00:00:00Maggie Kuyper, transcript, November 20, 2017, 11 a.m. at Brugger's Bagel,
Nashville, TN
Appleby: What part of your personal background led you to this position- also
what is your position?
Kuyper: My position is a primarily a mother, small business owner, and a coach.
Ever since I was little I as involved in various activities that involved
coaches and I looked up to them. I saw their personality traits that I wanted.
As soon as I was in a position like them, where I could coach kids I wanted to
because I wanted to be the same thing for other people.
Appleby: What does leadership mean to you?
Kuyper: I think anytime you're a leader its knowing other people are watching.
Your words and behaviors are directly influencing people whether you know it or
not. As a parent how you treat your kids and how you coach directly reflects leadership.
Appleby: What or who has been your greatest influence?
Kuyper: My parents. My dad was a professor and small business owner. He was a
mentor to a lot of business owners. I got the professional leadership from him.
I remember him being sincerely upset about letting go of people because of
budget cuts. Not only did have power, but the loved the people he led. My mom
was intentional. She didn't work outside the home, but was a full time mom. She
helped us and our school- on the pta. She had a total servants heart.
Appleby: How do you measure cusses and learn from failure?
Kuyper: I don't like to measure success. I'm not a goal driven person When I
make goals they make me obsessive. I try to see all the little wins. I don't
have a big thing. I like to talk it out with people. Talk your failures out.
Appleby: Tell us about how you won coach of the year?
Kuyper: We won state. The reason is I was with a program who never had success.
The program went from 0 to state championship in 5 years. The goal was to teach
work ethic and how to work with a team.
Appleby: What would be your slogo?
Kuyper: I had a coach in college who believed in me as a leader. Firs time
anyone looked me in the eye and told me I was leader. He challenged me to write
with expo on my mirror- what would you do today to make it happened. I think
about that question every day. It goes back to the little things you can do to
be better or effective. Celebrate the small wins!
Appleby: Did your education help you with your leadership skills?
Kuyper: The curriculum allows real life learning at Belmont. Its all about
working together at groups and problem solving. The content was even real life,
it wasn't just political science, it was applying it to real issues. You don't
see it until you get in the real world when you met someone you can't stand.
Appleby: What do you want your legacy to be?
Kuyper: Even though I do have jobs and I coach and I do a lot of things outside
the home. One of the reasons I wanted to primarily stay home is so my kids will
know that I am a mom first. In their eyes they should know they are my number
one priority. However, I do things for myself because you have to take care of
yourself so you can take care of others.
Appleby: What are your strengths and weaknesses?
Kuyper: My strength is that I am a team player. Everything I do I wan to do for
the benefit of he group. My weakness is my inability to take charge by myself
and have confident in my decision.
Appleby: What experiences have most shaped you as a leader?
Kuyper: Motherhood. Going back to team work, you don't always have that with a
kid. Sometimes its just you and a kid. Marriage too. I had to work with a
completely different human being. You have to trust someone else.
Appleby: Were you called into leadership or did you seek it?
Kuyper: I was born into it. The times I naturally fell into it were the most
lasting and when I tried hard to go into it was detrimental. When I became
Athletic director it was too much, but we get taken care of when we don't make
the best decisions.
Appleby: What's your leadership style?
Kuyper: My style is team-oriented, which is democratic. I can be authoritative
too. I don't have a problem stepping into others.
Appleby: What's the best overall advice you could give to a stranger?
Kuyper: Make sure that you establish your why before coming a leader. Oure why
should be deep enough to explain your decisions.
Appleby: How do you not let your emotions take over while you're making a point
as a leader?
Kuyper: My why when I coached at SCA was to empower high school girls. My why
was to teach team work, respect, hard work. Its easy to get emotional, but
hopefully not to where you saw it. When we did we talked it out. In the end its
like what's the point of doing this. We wanted to beat certain teams but that's
not the why.
Appleby: Do you have any memorable obstacles or challenges you faced?
Kuyper: I don't feel like I've ever had a mountain I had to get over. I'm trying
to think-- I think the hardest part, being an athlete was fine, but balancing
all the things currently I'm trying to balance is more of a stressor and an
obstacle I'm realizing. Motherhood is the thing that keeps you going through it.
Motherhood is another obstacle. Being a mom and anything else.
Appleby: What advice to you have to build relationships and trust?
Kuyper: Communication is the biggest thing to develop trust. The more you talk
about, the more you tell and communicate, the more someone is going to trust.
Like coaching if I don't communicate with yall the big and little and I try to
pass advice or tell you to do something. Communication and trust are the big
equation. I have to teach my husband that.
Appleby: If you had to interview someone that best exemplifies leadership who
would it be?
Kuyper: Is the sky the limit? Don't laugh or make fun of me. I'm going to
interview Aaron Rogers and hers why because his pressure of being a high-end
athlete and celebrity. He has the physical pressure but is injured. He can't
help his team physically. How is he leader now? He is the captain of the team.