Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Marcus Miller. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Marcus, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I personally have never been an Executive Director before they hired me. I had been a Director at a Boys & Girls Club under multiple layers of management, been a Director or Coordinator for our counties District Attorney’s office, coached high school basketball, laid concrete and served tables. The first risk was the Board taking a chance on my when I wasn’t even working at that moment. I had just left the DA’s office two months prior, because of Covid, and was about to go down a path of househusband for a year or two. I was actually kind of looking forward to that, but when they called and said this position was open, I had to jump at the chance.

We didn’t have our chapter at the time. It was still a work in progress because the paperwork was still being considered to allow us to have even have it. After I came on in April of 2021, we got our chapter license a couple months after that, and a website/email address one month after that. We thought about trying to start programming since we had the materials now, but I took a risk and told my Board “no”, because I knew we were not ready. We needed to do marketing and get a presence withing the community before we jumped out to offer anything. We didn’t see eye-to-eye about that at first, understandably, and almost parted ways early on, but we worked it out and believed in each other, and I’m so glad we did. We were able to start our first programming the following spring, and from there, we exceeded our participation goals in our first year of service!

So far in our second year, our registrations are already exceeding what they were last spring, and people are wanting to set up their entire year of programming early on, so that’s a great sign for the future and how people are engaging and seeing us as a proper place for their child to learn. I’m so very proud of our team for sticking together, as we are showing a true life example of perseverance to our participants.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’m a life-long Topeka, KS native, and have been involved with some sort of service to the community since I started working 20 year ago. From serving tables at the Topeka Country Club, serving defendants in Shawnee County through my roles at the District Attorney’s Office, Directing staff, families and kids at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Topeka, coaching basketball for Tonganoxie High School or Shawnee Heights High School, coaching AAU basketball for 12 years and counting, various Boards through the years and now having the pleasure to serve as the Executive Director of First Tee – Greater Topeka, I find great joy in being supportive and giving my all into the community.

First Tee is a youth development organization that enables kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. By seamlessly integrating the game of golf with a life skills curriculum, we create active learning experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience that kids can carry to everything they do.

We see golf as a metaphor for life. It’s not the score that counts, but what you learn along the way. Like in life, golf requires goal setting, working with others and digging deep when things get tough. Golf is a perfect practice ground for learning skills that go far beyond the fairways.

Our programs can happen daily at 7+ program locations, 45+ schools and 15+ community partners throughout Shawnee and Jackson counties. Participants ages 6 – 18 progress through the program over time, deepening their understanding of life skills and golf development. The integrated approach helps kids and teens build confidence and resilience for when they are on the course, at home and in school.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

For the majority of my life, going by the beat of my own drum has been a staple of who I am. I don’t tend to usually go with trends, unless it’s something I think is interesting, fun or productive to do. The once exception to that has usually been my employment. I have a history of speaking up for others at my different place of employment, sometimes to my detriment, but I would usually shy away from standing up for myself. Looking back, it was because of a fear of disappointment that I would be let go if I pushed the envelope for myself, or attempted to accomplish balance in life.

It was when I finally decided to take a vacation with my family, during a time that would usually be covered by me, that I found out that you should “choose you” 100% of the time. My life has truly blossomed the moment I understood how to truly set boundaries. I have never been one that enjoys disappointing people, but the moment I understood the power of “No”, things changed. I stopped requesting, and started being requested. I feel truly blessed that God has put me in this position to make change in the world, and so I want to empower others to start that journey earlier than I did.

Putting training and knowledge aside, what else do you think really matters in terms of succeeding in your field?

A willingness and ability to explain the big picture without missing the smallest journeys that lead to it. You have to able to tell a story without it being fake. You must know how to lead from a core, because that’s what’s most believable. Understanding dynamics and being respectful of your community and business partners is extremely important as well. If you have a “me” attitude, instead of a “we” outlook, you won’t be able to galvanize the interest in your program correctly or for an extended length of time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.firstteetopeka.org
• Instagram: firstteetopeka
• Facebook: First Tee – Greater Topeka
• Linkedin: First Tee – Greater Topeka
• Twitter: @FirstTeeGT
• Youtube: FirstTeeGT
• Other: I put all of the company socials on there, because that is the most important, but if anyone wanted to reach out personally, here are my personal social accounts: Twitter – Marcus_M785, Instagram – mistam785, LinkedIn – marcus-miller-19b17864