My wife went to Penn State. Her dad and his twin brother were part of Penn State’s first wrestling national championship team. Her family is full of Nittany Lion alumni. One of my boys, Dylan, in a memorable moment for him, high-fived Coach James Franklin before a game last year.
So when Franklin was fired after more than a decade at Penn State, it wasn’t just another sports headline; it hit close to home. It’s also a leadership story worth exploring.
He rebuilt a broken program, restored belief, and won over 100 games. But in leadership, the real challenge isn’t building success, it’s maintaining it. Over time, expectations change, trust shifts, and what was once sufficient… no longer is.
In this episode of Insights, I examine what we can all learn from Franklin’s tenure about clarity, culture, reinvention, and knowing when to adapt before others step in.
Read Emil’s book Leading With Trust:
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