Heart to Heart Communications

Quarterly Connections Breakfast with Akron U. Coach Terry Bowden

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:00:27 +0000

Heart to Heart Communications encourages you to join us for the first Quarterly Connections Breakfast of 2012 featuring special guest speaker Coach Terry Bowden new head football coach for The University of Akron.

Terry Bowden, who owns a 140-62-2 record (69.3 winning percentage) over an 18-year coaching career, was named The University of Akron’s 27th head football coach on Dec. 22, 2011.

Bowden, who served as a studio analyst and color commentator with ABC Sports’ college football for 10 years, was the head coach at Auburn from 1993-98 and spent the previous three seasons at Division II North Alabama.

Bowden, 54, was an assistant coach at Akron in 1986 under then Zips’ head coach Gerry Faust.

In his time at North Alabama, Bowden led the Lions to a 29-9 record and three-consecutive playoff appearances. In 2011, the squad went 9-3 and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. He was named Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 2009 when the team went 11-2 and won the GSC championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the playoffs. He followed that in 2010 by guiding the Lions to a 9-4 record and another trip to the playoffs.

As head coach of Auburn, he went 47-17-1 (73.4 winning percentage), posted the best opening, five-year run of any head football coach in school history, and led the Tigers to three bowl games. Also during his time with the Tigers, Bowden became the first collegiate coach in 50 years to win his 100th career game by his 40th birthday.

Prior to his stint at Auburn, Bowden built two programs from the ground up as head coach at Salem College (W.Va.) and Samford University (Ala.). When he took the job at Salem in 1983 he became the nation’s youngest head coach in college football at age 26.

Bowden was named head coach at Auburn on Dec. 17, 1992. In 1993, Auburn had a perfect 11-0 record and he swept virtually every national coach of the year award in his rookie season, including Walter Camp, Scripps Howard, Football News, Toyota and the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award presented by the Football Writers Association. Bowden was again a finalist for coach of the year following his second season at Auburn as the Tigers had reeled off 20-straight wins, an Auburn record, and finished 9-1-1.

During his time away from coaching, Bowden first served as a studio analyst and color commentator with ABC Sports’ college football coverage. He was also an analyst for Westwood One Radio’s College Football National Game of Week, co-hosted “The Coaches Show” on Sirius Satellite Radio with Jack Arute, and was the exclusive college football columnist for Yahoo! Sports.

Bowden is a member of one of the most famous and successful college football coaching families. His father, Bobby Bowden, turned Florida State into a national champion and his 389 collegiate wins rank second in Division I history. His brother Tommy had an 18-4 record in two seasons as head coach at Tulane and a 72-45 record in 10 seasons as head coach at Clemson, taking the Tigers to eight bowl games. His brother Jeff also has 25 years of collegiate coaching experience, working at Salem, Samford, Southern Mississippi, Florida State and most recently at North Alabama, with Terry. During the decade of the 1990s, Terry, Tommy and Bobby all led their teams to undefeated seasons.

As a student-athlete at West Virginia, Bowden lettered two years as a running back (1977-78), held a 3.65 grade-point average in accounting, the highest GPA on the football team, and graduated Magna Cum Laude. He did post graduate work at Oxford University in England, and earned a Juris Doctorate from the Florida State School of Law in 1982, while a graduate assistant coach with the Seminoles.

Bowden has five daughters (Tera, Jordan, Erin, Cori and Jamie) and one son (Terry, Jr.).

Head Coaching History:
Career Record: 140-62-2 (.693)
1983-85 – Salem (19-13 record)
1987-92 – Samford (45-23-1 record)
1993-98 – Auburn (47-17-1 record)
2009-11 – North Alabama (29-9 record)
2012 – Akron

The Quarterly Connections Breakfast will be held on May 23, 2012 from 7:30-8:45 am at the Akron-Canton Regional Foodbank. For further information or to register for the event click here.

Heart-to-heart conversations at work — happening enough or not? Why?

Jody — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 01:31:32 +0000

Do you need to have a heart to heart conversation with someone at work? Too often the in organizations there are the “unmentionables” – significant issues which are not discussed out of fear. Some people are respectful and polite to one another when meeting face to face but get “down and dirty” in the informal conversations which happen after the meeting.

Mike (not his real name), a supervisor who attended one of our workshops, had often told his staff that he wanted them to feel comfortable approaching him on any issue. However, he remarked that few people ever came to him. His initial response to this was – “Why isn’t my staff better at communicating? What’s wrong with them?” He eventually came to realize that as a leader in his department, he usually communicated with his staff in a negative manner. Mike recognized that he was the one who needed to become a better communicator – especially by suspending judgment long enough to genuinely hear what people were saying.

Bob Pacanovsky – January

Jody — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 18:45:28 +0000

Bob Pacanovsky established The Caterers by Paparazzi’s (now known as Robert J. – Events & Catering) in 1997. Since 2001, Robert J. – Events & Catering has typically achieved annual double digit sales increases amounting to over 250% sales growth. Under Bob’s leadership, Robert J. – Events & Catering has achieved Preferred or Exclusive Caterer status at many area venues including the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Akron Art Museum, Glidden House, Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, Andrew Jackson House, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park Association. Over the past two summers, Robert J. catered nine induction parties at the Pro Football Hall of Fame serving almost 3,000 guests of NFL teams including the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the New England Patriots.

Prior to owning his own business, Bob was in advertising sales with Advo and Patrick Media. Bob is a graduate of The University of Akron (BS, 1988) and Padua Franciscan High School. He currently serves on the College of Business Alumni Board. Bob is also a Board member for the Greater East Ohio Alzheimer’s Association. In addition, he is a member of Leadership Akron, and is a member of CaterSource, a national catering consortium. He and his wife, Connie, live in Akron with son, Adam.

To register, click here.

In the Midst of Stress: Moving toward Greater Work/Life Balance

Jody — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:00:38 +0000

Identify the deeper causes of stress and imbalance within each individual’s life and work. Discover and draw upon the inner resources and outer practices which facilitate lifelong renewal of mind, body and spirit. Determine ways to move yourself and others toward a more balanced and resilient life.

Renewing Purpose and Spirit at Work

Jody — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:59:19 +0000

Discover ways individuals can come to a greater awareness of their own life purpose and strengthen their commitment to the organization’s mission, vision and values. Explore how the organization, especially its leaders, can foster an ongoing renewal of appreciation, community, purpose and spirit at work.

Spiritual and Religious Diversity at Work: What Is Appropriate?

Jody — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:57:53 +0000

Clarify in what ways organizations can appropriately acknowledge and permit the expression of employees’ diverse religious and spiritual practices. Explore how individual coworkers can remain faithful to their convictions, be respectful toward people with different spiritual perspectives, and seek mutual understanding.

Integrating Business Ethics and Spirituality in the Workplace

Jody — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:56:06 +0000

Clarify what is meant by business ethics, what is meant by spirituality. Explore the interplay between sound business ethics and a strong spiritual life. Determine what is valuable and appropriate and what is inappropriate in giving expression to spiritual values in the workplace.

Strengthening Character and Ethical Commitment

Jody — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:54:40 +0000

Define universal, ethical values and how they apply to work. Identify what contributes toward strong character and sound ethical living. Assess your own and the organization’s ethical values and priorities within the workplace and in relating to the wider community. Establish personal and organizational steps to take to be more mindful of and consistent in living ethical values and deepening trust on a daily basis.

Resolving Conflict, Reconciling Relationships

Jody — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:51:53 +0000

Become more aware of your style of dealing with conflict: your strengths and limitations. Identify practical ways to minimize or prevent conflicts from escalating. Learn a constructive process for not only resolving conflicts but also fostering healing and reconciliation among people, if needed.

Dealing with Difficult Emotions at Work: Yours and Others

Jody — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 02:49:42 +0000

Develop a deeper awareness of your own and others’ emotions, where they come from and how they impact work and relationships in both positive and negative ways. Learn how to better monitor and manage your own emotions on a daily basis and how to assist others in doing the same. Explore ways to positively influence the emotions and motivations of others.