Delmont Madison | From Athlete to Coach: Leadership Lessons

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1:02 See how you can avoid the void and reach the right buyers with LinkedIn Ads. Spend $250 on your first campaign and get a free $250 credit for the next one. Get started at.linkedin.com/campaign Terms and conditions apply. Let's just say in my case, it was a circumstance that I had no control over, right? A young athlete. And so basically just trying to navigate a space and using the emotions that I was experiencing, I poured those emotions into the game and they just happened to propel me. So the frustration or the anger or the hurt or whatever it was I was experiencing, I found that I got an actual positive outcome out of pouring the negative emotions that I was experiencing into the game.

1:52 Hi everybody, wonderful to have Delmont Madison on the show today. He's an ex pro basketball player who's turned to coaching and helping elite athletes and other high performers improve and get the best out of themselves. I'm going to let him give a little trailer of of of his life story. We're in a very similar space actually, which which is great to talk to somebody who's doing a similar job to what I I do. So Delmont, fabulous to have you on the program. Can you please just give me a quick synopsis of how you got to this point?

2:45 Well, around the age of 5 or 6, I spent a lot of time in the city of Mobile, AL, where I was born and raised, participating in sports, all sports within the park or city league that was available in that particular city. But I also spent the majority of my time operating in the space called the Boys club. At the time it was Boys Club. It wasn't Boys and Girls Club, but back then the boys club for me was a lifesaver, which offered a lot of different levels of exposure, especially in sports where I play soccer, football, basketball, baseball, you name it, I was involved in it all.

3:30 And essentially I wanted to be. I wanted to operate on. My dream was to operate professionally on at least on two of those sports. And so in Mobile, AL, I've soon transitioned to Stockton, CA after taking a 2 1/2 bus ride at the age of 14, finishing my last two years of high school in the city called Lodi. And that afforded me an opportunity to accept the D1 scholarship offer at Colorado State University where I finished in 1996. And leading over to an 11 year stint in Europe, competing at a high level in countries like Hungary, which is in Eastern Europe, Croatia, capital city of Zagreb, Switzerland, Jordan, which is the capital city of Oman and France as well.

4:26 Yeah, I mean, I know Croatia has some very, very good basketball and you know, the whole old Yugoslav, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia, there's some great basketball over there. In fact, isn't the San Antonio Spurs coach from from Serbia I believe or or Croatia? I'm not 100% sure, but it's real. It's obvious. He brings a lot of international players off, so it makes sense, yeah. Yeah, you know, I'm pretty sure he's Serbian or Croatian. Brilliant. And then how did you kind of transition into the space you're in now?

5:05 Well, I mean, I personally had some experiences throughout I think my high school journey that raised a red flag for me. But I didn't realize at the time that I was really dealing with some of the things that now I'm able to put a name to. I was just, I was, I was playing the cards that I was dealt, you know, at that time and didn't realize I was going through a process that would be a pivotal or the most pivotal moment in my life. And so that was motivation after gaining clarity as an adult that I wanted to do something to help impact athletes in high school and the college ranks that would change the dynamic or the trajectory for the better of their journey.

5:56 And that's how I was able. And that was the birth of the Athletes Compass for me, which is a high impact life coaching experience designed for high performing high school and collegiate athletes silently struggling with emotional performance and next steps related stress. And there are 4 pillars that they'll walk away with through our program. And our program makes sure that the athletes will gain, without going into great detail, mental mastery. They'll build leadership skills, achieve peak performance, and definitely be ready for life beyond sports.

6:33 That's very interesting because in my experience of, you know, having played myself, but also coaching so many elite tennis players to the very highest levels of the game. One of the things that definitely needs to fall into place is how they manage themselves off the court and off the playing field. Because if they cannot get that side right, it definitely impacts performance on on the field. And, and I think it's a, it's an area that sometimes gets lost in the psychology of performing. And actually, if you get the stuff around it sorted out, a lot of the stuff within the performance changes and improves.

7:27 And, and I know there are various, you know, athletes that I've dealt with that once we were able to sort their off court stuff and put these things in the right places and, and get them thinking correctly about them and the people around them. That's when they're their best performances came to the fore and and they they really took off because you know, the margins are so small that you know, 1% difference is, is a pretty big difference at a very high level. Correct. As you say that there are two things that stand out in my mind that play a major part in the outcome of the lack of support or support that an athlete can eventually find in those in that space through their journey in high school, for example.

8:21 I think for most, this is just based on my experience and conversations with other athletes. I think it's extremely difficult, number one, to identify things when we are being impacted by off the court, I guess distractions for lack of a better word. And that could come within the family, that could come from relationships or tough relationships with your peers. And let's just say in my case, it was a circumstance that I had no control over, right? So young athlete and so basically just trying to navigate a space and using the emotions that I was experiencing, I poured those emotions into the game and they just happened to propel me.

9:07 So the frustration or the anger or the hurt or whatever it was I was experiencing, I found that I got an actual positive outcome out of pouring the negative emotions that I was experiencing into the game. And so our goal is to help athletes at a younger age, which me, I took me becoming a full-fledged adult for, to really understand the picture. But getting them to understand while in high school how to navigate that space and to come from a healthier place in terms of the energy we put into the sport that we involved in as opposed to the negative space #1 and then #2.

9:50 I can remember vividly, there was really no one on the high school, collegiate or even the professional level that sat down and actually had a conversation with me about what my the realities of my circumstances off the court were. And to understand so that they can better understand how it's being in how the the team and my personal progress or lack thereof was being affected by that never happened. So it it for me, it, it, it, it's, it spoke to crisis. Yes. And I think, I think there's a huge value in a facilitator speaking individually with team members and then actually getting them collectively together and in talking about things, understanding that some of their problems are related and they're not the only ones who've got problems off off court and, and, you know, off the pitch and then finding solutions together and, and, and, and getting some tools from the facilitator.

11:07 And that would make them a much more cohesive team and therefore understanding each other better. You know, and, and, and, you know, there are not many teams, you know, if if any other than a couple that I've worked with that actually even look at this space. And so it's it's something that that I definitely, you know, would like to do more of because I, I know the value that that there is there. And yeah, it's a it's a space that is undervalued at the moment. And, and once that changes, I think again, everybody, any team will get an extra couple of percent of performance out of their players and a better team cohesiveness.

12:02 Absolutely. I I couldn't agree more. The bottom line, I'm sure for institutions across the country is to compete at a very high, at the highest level possible and everyone wants to win. That's that's the goal at the end of the day and winning, meaning not just, you know, as we see it. And I thank you for bringing us on to bring light of this because I think it's a a crisis that's not spoken about enough and winning to the athlete. You know, what we bring to the table is allowing them to open their minds and inspire them in a way that to understand that you can do both.

12:43 You can play and compete at a high level, but you can also focus on the areas that are as it relates to your emotions, how you're going to transition and who you are, who you are. How do you identify yourself outside of the game and not having that be defined by how many games you want you win or lose? Yes and I mean at the end of the day everybody becomes an ex athlete and and there's a lot of living after a pro career. Correct. Or college career and, and it's important that people win in life as as as much as they win in in their sport.

13:26 And you can do both and actually it's much healthier to do both and, and it's not as traumatic if, if you're really struggling with some issues outside of the sport, it it because you're then having to kind of play despite what's happening and compete despite what's happening. And that is that's a tough burden to, to, to carry. And that's, I would say, when you often get behavioral problems because something's got to give somewhere. Absolutely. It's, I mean, it's human nature. Yeah. There would be a deficiency somewhere.

14:06 So that's why I think that it's important for leadership as it when I say leadership, I mean coaches as well as the athletic directors as well as just the institutions as a whole that value the athletes and the impact that sports have on their institution. I'm sure we can name several ways on how it benefits them the as a whole, but just being able to put those in place who value the things that we're Speaking of today and value the idea of forging relationships with coaches like yourself and and myself and my partner at the athletes campus.

14:48 Yes. I mean, the last thing I'll say on this is really important for leadership to understand how much impact this can have on overall performance and in the memories and legacy that these kids will take from their program if you help them become more, for want of a better word, sustainable people. Correct. And it's, it's a it's a it's a huge area that I think in time will will become I'm more and more recognized. I. Believe it as well. Brilliant. I'm going to hit you with three questions and the first one is which two people have influenced your life the most and only one of them can be a family member.

15:53 OK, I'll. Start with the family member. His name is Michael Madison, he's my uncle. OK. My uncle was my inspiration at home because I witnessed at a very, very young age sometime strike, you know, around the time that I just fell in love with sport, with sports which was probably four or five years old. And I noticed that he was a high performing athlete. I could see the resemblance in in myself and based on what I saw in my uncle, the family that he was competing in high school, I was sitting at the stadium.

16:33 For example, the stadium that I watched him in was a college sized stadium in Mobile, AL because the South in football. Is a big deal. And so his local high school performed at a college stadium. So I thought he was the man. I thought he was God. And so I would watch him. I would his body language, his demeanor and everything on and off field. And then he became a semi professional. I would visit my grandmother's house and see his trophies and and track ribbons and the helmets, half helmets hanging on the wall.

17:09 And so I really wanted to be him and I wanted to stand for the same principles and values that he did within my family because I saw him as the leader of my family. I don't know. And then that carries over to what I mentioned to you in reference to the Boys Club. There was a gentleman, his name was Larry Dickens. Larry Dickens was so impactful on my life. I'm still trying to define how impactful he was. He was that figure because I spent more time at the Boys Club than I spent at home and I had an opportunity to interact and engage with my peers.

17:48 That also was that that shared in that impact. But he to me was someone that I saw from a professional standpoint. He represented, you know, education. He educated, I'm sorry, he represented someone that was well spoken and I liked his style, his swagger, and he represented leadership outside of the home as well. And so and, and and to go even further, he was a baseball player at University of Alabama. So when you put all those things together and you watch the way he moved and spoke to us and he had a way that was extremely personable when it comes to how he engaged with the kids.

18:39 And so Larry to me epitomizes that of what I see as a player's coach, so to speak. So whenever I speak through the athletes compass, I speak with the spirit of Larry in me when engaging to these athletes. And so that's what he meant to me. Fantastic. So I mean, this might sound a little dramatic, but do you feel like these two people saved you from a very different life? Absolutely. I think they taught me the value of being a better communicator and being able to communicate as it relates to Larry, being able to communicate my emotions and being comfortable with that at an early age.

19:27 But it didn't stop me from competing at a very high level and being what has been coined in my circle as being a dog, you know, on the athletic field of court. And so I was, I was very comfortable. That's something that I think is attributed to Larry with being able to communicate my my deepest emotions, but also give my all and compete at a very high level athletically. My uncle, the class and the dignity that he represents and also the structure that he has utilized throughout his life in becoming an entrepreneur.

20:07 And he's been in, let's just say he operates in the insurance space and developing his own company and brand under Primerica and he has performed. And transitioned from an athlete and performed in that space on a very high level for the past 4040 to 45 years. And so those are definitely the two most impactful. Are you still in touch with both of them? Absolutely. I just had a family reunion three days ago while I was side by side with my uncle Mike, who is still impacting me today, and Larry. I spoke to him about two weeks ago because I wanted to get his perspective on and introduced the athletes compass to him.

20:55 He's still to this day a part of the Boys and Girls Club in Dothan, AL and I have since recently forced a relationship with the local Boys and Girls Club in Central Florida. And so I wanted to share that with him and of course, reiterating the impact that he and the boys club as a whole had on my life. And full circle, I'm back working with them through the Athletes Compass in partnership. That's wonderful. Thank you. Yeah, I salute you for that. That's great. Thank you very much. The second question is what event changed the course of your life or totally shifted your perspective in a big way?

21:43 I mean, I know as time goes on, there are different events that have big, big impacts on us. But if you had to look back and say, you know, you know, and each event that happens obviously as a catalyst to something else. But if you had to look back, is there one event that stands out or 11 conversation or some thing that that really shifted your perception or changed your life? OK, there is one in particular and this conversation and the OR event involved my father. And the reason I had this conversation was because in order for me to navigate the emotions that I had been experiencing from childhood throughout my athletic journey, I needed to have that conversation with my father, who played a big part in that.

22:37 And he helped me bring clarity to a lot of the things that I was experiencing in my relationship with him that poured into the the game that I've been a part of since the, you know, a very long time. And so that understanding and that clarity helped me better understand him as a man and it helped me start propel into my journey of healing. And throughout that journey up to that point, you know, I reflected on in the in conversation how it negatively that experience with him negatively impacted my life on and off the court.

23:22 And that allowed me to create a transition plan on how my what my healing looked like and how I plan to help others that find themselves in that same space. So that I think was truly the birth of the athletes compass in terms of the impact that I plan to have and and the realization that I see being what I call a crisis that's taking place right now in athletes lives. Do you think that conversation had as much impact on your father as it did on you? I do. I do because I think that conversation taught me that.

24:11 The act of sitting down with him, thinking that I was going to get the things that I needed to help me become whole or at least start the journey. In the midst of that conversation, it it quickly made me understand that it was just as much, if not more about my father's healing as it was myself. Because the fact that he wasn't fully healed and still dealing with things from his childhood is what fueled me in terms of moving forward and continuing my growth. And that allowed me also to be open to forgiveness and just gave me better clarity on the actions.

24:58 Oftentimes we we pin people's actions on who they truly are. When the the a lot of time, more times than not, a person's actions or behavior, it stems from a story. And when, until we find out that story, we understand that it's not necessarily their character, it's the. It's the belief system they're running. Things that they're dealing with that they haven't been able to fully navigate yet, so they can only give you what they have. Well, as we know, stories are very, very powerful and you can believe any story, you know, and, and, and people do create stories in their own head that that they totally buy into.

25:49 And if you don't question those beliefs and stories, you can live with them all your life and never realize that you can change the story. That's, that was very insightful. Thank you very much for sharing. You're very welcome. So I think you want to bring in your partner for the third question, which is basically what the you know, what your current beliefs or superpowers are that serve you so well and and allow you to navigate difficult and tough times. Yes Doctor Robbie on Charles, I like our lead coach with the athletes compass and 25 years of this year.

26:40 Yeah, nice to meet you. Very nice to meet you in. Fact. Can you just give a little rundown of your story quickly before we get an answer for this? Sure, sure. So, so happy to be here and thanks for again for having us, David. So I am Doctor Robbie on Charles. I have been and spent my my most of my professional career working for not-for-profit organizations and even more specifically working in higher education and doing As a result of working in higher education, I've had the opportunity to focus on curricula, curriculum development, and then do executive leadership coaching.

27:24 Brilliant. OK. And how did you end up working together? Yes, so Delmont approached me about the athletes compass and shared his vision for the athletes compass and knowing his own story of being a an athlete and a high performing athlete and one who had had multiple careers and his and his love for for young people in athletics. I wasn't surprised when he shared his his vision of transitioning from his last career into the to building the athletes compass. And so when he shared that with me and asked me if I would apply or utilize my professional experience in with curriculum development and executive coaching to the athletes campus, I was thrilled and jumped at it.

28:31 He threw a couple of stats in there too, about what the research shows in terms of this really being an area of of need that doesn't get the attention it warrants. Which we spoke about earlier, yes. So this question about beliefs and superpowers, are you going to answer from your perspective in what Delmont's superpowers are, or your own perspective as well, what your superpowers are? Or should we have both? I think both if that's OK. I would love to have both. I love that. And so I will say that I think my super powers are positivity and and optimism and and being extremely solution oriented.

29:19 So I'm, you know, I'm one of those. I I would say that very enthusiastic as well. I, I do get that. I do get, I get that right. And so, and, and I would say, you know, sometimes I've, you know, just throughout my life, people have, have recognized my, my optimism and, and positivity. And and I think sometimes those can't, it can be viewed that those would be synonymous with not being realistic or, you know, or moving, you know, moving things forward. And so that's why I mentioned being very solution oriented.

29:58 Is is the other of my super powers. I'm hyper can be hyper focused on not focusing in on the problems before certainly recognizing and acknowledging that those, but then pushing. How do we figuring out how to push past and move move beyond the problems or challenges that exist and so that. I'd like to just put in a a little story there. Sure. Yeah, love to hear. And what you're talking about, so when, when they're teaching racing drivers, you know, and, and, and how to get out of trouble effectively is, let's say a race car driver is going down and, and, and, and starts to go around the corner and the car starts to lose a bit of control, sliding maybe off the track and, you know, into a fence or a wall or something like that.

30:54 They teach the drivers to never look in front of them to the the problem that's coming up to actually look to where they want the car to go. Yes, yes. And, and, and that actually gives them the best chance of surviving that and, and, and getting the car to stay on the track. So, so you'd, you, you would actually see race drivers where the car's going one way and they're actually looking another way. So I think that, you know, it's just kind of illustrates what you just said. Absolutely. I think it I've not ever heard that before.

31:36 Heard that? You can use it, I will. I know. Yeah, I'm telling. That's what I'm telling, Yeah. I've never heard that before, but I am going to definitely use it because it perfectly illustrates what what I was saying. I love it. I love that. Yeah, because if they if they try and avoid the problem by looking at the problem, they hit the wall. Exactly. That's exactly right. And and once you hit it, it's you can get stuck there. Right. And so. Yeah, Sorry. Carry on. No, no. No, I was just going to say and so I, you know, bringing it, you know, to the athletes compass.

32:15 I was able to Delmont has afforded me the opportunity to apply, you know, those superpowers, if you will, in the, in the development of the curriculum for the, for the coaching practice and, and so Delmont superpowers. I would, I would say he is extremely, he has a, an immense amount of empathy and love of people of humanity. And so I, I done work in the philanthropic space and philanthropy, oftentimes people associate it with it. And it's partly true, but go to money first, you know, financial resources.

33:02 But the true definition of philanthropy is love of, of humanity. And, and so that definitely is a superpower of, of Delmont. He's able to empathize with people, especially young people and youth. He loves, he loves us older people too, but especially young people in a way that is just extraordinary. And I, I, and that actually relates to his, I think his second superpower, which is being very introspective and, and reflective. He is, you know, often. So we'll be in meetings. I'll just give you an example to illustrate that superpower.

33:55 We could be in a working meeting with each other and I will, you know, I'll have the, you know, like lots of audio wallpaper, I call it the TV on. You know, there may be my phone is beeping and I may be peppering questions or, or, you know, just completely thinking out loud and, and Delmont will say, OK, so I need I need some time to hear my thoughts. I remember the first time you told me that I was like, wow, like that is, you know, that. OK, yes, that's that's like that sounds sounds like a book title to me.

34:29 You. Know hearing your thoughts and so so yes, empathy and and introspection for his superpower. I'm going to add 1 here because I think this is very underestimated and I and I've talked to athletes a lot about this is tone of voice. Yeah. Yes, very calming voice, very calm tone and and I talk to athletes that when you talk to yourself in your head, if you can bring a nice calm tone, you know, so you know if I go God damn it. Yes. I go God damn it, same word. Yes. But one is not going to impact as dramatically as as another.

35:16 And that's just tone of voice. Yes, I say like even when things are going wrong in your head, if you can talk to yourself in a calm and and a slower tone of voice as well, that can also bring anxiety down and and just listening to Delmont, he has a very, very calming voice. Yes, yes, absolutely. And a very nice tone. Yes, 100% agreed. Fabulous. So between the two of you, is there anything that you would like to to add? And a last question. I'll I will ask you and I haven't given you and you can think about it because you're going to get to question me, but who I should get on the show next?

36:09 That that, that you know. So. But you can, you can, you can let, let me know at the end of the show and, and even afterwards. But it's, it's always a fascinating question that what people come up with and, and I've met some very interesting people that way. Love it, love that question, love it. We will. I know I have some. I have a thought and I'm going to keep getting, but anything else I can switch it. I'm going to switch it. If it's OK, I'll switch it back to DuMont. Sure. Anything else we want to add before you get peppered with questions, David?

36:42 That's correct. OK. So is there, is there anything that that, you know, if I'm going to ask you another question here, if there was one message that you wanted to put out to the world, what what would that be? I mean, it's, it's tough offer back, you know, if you can't come up with an answer for that, I'm more than happy because I'm not sure I could answer that. I've just thought of that question right now and I'm not sure I could answer that Just bang. But I have an idea of what I would say. To the athletic world, I was OK.

37:21 To the athletic world, I would like athletes, parents and leadership in athletics to understand that there's a shift happening and there's a shift happening because of individuals like yourself and individuals that operate within the Athletes compass that supports the idea of inspiring today's and future athletes to evolve, to evolve in a way that is healthier, to evolve in a way that is successful, and to evolve in a way that is impactful and not just impactful for the programs that that they're involved in.

38:10 Evolve in a way that contributes to who and how they become what they dream of in society and and evolve in a way that impact those closest positively impacts those closest to them at home as well. And it, and, and what I mean by that is getting and taking advantage of the, the tools and the guidance that that the athletes compass and even the company like yourself that you spearhead and the resources that we both provide young and older athletes that could help them prevent some of the pitfalls that we fell into throughout our journeys.

39:01 Great message. So thank you very much for, for, for being here and for answering the questions so eloquently and, and, and openly. And I think I felt it was done very tastefully because clearly there was trauma in your life. And without going into the trauma, you were able to show a pathway through it. And I think that that was done extremely well. And, and, and and, yeah, as I said, very tastefully and very, very calmly and, and that was wonderful. Thanks for watching Locker Room Power with David Samuel.

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