Attended a Leaders Connect Breakfast with Hackett today.

Too busy to post this in a timely manner and have checked the board and have found the news of Hacketts new job (which he announced at the event) but thought I would share what I can remember of the event.  The background of Leaders Connect can be found at http://leadersconnect.com.  I was invited to attend by Vincent Smith as part of http://Teamgardens.org.  It was the first one that I have attended but it has whetted my appetite for more.  

This was the first talk that our AD has done outside of the university, per him.  Dr. Robert Pasick introduced Hackett to mainly a group of business people and bankers from the Ann Arbor area from as much as I could tell.  The 3 Michigan football players that I saw were Vincent Smith, Will Heininger, and Dymonte Thomas in a crowd of around less than 100 people.  It seemed to be an educational as well as a networking event.

Hackett led off with a few Harbaugh tidbits SIAP.  He said that he first approached Jack to see what Jim's interest was.  Jack told Hackett that "Jim was his own man."  Hackett said that he has learned this first hand.   Which garnered a good laugh from the crowd.  Hackett said that Harbaugh had an opening in his coaching schedule on Saturday afternoons and Harbaugh said that he should contact him then.  The two of them talked for 8 Saturdays in this open window.  After a few weeks of talking to him, Hackett described a change in the weight room that they were going to have video of a squat exercise next to the squat area and then video the player doing the exercise with it superimposed over the proper technique.  Harbaugh said, "I am getting excited."  He then said "You did not offer me the job did you?"  Hackett said, "Nope."  Harbaugh said, "I didn't accept the job did I?"  "Nope."  Jim was continuing his dedication to his role as SF coach.  

Hackett wanted to put yellow ribbons on a tree in AA, but did not want to be disrespectful of the symbolic nature that it had to veterans.  Hence the Maize watch that her wore on his wrist and had others wear to symbolize the safe reutrn of Jimmy to AA.  Also they sold 10,000 of these watches online.  Harbaugh gave Hackett a Shinola watch with a maize face as a going away gift.  Apparently there is an agreement with HArbaugh that Hackett will continue wearing the watch until some achievement that the two of them have agreed upon happens. :)

Hackett recommended the book Prisoner's Dilemna.  He made a few quick comments about being the AD and said that he intended to only do it for 2 months and then Harbaugh requested that he be there 2 years.  I think he made it 17 months,   He said "being an AD you can have a a big ego, but you need to have high empathy."  Then he said "being the AD can be very narcissistic."  He noted that he had more press in 3 weeks than he did in a year of being CEO. ( Wonder what he meant by this?)  He said that the limelight did not fuel him at all.  In leadership, he said, you have to realize you are there for others, not yourself.  He wanted to look at the athletic deparment from a fitness perspective.

He emphasized that Michigan needs to be at the forefront of diversity and cietd Gerald Ford quitting the team over Willis Ward not being allowed to enter the team hotel back in the day.  Overall great stuff and presence that he had while talking.

WIll Heininger talked about http://athletesconnect.com and it's importance for athletes and thier mental health which was very moving.  Hackett also said how it is grat that Michigan has Ward as the new AD because he is more of a career AD than the last 3 Ad's have been.

Sorry for any typos in this, but I have got to run to a work event.  Just wanted to share how great of a day that I had.