In talking with Alexis Venechanos you get the sense that she simply wills success. It’s hard to explain it much better, as there aren’t any definitive keys. There are few coaches who project the “underdog” persona better than Venechanos, and it unquestionably works. She was a recruited walk on at Maryland and became national goalie of the year in her senior season while playing on a torn ACL.
After two National Championships as a player, she went on to win two more as an assistant at up-start Northwestern. In only her mid-20s she took on the overwhelming task of turning a floundering UMass program around, and brought it back to the NCAA Tournament in three seasons in spite of a 25-year hiatus. Along with revisiting the NCAA’s she guided her UMass squads to two Atlantic-10 Conference Championships in her four-year tenure. Now she’s been brought to Ohio State to work her magic, and with a year under her belt it seems to be working. After falling to University of Florida 13-16 in the American Lacrosse Conference semi-finals, the Buckeyes have tremendous momentum heading into next year.Her teams have typically echoed her, and in her own words, they’re “relentless”. They don’t stop, they keep coming at you, and they often win on the nervy premise of being the last team standing. With this formula they also serve as a bold example of how players can find success by taking on the persona of their coach. Venechanos reminisces about her early playing days in Yorktown — playing three sports, winning state championships with a mix of raw athleticism and innovative concepts, and developing an early faith in hard work over flash. Those high school teams didn’t play with a lot of polish, but they were athletic and never stopped trying. This persistence and nearly blind self-belief that they could grind out wins in spite of lacking technical savvy left a lasting impression on Venechanos and the types of players she’s attracted to. As she’s developed from high school athlete to college coach, she’s still drawn to those athletes who may be light on the luster but make up for it with freakish motors that never seem to quit.
And herein lies a particularly intriguing aspect about her body of work. While Venechanos has the distinct pedigree of playing at Maryland and assisting at Northwestern, she continues to welcome lesser known players and coaches into her ranks, seemingly preferring those who have something to prove over those who may be more proven. With that, she has developed a fierce culture that fosters a sense of “us vs. them”. “We talk about how people picked us last in the conference,” she says. And in only her first year she’s gotten the squad to buy in, finishing in the top four.
With Venechanos at the helm, it’s a safe bet that Ohio State will keep climbing, and it’s exciting to see. Her passion is visible, and now that she has the resources of a school like Ohio State behind her, the squad is going to get better fast. Keep your eye out on Venechanos and the Buckeyes because she may not be getting a lot of press, but she’s quietly building one of the most intriguing resumes of any coach out there.
Joe Frontiera, PhD and Dan Leidl, PhD are the Managing Partners of Meno Consulting, a firm specializing in leadership development, organizational culture, team building and motivation. To learn more about Dan and Joe visit www.menoconsulting.com, they're blog at www.mygenerationleader.comor contact them via email at jfrontiera@menoconsulting.com and dleidl@menoconsulting.com.
What I find most interesting about Coach Venechanos' style was actually her ability to "forget her roots", as wierd as that may sound. We always here cliche` phrases when talking about peoples success that are along the lines of "they remember where they came from" or "they had to learn how to persevere at an early age". Coach Venechanos had a chance at a top tier school to win as a player, followed by a chance at another top tier school to win as a coach, but this pedigree did not limit her vision. She learned most of what she knew being around success and talent and somehow only took a portion of that to pave her own way. To have the ability to be successful with one type of blueprint and not become dependant on that speaks to her character. Here is a woman who could say, "I know what you need to win because I have been around it, give me x,y, and z or it will never happen". Instead she embraces every new venture with an attitude she has learned all on her own. I feel that she can be used as an example for leaders all around the world today. Most people are used to one recipe to success and will stick by it until the ship goes down, only the few with a vision and ability to change and roll with the punches are truly the most successful. It is an amazing quality to have and one that leaders of all different organizations should embrace.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading this post, I found myself particularly drawn to Venechanos as a coach because of her “relentless” attitude. I can relate to that idea of having grit and outworking the competition as a philosophy that I buy into myself not in the realm of athletics, but in academics. I may not be the smartest kid out there, but you can bet that I will be the hardest working. I know what it takes to be successful, and I’m willing to put in the necessary time and effort. It’s also interesting that Venechanos actually has the pedigree of playing at Maryland and assisting at Northwestern, but takes in the lesser known players. Those are the players that are going to be even more motivated than normal to work harder to prove themselves. Having motivation to keep committed to those daily practices would probably be a big factor in the success of the team.
ReplyDeleteBeing adaptable is huge - leaders that are able to adapt will always have a strategic advantage over those who are set in their ways. It's an interesting question to ask ourselves - how adaptable are we? If we don't like the answer, I'm wondering if any of you have strategies to become more adaptable? How can something like that be accomplished?
ReplyDeleteWhat I like about coach Venechanos is that she almost has a bad ass mentality about how she goes into coaching. She is given players and she transforms teams into something they weren’t in the past. I also like how coach Venechanos doesn’t necessarily need to take on proven names on her coaching staff. Having the ability to take on no name coaches to prove themselves is always a brave move when you are coaching at such a college as Ohio State.
ReplyDeleteAs I read through the list of individuals who epitomize people who use their leadership skills and strength of determination to succeed at whatever they do, Alexis Venechanos stands out. Mainly in that she was the only woman named in this list of high achievers. To me, she exemplifies all of the qualities in a strong determined woman that I admire most. The article states she is one of the few coaches who project the “underdog” persona and makes it work for her both as a player and a coach. From women like Oprah Winfrey, and Madonna, to the role models in my personal life, my mother, and both grandmothers, they all share a common thread with Verenchanos. That is to say, their inner strength and determination has enhanced both their natural and learned skills in leadership so that they have accomplished a fulfilling life both personally and professionally. It is with hard work and determination to succeed at whatever they do, whether in the media, as homemakers, running their own business, nursing or sports. They all demonstrate themselves as strong female role models and inspire all women to achieve, succeed and be the best they can be.
ReplyDeleteVenechanos is a true testament of a transformational leader. She not only transformed herself through her career but she transforms her players today. She set an example for them and they continuously try to work towards her goal and be as hard and dedicated lacrosse player as her. It seems that she doesn't mind who enters her team as long as they want to perform and listen to her advice and tactics. She is now transforming the Ohio State's Women's Lacrosse program into a hopeful, unstoppable force with her strong will and relentless attitude and see them doing big things in the future.
ReplyDeleteCoach Alexis Venechanos seems to have very many of her own theories on coaching. Highly concerned with the atmosphere she creates for her players talking about the “energy” give you a real view into whom she really is and her core fundamentals when it comes to coaching. She really sets her team on the track for success with her “relentless” attitude. But also her ability to take a player and grow with them, as it touched upon her interest in players who we might not first guess that she would want on her team with such a rank as Ohio State does. But by doing this she maintains how each player individually succeeds, and knows the best ways in which to most effectively coach them. It is a good question to think about how adaptable each of us is, or at least how adaptable each of us think we are. Her ability to adapt to all the different situations mentioned really makes her seem like quite the chameleon, yet while staying a grounded and understanding not only coach but individual.
ReplyDeleteA good leader should always incite "energy" from their followers, Alexis appears to exhibit this trait very well. Adapting to whomever comes her way also makes her a very open and easy to work with coach. This makes her a great leader, hopefully the ability to coach well is never lost.
ReplyDeleteWhat I really like about Alexis Venechanos is that she used to be player. Not only was she once a player, but she also won two national championships as a player. That shows that she was once a follower. And a good follower considering she won two championships. I believe a good leader should have once been in the follower’s situation. That way, he or she will know what their job is like from a personal experience.
ReplyDeleteAlexis Venechanos truly understands the importance of fundamentals, as all leaders should. These fundamentals lie not only within gameplay, but also in moral character. Only with a foundation of qualities such as perseverance, determination, and drive may an individual have control over an active goal-reaching process. It is clear that Venechanos both lives by this and preaches it to her own players. She is a great example of a strong leader, and I hope that she maintains this underdog mentality even after her inevitable success.
ReplyDeleteI understand her logic in which she choices people that have something to prove to their peers. These people have a passion that can't be replaced, they know what its like to be unseen and not noticed but they have the skill, ability and go getter attitude to make a difference. People on top are too comfortable and it is in her philosophy to take their domain.
ReplyDeleteAlexis deffinitly seems like she knows the game, and how to make a difference with a team. By reading this article I really like that she was a player who won two National Championships. She seemed like when playing on the team she was a fantastic followerer, but now she has become a unique Leader by building her techniques by using little daily techniques. One thing that gets to me is how was she able to play with a torn ACL? She seems to have the skill, knowledge and ability to take any team she coachs far. Is there a place where I can look up what she has accomplished since this article was written?
ReplyDeleteThe best place would probably be her Ohio State website: http://www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com/sports/w-lacros/
DeleteOut of curiosity, what made you think she was a fantastic follower when playing?
Coach Venechanos has had a lot of success in lacrosse during her years. I think that her story can inspire athletes in high schools and colleges around the country. I played sports with many people who had lots of talent, but were not scouted by colleges. Instead of trying to walk onto a team in college, they gave up. She proved that the talent she knew she had, could be out to good use. Her philosophy of preferring those who have something to prove, over those who may be more proven, seems like the ethical thing to do, and considering her past she wants to give those who were like her an equal chance. I am not sure if that is the best way to go about coaching, because she may be focusing too much on players who have been out-shined, taking her time away from players with well-known talent. It will be interesting to see how the team does this season.
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