When ESPN college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit graduated Columbus-based The Ohio State University, he was at a crossroads in his life.
After playing quarterback at Ohio State, but not having a storied career, he graduated with a business degree, a job offer from a pharmaceutical company and a love of talk radio spurred by broadcaster Cris Collinsworth.
Mr. Herbstreit — a keynote speaker at Becker's ASC Review's 24th Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs in Chicago on Oct. 26 — knew he had a passion for talk radio, so he reached out to Columbus-area stations and found one that would bring him on board.
He had to make a choice between the stability of the pharmaceutical job or the tumultuous life of broadcasting.
"I chose the one I had passion for, having no earthly idea what it would lead to," Mr. Herbstreit said.
After a brief career in Columbus, Mr. Herbstreit sent a tape to ESPN at an opportune moment. ESPN hired him as a sideline reporter for one year. Around the same time, former ESPN College Gameday broadcaster Craig James left and ESPN reached out to Mr. Herbstreit for an audition.
He auditioned, they hired him and 22 years later, Mr. Herbstreit is a mainstay on set, attributing his sticking power to work ethic.
"When I look back at it I think I wasn't that three-time All-American, I wasn't that Heisman trophy winner and instead of hiding from that, I hit it head-on because I knew fans from all over the country had no idea who I was," He said. "So what I did was build a name on work ethic and knowing coaches and what they were doing and calling every coach I could call. That became my thing and it's still my thing to this day."
On sustained success and leadership
One example of Mr. Herbstreit's work ethic can be seen through his relationship with University of Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban, who has given Mr. Herbstreit an unprecedented look into his coaching culture.
Mr. Saban is one of the most successful college football coaches of all time.
Mr. Herbstreit attributes Alabama's success to Mr. Saban "recruiting great people, demanding excellence and making sure they buy into what the team is about and then never letting them settle into anything less than their best."
"In your practices, if you create a winning culture where people are buying into what your practices are [you'll be successful]," Mr. Herbstreit said. "And as a leader you need to set the bar for everyone else to see how hard you're working. When everyone else sees how hard the leader is working, it makes it easier to expect more from everyone else."