CSU’s Anita Howard shares insight at Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum

This time last year, Columbus State women’s basketball coach Anita Howard sat in the crowd at the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum. On Tuesday, she took center stage.

Howard kicked off the second day of the 12th edition of the forum. Joined by Columbus State Leadership Institute executive director Shana Young, Howard discussed how coaching transcends basketball and offered insight on how coaching others — on the court or in the office — can breed success.

Though the 8 a.m. start time meant an early morning for Howard, the opportunity to share her message was one she couldn’t pass up.

“When I first got to Columbus, I did not know exactly how big the Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum was,” Howard said. “Just coming to it last year, I saw how grand it was. It was a surreal moment to see all these people wanting to get better at their craft. I wanted to be a part in any way I could. When they asked me to speak, I didn’t even have to think about it.”

Howard hit on several points that she highly values within the Lady Cougars program such as accountability and setting the right culture. She spoke of her experiences from her first season at Columbus State, which featured 31 victories, a Peach Belt Conference championship and a Division II Elite Eight berth.

While most in the crowd were not coaches, Howard explained afterward that the advice goes far beyond her profession.

“I always like to say that basketball is like a game of life,” Howard said. “I’m not trying to make the next millionaire WNBA player, because those are few and far between. I’m trying to build the next best female professional. It’s not just about the wins. I think winning contributes to their confidence and their mindset, but it’s about developing my young ladies to be strong and empowered.”

Howard joked about being included in the forum’s theme of the “best & brightest minds” but also expressed appreciation for being among speakers such as Major General Eric Wesley, New York Times best-selling author Amy Cuddy and Academy Award-winning actress Octavia Spencer. Howard has quickly became a sought after speaker in town, making appearances at Sportsvision’s girls basketball banquet in April and the Rotary Club of Columbus on Aug. 15.

Regarding her latest talk, Howard said she hoped those in attendance embraced her notion of taking a winning approach in whatever they do.

“I don’t want to anyone to be OK with being average or mediocre,” Howard said. “The championship mentality is not a sports-related thing; it’s a way of life. If you feel like you can do it, get out there and do it and enjoy the journey. Deserve more. Never stop working for what you deserve. Keep striving to be successful.”

Howard, who took home Peach Belt Coach of the Year and the John “Whack” Hyder Georgia College Women’s Coach of the Year last season, is gearing up for another big year for the Lady Cougars. Howard said she drew advice from Georgia Tech men’s basketball coach Josh Pastner about building off a strong foundation, something Pastner will also attempt after taking his conference’s Coach of the Year honor for 2016-2017.

Entering her second season, Howard said her team needs to build chemistry thanks to the addition of several new players over the offseason. The Lady Cougars will have to accomplish a great deal just to match last season’s achievements, but just like Howard told the forum attendees, she holds nothing but high standards for herself and her squad.

“We did a lot of great things in a short amount of time, so it’s about just getting them to buy into that same process,” Howard said. “Our goal is not changing. We still want to compete for a national championship, but we’ve got to take the necessary steps to get back to that same moment and get past that Elite Eight game.”

This story was originally published August 29, 2017 at 11:31 AM with the headline "CSU’s Anita Howard shares insight at Jim Blanchard Leadership Forum."