Yesterday, I awoke to the news of the retirement of Kansas State University head football coach Chris Klieman. For some quick backstory for those who may not already know: Chris Klieman was a student-athlete at the University of Northern Iowa, and I grew up watching him play on Saturdays. His father, Bob, was a longtime coach at nearby Waterloo Columbus High School. Before entering the coaching profession—and before becoming a father himself—Bob knew my dad, Eldon Kambel.
I still remember my father pointing out Chris to me when I was young. He and his teammates became my earliest sports heroes. I tried to imitate them in our backyard football games. My friends had no idea who I was talking about, but those players made a lasting impression on me—both in how they played and how they carried themselves on and off the field.
Fast forward to when I began my own career in college athletics. During the early months of my sports information internship at the U.S. Naval Academy and the Naval Academy Athletic Association, I was approached by an Associate Athletic Director for Operations. Just as I once admired Chris Klieman, I began to look up to this athletic administrator—Gene Taylor. It wasn’t just his title that made an impact, but the way he carried himself as both a leader and a follower. I quietly began to build parts of my career around wanting to emulate him.
These two men eventually crossed paths in their own careers, and together their influence continues to impact mine to this day.
So when I heard the news of Chris Klieman’s retirement, I felt compelled to write about it for my blog post, “The Leadership Fork in the Road.” I hope you’ll read it, reflect on where you are on your own road, and consider who you might need alongside you. If that’s something you’re seeking, I’m intentional about helping others—and I’d be glad to walk a part of that journey with you.
The Leadership Fork in the Road
At some point in leadership—whether in a locker room, a workplace, or a personal calling—we all arrive at a moment where something more than a strategic decision is required. We must choose how we are going to make decisions moving forward. That moment becomes a fork in the road.
One path is familiar. It’s lined with hesitation, guarded by comfort, and shaped by fear-based decision-making.
Fear-based leadership is rarely loud. It often shows up as delay:
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“Let’s wait until we’re more prepared.”
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“I’ll decide once I have more information.”
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“Maybe this isn’t the right time.”
Fear convinces us that we’re being wise when we’re actually being stalled. It disguises itself as patience, caution, or strategy, when really, it’s protecting us from the discomfort of uncertainty. Fear keeps the leader safe. But it also keeps the leader small.
The other path, though, looks different. It’s not reckless or impulsive. It’s simply marked by faith—decision-making that moves forward even when every variable isn’t perfect.
Faith-based leadership doesn’t rush. It responds. It asks:
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What is the right direction, not the perfect conditions?
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What is possible if we act instead of wait?
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What growth might happen, even if everything doesn’t go as planned?
Faith chooses movement over paralysis. Not because it denies challenges, but because it believes growth is found on the other side of motion. While fear demands guarantees, faith requires commitment.
And here’s the part most leaders overlook:
The direction you choose doesn’t just shape your next step—it shapes your identity.
Decision-making becomes identity-shaping. Eventually, repeated fear builds a leader who survives but doesn’t stretch. Repeated faith builds a leader who grows, risks, and transforms—not just outcomes, but people.
Leaders are not defined by the decisions they avoid, but by the decisions they are willing to make.
So the question isn’t simply, What should I decide?
The real question is this:
Who am I becoming through the way I decide?
Because where you go from here doesn’t just impact your strategy. It impacts your story.
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| Photo by Dave Kolpack, Associated Press |
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| Photo by Scott D. Weaver, Kansas State Athletics |
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