
• 0:40
  Nathan Whitaker: But the NIAAA, the national organization that oversees athletic directors, is one that he's gone to the conference that I've spoken at and we've seen each other.
• 0:49
  Nathan Whitaker: The last two years we've actually tried to see manatees.
• 0:52
  Nathan Whitaker: That was one of his goals.
• 0:52
  Nathan Whitaker: So a couple of years ago we came, you'll hear us talk about it, unsuccessful attempt, but this past year we did have success and saw a ton of manatees in the river.
• 1:00
  Nathan Whitaker: One of the things that I think the international schools do that is interesting, that other schools do more and more, even here in the US, is this focus on education-based athletics.
• 1:10
  Nathan Whitaker: This idea that winning is important, competing is important, and we learn important lessons from that in and of itself, the way we did when I was growing up, but then also a focus on what are we learning in terms of resilience, in terms of character development, in terms of collaboration and team building.
• 1:27
  Nathan Whitaker: And so I think all of us, whether we're in business or education or coaching or whatever our specific fields might be, I think there are always ways in which there's overlap between how we learn to live a life of significance, how we learn leadership, how we learn team building from people in different areas.
• 1:44
  Nathan Whitaker: Kent has over 20 years of experience in the international schools.
• 1:48
  Nathan Whitaker: He's been in Vietnam, Qatar, Kenya, and other places around the United States, in addition to now being in Mexico City.
• 1:58
  Nathan Whitaker: So I thought it was a really interesting conversation.
• 2:00
  Nathan Whitaker: He shared a lot about what he's learned about his journey and then about different cultures, cultures of schools, cultures of countries, and how to navigate some of those things as you build things that are important to you.
• 2:12
  Nathan Whitaker: I hope you enjoy.
• 2:20
  Kent Maxson: So in my leadership journey, I think, I think back to my very beginning of professionalism, and I think about who shaped me and when you leave university or when you're in university, I don't feel like I had a great experience of this is what leadership is, and this is what it looks like.
• 2:36
  Kent Maxson: You learn from who you were coached by or taught by, and you learn from watching those around you who you think know more than you.
• 2:43
  Kent Maxson: And so in the beginning of my coaching career, I remember thinking, oh, well, then I need to yell, I need to slam a basketball, I need to stomp my foot in this in this sporting world.
• 2:56
  Kent Maxson: And and for me, it took took some time uh to move past, like, hey, my coaching is not a reflection of me, or winning is not a reflection of me, and move moving past that, and then evolving into who should I be watching for leadership and what does that look like?
• 3:14
  Kent Maxson: So I think back to like the most impactful beginning of leadership started when I moved to Doha, Qatar, and the athletic director at the school where I was was super experienced, had all sorts of experiences overseas and in the United States, and I just found them to be present but not overbearing.
• 3:35
  Kent Maxson: I found them to be supportive and welcoming.
• 3:38
  Kent Maxson: Um, they they always had uh an open door, and what stuck out to me was they lived this quote that was in their office, and it in their office they had a sign that said, as long as we don't worry who gets the credit, everybody wins.
• 3:52
  Kent Maxson: It may have been more eloquent than that, but that was the gist of it, and he lived that.
• 3:57
  Kent Maxson: And that was where I started transitioning from coaching successes about me to what am I doing with relationships?
• 4:06
  Kent Maxson: How are we building a culture?
• 4:08
  Kent Maxson: How are we going to make something that kids want to be a part of?
• 4:12
  Kent Maxson: And so that was really the kickstart for me as far as what's a real leader, what's a real leadership.
• 4:19
  Kent Maxson: And I still don't know that anyone was guiding me, it was just more observation.
• 4:24
  Kent Maxson: So after my family moved from Qatar, we moved to Nairobi, Kenya, and it was at the International School of Kenya where I started to think team culture should be at your forefront.
• 4:36
  Kent Maxson: The product needs to be, everybody wants to be here.
• 4:40
  Kent Maxson: It's fun first, we're getting better as people.
• 4:43
  Kent Maxson: And so I was there five years, and for me, it was all about team overhauls, and that's where I started thinking about athletics administration and kind of guiding more programs than just the one that I was a part of.
• 4:56
  Kent Maxson: So that was that was an eye-opener, and that's also when I started working with the NIAAA and going to NIAAA courses and focusing on education-based athletics, and I think I was able to write my own philosophy.
• 5:09
  Kent Maxson: And then you think that's a mindset that I can get on board with.
• 5:13
  Kent Maxson: These are like-minded people, so all of a sudden, instead of I might be around one person who's a leader and can model the way, it's you're in a room full of leaders who are committed to the same cause.
• 5:24
  Kent Maxson: That was a game changer for me.
• 5:26
  Kent Maxson: The last and most ultimate example I have is I recently worked in a school with a with a principal leader who was the ultimate leader I've ever worked with.
• 5:36
  Kent Maxson: And I I do honestly try all the time to be walking in their in their ways.
• 5:44
  Kent Maxson: They lifted me up on their shoulders and they changed the way that I look at working with others and leading others.
• 5:50
  Kent Maxson: They were big into cognitive coaching.
• 5:53
  Kent Maxson: And so every time we were together, it was like mentorship, coaching, support, trust, authenticity.
• 6:02
  Kent Maxson: Those were the qualities that defined this principal that I worked with, and I'm ever grateful.
• 6:06
  Kent Maxson: And so now, you know, as a as an administrator and a leader, my number one goal is that when people walk through my door, coaches, students, parents, they feel like they're the only thing that I'm focused on, and that my goals and my mission are alive in our conversations.
• 6:24
  Kent Maxson: And so this leader did that for me.
• 6:27
  Kent Maxson: I just try to be a fraction of that because he was so amazing.
• 6:31
  Kent Maxson: He made me more confident in my capabilities as a leader.
• 6:36
  Nathan Whitaker: That's great.
• 6:36
  Nathan Whitaker: And talk about an uncommon impact to have somebody who is really delving into mentorship and all the other pieces, which are challenging and time consuming, and sometimes it'd be easier to just do what you got to do and and move on.
• 6:49
  Nathan Whitaker: Let me pick up on a word you talked about.
• 6:51
  Nathan Whitaker: You talked about team culture, which is so important and so critical, but I want to broaden it just a hair.
• 6:57
  Nathan Whitaker: You you hinted a little bit about you know being in Qatar.
• 7:00
  Nathan Whitaker: Am I saying that right?
• 7:02
  Kent Maxson: Yep.
• 7:02
  Nathan Whitaker: All right, and then going to Kenya.
• 7:03
  Nathan Whitaker: And of course, you've been to Asia a couple of times, and now you're back in North America and Mexico.
• 7:08
  Nathan Whitaker: But we we think about, you know, we've got lots of leaders, and I've I'll hear people say, Um, in fact, great, great story where Tony Dungy was approached by an NFL owner who said, uh, can you help me interview for my next head coach?
• 7:20
  Nathan Whitaker: Tony was retired.
• 7:21
  Nathan Whitaker: And the owner said, you know, can you help me interview?
• 7:25
  Nathan Whitaker: Because, you know, I really need to get this right.
• 7:27
  Nathan Whitaker: And Tony said, Well, you know, you're worth, you know, however many billion dollars because of all these businesses you've built, all you're doing is hiring a leader.
• 7:36
  Nathan Whitaker: And the owner said, No, no, no, this is different.
• 7:38
  Nathan Whitaker: Football is different.
• 7:39
  Nathan Whitaker: And Tony said, No, when you hire somebody for your real estate firm, you're hiring a leader.
• 7:42
  Nathan Whitaker: Now they do need to know real estate, maybe, but the same is true in football.
• 7:46
  Nathan Whitaker: You're hiring a leader.
• 7:47
  Nathan Whitaker: So anyway, all that is a long way to say, whether it's in these different countries or in a different field or in education, at its root leadership, I think, is leadership, and the principles carry over and the skills carry over.
• 8:00
  Nathan Whitaker: What are some things you've had to deal with and you've gone, though, to different cultures?
• 8:04
  Nathan Whitaker: Do you keep quiet for a while and figure out how things work in this country or in this school?
• 8:09
  Nathan Whitaker: Or were you able to jump in and say, nope, we're gonna, there's certain non-negotiables we're gonna do, or how do you how do you navigate the idea of a culture?
• 8:18
  Kent Maxson: Yeah, so moving around overseas, and and my wife and I have been doing this for over 20 years, and my kids uh have been along for the journey for 16 years and 13 years.
• 8:28
  Kent Maxson: Every time you change cultures, it's not just the country, it's the culture of the school, it's the culture of the people at your school, it's your day-to-day everything.
• 8:39
  Kent Maxson: You you are leaving familiarity.
• 8:42
  Kent Maxson: And when you do that, you've you've got a lot of growing to do.
• 8:47
  Kent Maxson: And so for me, the hardest part is when you leave an international community to go to a new one, you're leaving friends and you're leaving that school community or your social group, and but you're starting over with a language, with housing, with um, I don't know, the school and the city and the country.
• 9:04
  Kent Maxson: Everything starts at zero.
• 9:06
  Kent Maxson: And so when you arrive, it is it is overwhelming.
• 9:10
  Kent Maxson: And and some countries are easier than others.
• 9:13
  Kent Maxson: Um, it was easy to move to the Middle East, you know, it was uh everything was just kind of set up in English, and you could just get by in English, and that was no problem.
• 9:24
  Kent Maxson: You know, moving to Vietnam, very challenging.
• 9:27
  Kent Maxson: Language, written language, chaos in Hanoi, you you name it, it just it's different everywhere.
• 9:33
  Kent Maxson: So, you know, changing cultures is is all about limiting your frustrations and asking questions, but it's not that easy the first time you do it.
• 9:43
  Kent Maxson: I think, you know, my family, my wife and I, this is our sixth country overseas.
• 9:48
  Kent Maxson: So we've we've been doing this a while, and I won't pretend that there aren't frustrations, and I won't pretend that it's always easy, but you do you do get used to it, and you do kind of get an understanding of what are my priorities when I arrive, what are the things that we really need to focus on.
• 10:05
  Kent Maxson: And so, in an organization, it's a lot about professional expectations, it's about how do you fit in this new culture because you can only find out so much in interviews, and I think there's a level of humility as well because you have to ask for help.
• 10:21
  Kent Maxson: Um, and you know, when you leap somewhere as an administrator or as a person who's been there, you understand everything, and going back to zero in that sense is hard to uh you have to swallow your pride a bit and balance I know how to do this or I don't.
• 10:36
  Kent Maxson: Um, so that that's those are all parts of changing cultures, but I think listening and learning and building relationships is at the core of all of it, and that's how you survive when you when you jump from country to country or school to school.
• 10:51
  Kent Maxson: And I'm sure even if I was working in the United States, if I was switching school districts, it would probably be similar as well.
• 10:58
  Nathan Whitaker: So I think about sometimes think about you know possibly moving across town, which feels overwhelming.
• 11:04
  Nathan Whitaker: Certainly a little bit different to go from from country to country.
• 11:07
  Nathan Whitaker: Interesting idea, right?
• 11:09
  Nathan Whitaker: Because there are certain, as you talk about, there's certain probably non-negotiables.
• 11:13
  Nathan Whitaker: We're, you know, we're gonna make sure it's fun, we're gonna make sure it's a culture that people want to be, uh a culture within the program that people want to be a part of.
• 11:20
  Nathan Whitaker: But at the same time, coming in with this sense of, I mean, I'm sure there's part of you going, I look, I've been doing this for 20 years, I know what I'm doing.
• 11:27
  Nathan Whitaker: But you have to say, no, I'm at I'm at ground zero and I'm uh I'm starting over and let me let me navigate uh the situation as I as I go.
• 11:37
  Kent Maxson: And it's a balance too, Nathan, because sometimes you want to just jump in and attack something, but you don't want to step on toes, burn bridges, relationships.
• 11:45
  Kent Maxson: And so knowing how to navigate things gracefully, and then also knowing where you don't overdo it, and you you know, you lean on others, build trust and ask questions to try and make change over time.
• 12:00
  Kent Maxson: And yeah, it's it's uh it's a delicate balance.
• 12:05
  Nathan Whitaker: Yeah.
• 12:05
  Nathan Whitaker: Well, every, you know, the the but the coming back to the whether it's a delicate balance of of moving or a culture or um, you know, so many of these conversations come back to trust and communication.
• 12:17
  Nathan Whitaker: Let me pivot just a tad and um and talk about challenges.
• 12:22
  Nathan Whitaker: So you talked about positive relationships you've had and mentoring experiences, but I'm sure at times there are challenges you've run across, whether they've been personal, professional, or leaders you've experienced.
• 12:33
  Nathan Whitaker: What about that?
• 12:34
  Nathan Whitaker: What about bouncing back and some of the qualities uh that you've picked up on or lessons you've learned?
• 12:40
  Kent Maxson: Yeah, you know, there are times where you talk to people who haven't experienced international teaching or an overseas lifestyle, and it's it might sound very glamorous, but um elements anyway.
• 12:53
  Kent Maxson: But you do have you do have those challenges.
• 12:56
  Kent Maxson: And I've I've been in a workplace that was toxic where you felt like mistrust was a minefield every day, and you were on eggshells, and you you didn't know when something was gonna come at you, and and that's exhausting and it steals the fun.
• 13:11
  Kent Maxson: And that could happen in any workplace, not just in education.
• 13:14
  Kent Maxson: So I've been there.
• 13:15
  Kent Maxson: Um, my first overseas teaching job was not what I was promised in my interview.
• 13:22
  Kent Maxson: And so, upon arrival, there was, you know, I was fresh, fresh out of the United States, there was disappointment, there was confusion, there was wondering am I the issue or is this the way it always is?
• 13:34
  Kent Maxson: And so those those things have always been there, just like any workplace.
• 13:39
  Kent Maxson: And so for me, I think about like what I've learned.
• 13:44
  Kent Maxson: And in these challenging situations, is not everything's gonna be perfect.
• 13:50
  Kent Maxson: I have to be flexible.
• 13:52
  Kent Maxson: Um, everything's an opportunity.
• 13:54
  Kent Maxson: Um, I think it's the The Art of Possibility is a book that I read that just speaks to make the best out of everything and how can you approach things, and that really landed with me.
• 14:06
  Kent Maxson: So on my toughest days, whether it's challenges with a student athlete or challenges with an administrator or culture, whatever it is, overseas there are lots of unique situations, and I always think, you know, what's the opportunity in this?
• 14:21
  Kent Maxson: And what can I control?
• 14:23
  Kent Maxson: What can I not control?
• 14:24
  Kent Maxson: And I guess for me, in these challenging situations, I rely on the network of people that I have around the world.
• 14:32
  Kent Maxson: I've worked with people on a variety of continents who have also moved to all these different schools, and you know from the NIAAA conferences what how many different places the international ADs are from.
• 14:44
  Kent Maxson: I can lean on, I can lean on a hundred people and ask them questions.
• 14:48
  Kent Maxson: How do you navigate this at your school?
• 14:50
  Kent Maxson: So I guess that's an effort in battling, you know, loneliness, feeling like I'm alone in this international place, and what do I do?
• 14:58
  Kent Maxson: I'm I'm grateful for relationships and people to help, and I do believe over time I have developed the confidence that I can navigate these situations.
• 15:08
  Kent Maxson: I do have the experience, um, experiences to do that.
• 15:12
  Kent Maxson: So there's also some lean inward and and believe that I can do it.
• 15:17
  Kent Maxson: But when I when I reflect on all the different challenges that everyone faces, I guess those are the things that come to mind.
• 15:24
  Nathan Whitaker: Yeah.
• 15:24
  Nathan Whitaker: Well, good.
• 15:25
  Nathan Whitaker: Well, some so some sense of gratitude, as you're in it for what you can be grateful for.
• 15:30
  Nathan Whitaker: Maybe it's not everything.
• 15:31
  Nathan Whitaker: Uh and the sense that you can lean on others, and then once you've been through it, you can kind of lean on yourself.
• 15:38
  Nathan Whitaker: And and you may not know the answers, but you know that eventually this too shall pass.
• 15:42
  Kent Maxson: Or you'll figure it out.
• 15:43
  Kent Maxson: And that takes time too, just to believe that I can solve this problem.
• 15:48
  Kent Maxson: Um, but it is nice to have other people around for sure.
• 15:52
  Nathan Whitaker: Yeah.
• 15:52
  Nathan Whitaker: I keep waiting for the moment where everything's great and there's no more challenges or uh or hard times.
• 15:59
  Nathan Whitaker: But apparently those aren't that's not promised.
• 16:02
  Kent Maxson: It's it's funny, you know, when people ask, how are things in Mexico City?
• 16:05
  Kent Maxson: I'll tell them every day is different, no day is the same.
• 16:08
  Kent Maxson: And so that means something pops up different every single day.
• 16:11
  Kent Maxson: There is there is no perfect day where I can kick my feet up on the desk and I just watch the world go by.
• 16:18
  Kent Maxson: So I don't know what that day would be like when there's nothing to worry about or nothing to work on.
• 16:23
  Kent Maxson: Yeah.
• 16:24
  Nathan Whitaker: Yeah.
• 16:25
  Nathan Whitaker: Well, maybe that day was when uh was when you came to visit, and uh my wife and I took you manatee uh paddle boarding to to check out manatees.
• 16:33
  Nathan Whitaker: Maybe that was the perfect day where you didn't have to worry about some of this stuff.
• 16:36
  Kent Maxson: Yes, the second time we went.
• 16:38
  Nathan Whitaker: The second time, yes, two years ago, no manatees, last year manatees.
• 16:42
  Nathan Whitaker: Yes, thank you for reminding me of that challenge.
• 16:44
  Nathan Whitaker: You fly all the way to the United States and I can't find a manatee.
• 16:48
  Kent Maxson: Yeah.
• 16:49
  Nathan Whitaker: Well, let me ask you this.
• 16:50
  Nathan Whitaker: Had there been uh in these experiences, the the relationships you've built, were there any habits or disciplines where you picked up from somebody and you said, hey, this is a great thing, and you've something you've incorporated that's been helpful?
• 17:04
  Nathan Whitaker: Or on the converse, right?
• 17:06
  Nathan Whitaker: There are times when I read something and I'm like, oh, that'll be great, and I'll do it for like a week and go, that doesn't fit my style at all, or my cir- circadian rhythm or whatever it is.
• 17:15
  Nathan Whitaker: Uh what about you?
• 17:17
  Kent Maxson: You know what comes to mind first on this question is that when I moved to Mexico City and I oversee competitive athletics, I think I oversee 60 or 65 coaches.
• 17:28
  Kent Maxson: And it my number one priority was to build relationships and trust right away.
• 17:35
  Kent Maxson: And and to do that, I had to come in and I I had to, I reflected on the leader that I talked about who has impacted me the most.
• 17:44
  Kent Maxson: And so the habit that I created was in every interaction, whether it was on the soccer pitch or if it was on the American football field or in the court for basketball or volleyball or tennis upstairs, it was to make that person feel like you're the only person I'm thinking about right now.
• 18:05
  Kent Maxson: And what you say with me is landing with me, and I'm receiving it authentically, you know.
• 18:11
  Kent Maxson: So I guess active listening is one of the most important things that I learned from uh the principal leader that I think of, and make that person feel like the only person in the room.
• 18:22
  Kent Maxson: Um, when I reflect back to that time when I met with that principal regularly, they would leave their desk, leave their computer, create a separate environment for the meeting based on eye contact and body language.
• 18:37
  Kent Maxson: So I think those things landed with me and I've carried those with me.
• 18:41
  Kent Maxson: And so for me, the idea that everything else can wait is it's something I'm still battling.
• 18:48
  Kent Maxson: I'm not perfect at it.
• 18:49
  Kent Maxson: I'm impatient when I have a job to do, I want it done, and I want it done now.
• 18:53
  Kent Maxson: So when someone walks through my open door, sometimes it's hard to stop what I'm fully invested in.
• 19:00
  Kent Maxson: But that's my goal.
• 19:02
  Kent Maxson: You know, that's my that's my number one thing.
• 19:05
  Kent Maxson: So I guess I want to meet with people, listen, and empower them to talk through concerns or worries and create questions that they find the answers to through some guidance.
• 19:17
  Kent Maxson: And and that's my number one goal, be a listener and empower others.
• 19:23
  Nathan Whitaker: Wow.
• 19:23
  Nathan Whitaker: That's great.
• 19:24
  Nathan Whitaker: You know, so often, well, I think for most of us, we're okay-ish at it, right?
• 19:29
  Nathan Whitaker: I mean, I'm I'm kind of, and we both may hear the phone buzzing in my pocket, and so then I'm thinking, all right, you know, should I check that?
• 19:35
  Nathan Whitaker: And you're thinking, all right, is he hearing me anymore?
• 19:37
  Nathan Whitaker: Because his phone's buzzing, or whatever it may be, and and they're just lots of things, or then just kind of zoning off to the other things I was trying to get done.
• 19:44
  Nathan Whitaker: And then on the, you know, so then on one end of the spectrum is is the leader and and what you're working toward of where I'm totally locked in.
• 19:51
  Nathan Whitaker: And then on the other end, which is so uh dispiriting, is when you can tell somebody's looking over your shoulder at like who else is in the room that they can talk to or where do they need to go next.
• 20:02
  Nathan Whitaker: And you realize, and so I find myself in the middle of a sentence going, do I even need to finish this sentence?
• 20:07
  Nathan Whitaker: What am I, yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna go now.
• 20:10
  Nathan Whitaker: And and so anyway, that's so powerful though, to sit there and lock in on people.
• 20:14
  Nathan Whitaker: What a great habit to pick up on.
• 20:16
  Kent Maxson: Yeah, and it's good you don't stop to check your phone because it's probably me messaging about whatever sports are going on.
• 20:22
  Nathan Whitaker: Right, right.
• 20:23
  Nathan Whitaker: You're the only person who pings me about Iowa State sports.
• 20:26
  Nathan Whitaker: So I've learned to uh try to pull for the Cyclones.
• 20:29
  Nathan Whitaker: And of course, my wife reminds me that's where she was born, so I should pull for Iowa State.
• 20:34
  Nathan Whitaker: Um let me ask you just a little bit, we've got a couple minutes left.
• 20:37
  Nathan Whitaker: Just quickly, just a thought about buy-in.
• 20:39
  Nathan Whitaker: So you've come in, you're square zero, you're brand new.
• 20:42
  Nathan Whitaker: There are certain things you want to accomplish over time.
• 20:45
  Nathan Whitaker: So you're listening, you're trying to develop relationships.
• 20:47
  Nathan Whitaker: How do you get buy-in?
• 20:49
  Nathan Whitaker: Or are there times when you decide, you know what, I've got, would you say 65 coaches?
• 20:52
  Nathan Whitaker: Some of these programs you guys have are nuts.
• 20:55
  Nathan Whitaker: So are there certain things where you're like, look, I need all 65 to make sure that we treat the kids appropriately, that the kids are having whatever the non-negotiables are.
• 21:03
  Nathan Whitaker: And then what are the things where you go, you can have some latitude on whether you want to run an attacking offense or a I don't know.
• 21:09
  Nathan Whitaker: I'm just making that up.
• 21:10
  Kent Maxson: Sure.
• 21:11
  Kent Maxson: So coming in, you you have an idea of what education-based athletics are, and then you work together with your department to say, here are the things our department stands for, and here's what our athletics department strives for.
• 21:25
  Kent Maxson: And but then you have 65 coaches and other people involved, and they are built by their life experiences, and their life experiences are different than yours, and they're I was coached like this experiences, or I have always coached this way experiences.
• 21:41
  Kent Maxson: So, why would they, in this environment where people turn over regularly, why would they listen to me as I come in?
• 21:49
  Kent Maxson: And that's the challenge is how do I get them to believe that I'm knowledgeable, that I care, I care about them and kids and their program because they're their own.
• 21:59
  Kent Maxson: Ownership level is so high for what they commit to and what they lead and teach.
• 22:04
  Kent Maxson: So, you know, without going too far back into like relationships matter, trust matters upon arrival.
• 22:12
  Kent Maxson: How are you gonna build that?
• 22:14
  Kent Maxson: And and I do it through listening and open door.
• 22:17
  Kent Maxson: But one of the things I've been doing more and more of this year is with if I see a habit or behavior from a coach, I don't immediately coach them and say, All right, change it, do this.
• 22:29
  Kent Maxson: This is better.
• 22:30
  Kent Maxson: I'll invite them in and I'll ask questions.
• 22:32
  Kent Maxson: And that's the thing is you know, I'll ask, what message do you think that sent to the student?
• 22:37
  Kent Maxson: Um, tell me about the goals of this game.
• 22:41
  Kent Maxson: Um, you know, how might that be perceived if if you were perceiving that?
• 22:46
  Kent Maxson: Or you know, these are these are the types of things where it lands with a lot of coaches, not everybody, but what I'm really trying to do is get them to explore different thoughts instead of being one-track minded.
• 23:00
  Kent Maxson: And I do think the best way to do that is to have a vast bank of thoughtful, engaging questions that gets them to think and find their own way forward.
• 23:09
  Kent Maxson: That's challenging because, like I said, we can be impatient.
• 23:12
  Kent Maxson: We want results and we want things to be done right.
• 23:15
  Kent Maxson: We want them to be done the way we want them done.
• 23:18
  Kent Maxson: So I work with people who are very um people come in, they say whatever it is, and they say, do this, do this, do this, and that's it.
• 23:27
  Kent Maxson: It takes more time, and I think it takes more energy to empower others.
• 23:32
  Kent Maxson: But I've had great success already this year.
• 23:34
  Kent Maxson: I've had really warm feedback, and um, I think the the warmest things I hear are we're just so glad you're here.
• 23:41
  Kent Maxson: We're glad you understand our culture, and not just at the school, but like Mexican culture and us as Mexicans.
• 23:47
  Kent Maxson: And it's been it's been a dynamite year for relationships, and it's it's great to be near the end of the school year and be reflecting on that.
• 23:55
  Kent Maxson: Um makes makes it feel makes it feel worth it.
• 23:59
  Nathan Whitaker: Just I'm glad to hear that.
• 24:00
  Nathan Whitaker: I'm not surprised.
• 24:01
  Nathan Whitaker: That was part of why I was intrigued to to hear from you, because you're in a brand new situation.
• 24:04
  Nathan Whitaker: Well, you know, got all the experience, but you're in a brand new situation at a huge school.
• 24:08
  Nathan Whitaker: Um, but I think there's so much truth there with the empowering.
• 24:12
  Nathan Whitaker: You know, it's one thing to say you've got to do X, Y, and Z.
• 24:16
  Nathan Whitaker: It's another thing when the person gets there, if they can, if you can talk through it, and if they can, if they get there on their own, it's so much more powerful to have them say, Oh, you know what?
• 24:25
  Nathan Whitaker: I really I think I'd like to do, you know, like you with the act of listening, right?
• 24:29
  Nathan Whitaker: You see that over time and you're like, wow, I want to be the person who gets up from around their desk and is totally locked in, versus you walking in and somebody goes, You need to listen better.
• 24:38
  Kent Maxson: Yeah.
• 24:39
  Nathan Whitaker: But for you to see it and and own it is is different.
• 24:42
  Kent Maxson: It's and I don't and I don't live it perfectly every day, right?
• 24:46
  Kent Maxson: But I'm trying and always getting better.
• 24:48
  Kent Maxson: And I think that's being realistic and knowing that I have growth opportunities as well is is really important.
• 24:54
  Nathan Whitaker: Well, good.
• 24:54
  Nathan Whitaker: Yeah, we all have room for growth, right?
• 24:56
  Nathan Whitaker: If we and if we don't think that, we're we're fooling ourselves.
• 24:58
  Nathan Whitaker: Hopefully we do.
• 24:59
  Nathan Whitaker: So let me just wrap with this.
• 25:01
  Nathan Whitaker: We've talked about impact and and a little bit about being uncommon.
• 25:04
  Nathan Whitaker: What does uncommon impact mean to you right now is as you sit there in a different spot and and reflecting on a year in Mexico City?
• 25:13
  Kent Maxson: I think the on the uncommon impact that I'm bringing, and and I love the name, by the way.
• 25:18
  Kent Maxson: Um it really made me think.
• 25:20
  Kent Maxson: But the the uncommon impact that I'm bringing is just the idea that what we do is bigger than winning.
• 25:28
  Kent Maxson: It's it's bigger than winning and losing, and the impact we have goes far beyond what kids do in high school.
• 25:35
  Kent Maxson: We do, we do have a community that's um winning motivated, championships motivated.
• 25:40
  Kent Maxson: And so it doesn't always land that we want to equip kids, student athletes for life beyond this school, beyond university.
• 25:51
  Kent Maxson: You know, what they learn now really matters.
• 25:54
  Kent Maxson: And so when we're trying to drive home these values, there's a there's a reason.
• 25:59
  Kent Maxson: And so that greater purpose, you know, education-based athletics is not about winning or losing, it's about who we become.
• 26:07
  Kent Maxson: So I think that's the that's the uncommon impact, is that I'm trying to make change that's systemic or bigger than this school.
• 26:16
  Kent Maxson: I'm really trying to change the way that people think and act, and I'm trying to do it through sports.
• 26:22
  Kent Maxson: So uh mindset shifts are hard, but that's that's the uncommon impact, I think.
• 26:28
  Nathan Whitaker: Awesome.
• 26:29
  Nathan Whitaker: Awesome.
• 26:30
  Nathan Whitaker: I'm gonna I'm gonna end there.
• 26:31
  Nathan Whitaker: I'm just gonna affirm that though.
• 26:33
  Nathan Whitaker: I I actually had a conversation uh with a head of school at another school in Mexico a week ago.
• 26:39
  Nathan Whitaker: We were talking about this and talking about sports, and he said, you know, I I am not much of a sports person, but I have so many more things I learned as a kid on the sports fields than I ever have applied higher-level mathematics to.
• 26:54
  Nathan Whitaker: And all my teachers told me, no, the math is the important thing, and he said, I've learned so much more about life, even as an academician on the field.
• 27:00
  Nathan Whitaker: So great, great, keep having that impact, and God bless you as you go.
• 27:05
  Kent Maxson: Thanks, Nathan.
• 27:05
  Nathan Whitaker: And thanks so much for taking the time with me.
• 27:08
  Nathan Whitaker: And you're about to start your day, and good luck wrapping up your year, and thanks for your time.
• 27:13
  Kent Maxson: It was a pleasure.
• 27:14
  Kent Maxson: My first podcast.
• 27:15
  Kent Maxson: I'm glad I did it with you.
• 27:17
  Nathan Whitaker: Awesome.
• 27:18
  Nathan Whitaker: Perfect.
• 27:18
  Nathan Whitaker: Thanks so much.