The Standard Over the Scoreboard: Building Leadership That Lasts

As the Head Coach of Denison University Hockey, I’ll say it plainly: losing sucks. True Competitors hate to lose. But what separates good teams from great programs, just like in business, is how they respond when things don’t go their way.

Every organization, whether it’s a hockey team or a company, faces setbacks. What defines success is the ability to turn those moments into fuel. Losing exposes weaknesses, but it also reveals opportunities. It’s an honest audit of our habits, our leadership, and our culture.

At Denison, we’ve built our foundation on one principle: the standard comes before the scoreboard. Wins are the byproduct of doing things the right way.  Winning is a result of executing processes, communicating clearly, and holding ourselves accountable. That to me defines culture. It also defines the brand. So, in business or hockey, culture beats strategy when strategy isn’t backed by belief.

Leadership That Actually Leads

Leadership isn’t about titles it’s about action. In any successful organization, captains, managers, or executives all face the same challenge: leading peers who are just as talented, stressed, and ambitious as they are. True leadership happens when upperclassmen take ownership, when they raise the energy in a tough week, when they hold teammates accountable, and when they turn frustration into growth instead of blame.

In business terms, they’re middle management with front-line influence and that’s where culture either takes root or falls apart.

No Excuses. No Apathy. Only Ownership.

At this level, it’s easy to find excuses for losing: scheduling, travel, academics, or the bounce of a puck. The same happens in business: market conditions, budgets, deadlines. But excuses are the enemy of performance. Ownership builds culture.  When every player understands that this is our program, not just the coach’s program, the energy shifts. Excuses disappear, effort multiplies, and accountability becomes natural. That’s when culture stops being something we talk about and starts being something we live, every practice and every shift.  We talk a lot about competing hard every single game, regardless of who’s across from us. That’s the same mindset elite companies take to every market; compete with intent, compete with pride, and compete with full belief that we belong. Because we do belong.

The Lessons Behind Losing

The road to victory, and excellence, is lined with tough lessons. Losing isn’t the opposite of success; it’s the price of it. You hate it, but you learn from it. You adjust systems, rethink habits, and reinforce standards. The best teams and businesses treat setbacks as data, not as identity.

So yes, hate to lose. That edge matters. But don’t hate the lessons losing teaches. Use them. Let them shape your discipline, your communication, and your resilience.

At Denison, we work on building a program that competes with consistency, grows through adversity, and wins the right way. That’s what sustainable success looks like, whether on the ice or in the boardroom.

Because in the end, the standard should drive the scoreboard. Always.