In the fall of 2013 -- two years into his now decadelong time in charge of Arkansas State University's track and field and cross country programs -- Jim Patchell gathered his team in an auditorium inside the arena then known as the Convocation Center and held a program-defining meeting.
"We weren't moving quite in the direction I wanted as quick as I wanted, and I knew what the problem was," he said. "There was some resistance in terms of buy-in to what we were trying to do."
Patchell split his athletes into five groups, handed them legal pads and asked them to write down 10 characteristics of a successful organization.