Game Planning for Success With Allison Boersma

Allison Boersma:
[0:00] Being a football and a sporting goods company, anytime we're not winning, we are not happy. So I do think that drives us to, you know, accelerate innovation and outperform competition.

Jon Clifton:
[0:12] When you think of football, you think of Riddell. And for more than a century, its helmets have been synonymous with protection, innovation, and the game itself. But even icons need reinvention. Enter Alison Boersma, Riddell's new CEO. Riddell didn't take the obvious path. They called an audible, choosing a leader with a different playbook, one rooted in finance, operations, and a restless curiosity for how bold ideas reach the field. Boersma has transformed one of the sport's most storied brands into an innovation engine, reshaping how athletes are protected and how teams connect technology with performance. From expanding production to hardwiring R&D into sales, she's put a century-old company back on offense. Today, she shares how she does it, blending strategy with agility, and why her coach-first approach holds lessons for every leader navigating disruption.

Allison, welcome to Gallup.

Allison Boersma:
[1:09] Thank you. Happy to be here.

Jon Clifton:
[1:11] So, you know, this time of year, football is everywhere. And there's a logo that we see everywhere, which is Riddell. For those that may not know, what's behind the business that you lead? Can you just tell us more about it?

Allison Boersma:
[1:25] Yeah, absolutely. You know, Riddell is an almost 100-year-old company, and it's all about football. In our DNA, the foundation of Riddell, the objectives are to be part of the football community and to continue to advance player protection in that space.

Jon Clifton:
[1:40] How do you maintain that sort of brand credibility? That's a tough thing to do for a very long time.

Allison Boersma:
[1:46] This is what we're all about. You know, I mentioned my R&D team with 210 years in this space and the sales team because there are eyes and ears in the field so they can give us information that nobody else has because nobody else has the number of people talking to the football community that Riddell has. Our advantage is we, you know, have ears on the ground and we are able to use that in order to continue our leadership and innovation.

Also, importantly, is 20 years ago, we launched or introduced the first sensors in football helmets. And those sensors, which have been, you know, on field for over 20 years, we have over 13 million impacts. And we're able to analyze those impacts and use that information to inform our helmet design. And it's also informed football rules. So rules of the game have changed based on the data that our helmets are collecting and providing. So, with that, you know, depth of information, we continue to get more and more impact data, we are able to really out-innovate anybody else and stay relevant. We're actually thinking about protection in a whole new way now.

You know, a helmet works at a point, a moment in time, at a point of impact. Well, now with sensors in the helmet, our Axiom helmet comes standard with sensors in it that inform InSite Analytics, which is a platform that allows us now to send data back to the sideline, to the team staff to analyze why are impacts happening in the first place? What is resulting in these impacts? And then they can go dig in and identify opportunities to reduce impacts going forward. So whether it's player technique or drills they're running, if they see significant impacts that they weren't expecting, they can go and adjust their plans. You know, small adjustments can make a huge difference to reduce impacts in the future. So, you know, you're not only addressing an impact. The helmet does a great job when the impact happens, but you're actually proactively looking to manage impacts out.

Jon Clifton:
[3:42] Which of your strengths says this is the one that drives me to say we need to innovate all the time?

Allison Boersma:
[3:49] I think I have Ideation. No, I do. And I think that's one that drives some people crazy because I'm constantly coming up with ideas for the team to think about. I am in, you know, it's right across the hall. The R&D team is right across the hall. And the lab downstairs I go down to regularly to see what they're doing. But it's part of what we do. It's not, you know, it's not a side gig. It's part of the core of the business. So we're all involved in R&D. And our sales reps, too, you know, they're bringing information from the field to the R&D team saying, hey, these things are working, these things aren't. And this is what I'm hearing players saying. And this is what I'm hearing coaches say. And that is really important to our design team and our development team.

Jon Clifton:
[4:30] There's a parent listening, a coach listening, a player. What does that look like when they get the data back and they say, how do we adjust for player safety?

Allison Boersma:
[4:37] Yeah, well, we were just talking to a coach last week in Colorado, and he had just gotten the technology as part of the all-in-all covered program with the Denver Broncos. And he was like, oh, we were looking at the data, and we noticed that a player had two pretty large impacts to the same area of his helmet over the course of a couple days. So they went back to the player, they were watching him, and they looked at his technique, and they were noticing that he was leading with his head on a certain side of the helmet. So they worked with him and then watched the next week and the data from the next week, he had no impacts. They had corrected whatever he was doing that was leading to pretty high impacts in a certain location. So that's just a really small example, but they're everywhere.

Jon Clifton:
[5:20] There was a study in HBR once, it was called CEO time use. And they went through and looked at the calendars of CEOs and said, how did they spend their time? How do you spend yours?

Allison Boersma:
[5:30] I think as I've evolved into the CEO role, I'm really thinking about the strategy and the growth and what's going to drive it. And then I'm thinking about the organizational changes that need to be made in order to drive that growth. You know, we've had some changes in leadership that have been really necessary to take us to the next level. We've had some changes in organizational structure. We needed, you know, we need to add some resources in some places in order to continue to drive growth. But really, the primary focus has been, as I mentioned, evolution continuing and really continuing and focusing on the adoption of our smart helmet platform, which is the InSite Analytics that is incorporated in the helmet sensors in the Axiom and Tru-Fit Helmets. We have over 2,500 schools that have adopted InSite Analytics for this season, 2,500 high schools and colleges out of 13,000 plus. So we're on our way, but we are really excited about that and focused. And we've been structuring a lot about how do we not only get it out there, but make sure they're using it, being able to understand the insights that it's providing and make the adjustments that they need in order to, you know, again, complete this protection vision that we have.

Jon Clifton:
[6:37] One of the things that we've researched is, of course, what is it people need from leaders? One of the things they tell us overwhelmingly is hope. Another thing is, is that we found in our research that inspiring others is a key aspect. But I just want to read you a quote that I saw recently because it actually comes from Art of War by Sun Tzu. And it says, "Unhappy is the fate of one who tries to win his battles without cultivating the spirit of enterprise. For the result is waste of time and general stagnation." First of all, do you agree with that? And second of all, if so, then what is the spirit of Riddell? And how do you inspire it?

Allison Boersma:
[7:21] I do agree with that. I think that is absolutely true. I think the spirit of Riddell, again, is winning and protecting players in football, like in the sport we love, right? So that is very important. I think my role in that is to maintain positivity and provide the level of energy and the view to the future and then try to get people to come along with me, right? I know we have an incredible spirit in our company. We like winning. We like being the best. And I think keeping that energy and the focus of the organization on that is what's really important to me. And laying the strategy, like how do we do that? And I think with my Arranger, I mean, the how I think and people know I have the context. Like I know the organization because of the positions I've held. So, I'm able to maybe do a better job of helping get people there on the how to keep them excited and, you know, moving toward the prize.

Jon Clifton:
[8:25] One of the things on your website talks about that you have this massive injection of capital, $400 million. When you're thinking about the allocation of large investments like that, what do you do? How does your Arranger say, here's how we're going to place these investments over the next four to five years to make sure that we're building great products for our customers and we make sure that we're growing fast enough?

Allison Boersma:
[8:48] It's all about having the right strategy and the path forward, right? So I spend a lot of time on how we grow. Do we do it organically or is it inorganic? Do we go out and buy some companies? So I think we're in a great position because we have a lot of opportunity organically. And there are capacity issues. And that's something I spend a lot of time on as a CEO is, do we have the right people to deliver these and do we have the right organization to deliver the growth opportunities? So in the short run, we are really focused on the investment and investing behind our organic opportunities, which are smart helmets, and making sure that every helmet that we sell has sensors in it and is feeding good data out to the team staff so that they can proactively manage impacts. So, that is a huge focus and a huge organizational effort. And then beyond that, you know, we continue to evaluate other opportunities that could provide opportunity inorganically. We also have different sales channels. As I mentioned, we have a direct sales force that's calling on coaches. But we currently do not dabble very heavily with parents, players for direct purchases. So I think there's huge opportunity there as well.

Jon Clifton:
[9:56] I think you mentioned, though, that you travel an insane amount. I think right now you're on the road for two straight weeks or something. When you're doing that kind of traveling, how much time do you spend with your users, your customers?

Allison Boersma:
[10:09] I'm trying to spend a lot of time with my users and my customers, and that's really why I'm out. I went down to Texas to meet with some of the coaches down there. That is a really fascinating state for football, really incredible. And we have the sales force, and they are calling on our customers, and they do a great job of getting information back. But I feel like the leadership needs to go out there more and hear what they're saying and figure out, again, what are we doing really well, and then what are the opportunities. So I'm spending a lot of time, particularly this first year, but I anticipate doing it ongoing. Talking to coaches, talking to users, talking to players, going out on the field and seeing what's happening.

Jon Clifton:
[10:45] What are they telling you?

Allison Boersma:
[10:46] They're telling me that my reps are doing a really great job. So that's the good news, right? I haven't identified any overwhelming issue. But what they're telling us is, obviously, protection, safety, player safety is important, but so is performance. So I think that is one of the exciting things about our InSite Analytics platform, it not only provides information on levels of impact, but also on performance. We've got load per impact. So, it kind of gives coaches more information on how they can improve the performance of their team so that they get more wins, because ultimately, that's what the coaches want. I think what's also exciting to me is with better equipment and, you know, some of these tools, the coaches are really inspiring, right? You go into their locker rooms, their equipment. There are quotes all over. I mean, they are really trying to build character and teams and, you know, leaders of the future. And the more we can take the protection element out of their hands and just so that they are completely comfortable that their kids have the best equipment, the more time they can focus on developing our young people.

Jon Clifton:
[11:52] One of the things I think that most CEOs are responsible is business development. What strength do you lean on when you're engaging in business development? And also, do you have any sort of sales strategies, techniques? How do you look at strengths-based selling throughout the organization?

Allison Boersma:
[12:07] Yeah, you know, our sales force had been kind of light on leadership development in the past, and they all started the Gallup process, the CliftonStrengths process, a couple years ago, and they are loving it. And I think the strengths format has really resonated with them because they're able to lean into the things that they already do well and continue to develop business based on that. I think when we think about sales strategies for our reps, it is about, you know, going deeper with the coach, providing more. Coach buys across multiple categories, and it's about giving them not only helmets, but shoulder pads and uniforms and mouth guards and tackling equipment. We are in such a leadership position with helmets that it's really easy for our guys to just sell helmets. But I think the exciting part for us is we have an opportunity just to be more important with those customers. And part of it is giving the sales force the confidence to go in and sell those other categories to their coaches. And that's where the CliftonStrengths really helps.

Jon Clifton:
[13:07] Another thing that CEOs are often dealing with is just managing through disruption. And of course, you know, so many CEOs, you face this as an executive, the disruptions with COVID, of course, snarled supply chains. And now with tariffs, we have all these kind of disruptions and supply chains. First, how do you deal with that? And, you know, it's amazing because you have a very unique perspective with Adaptability and Arranger because you know how to change when things need to change, but you also had to kind of know how to move the pieces. So what could the rest of us learn from you that when these unique circumstances arise, what do we do?

Allison Boersma:
[13:46] Yeah. I mean, really, COVID, the pandemic, changed our entire business model. We didn't know for a couple months whether football was going to even happen. You know, we were kind of on pins and needles. We did have a little bit of additional time to try to figure out how to change the business model, what if, you know, and do a lot of scenario planning. And we did that. And I guess what I've got to say is my team really just dug in, and I have to say they delivered beyond my wildest expectations.

So what I realized is, you know, we never thought we had a core competency of crisis management, but when it came down to it, I'm like, oh, my God, that is a core competency of this organization. But our entire business model was turned on its head. And my team figured out what the tools were and how to manage in a way that, again, we never thought we would have to. And we came out of it way stronger than ever because now we have tools that we can really leverage to drive the business and efficiencies going forward. It was just to survive during the pandemic. But now we're seeing those same tools just leading us to incredible efficiencies across the organization. And so I really think Adaptability, and we talk a lot in my manufacturing group about agility. Like we need agile players. We need people who can do multiple things. We're a seasonal business. So sometimes of the year, there is not a whole lot to do. So we need people who are willing and can do other things. And we've come a really, really long way in developing an agile workforce.

Jon Clifton:
[15:20] I think what's so interesting about your background as a CFO, your background in accounting, is that I think somebody, if they saw your top five strengths, they might say, what is she doing in accounting? I mean, you have Communication, you have Woo, and somebody might think that, I don't know, strengths like Analytical might be strengths that more lend to somebody who has such a background. How do those line up for you?

Allison Boersma:
[15:43] Yeah, I think I've never really fit the mold of accountants or necessarily finance people. So I think Adaptability is what you do see on my strengths, and I think I use that to pivot. I clearly have good analytical skills, and I can do all those typical finance things, but they're not where I live naturally. And I think I've also maybe overcompensated for that and, you know, really worked on the other things, the Connectedness and the Woo, because those are strengths that I value and I see leaders, you know, utilizing and leaning on.

Jon Clifton:
[16:19] All CEOs have so many stakeholders that they need to be listening to. Which of your strengths do you use to listen?

Allison Boersma:
[16:26] I really think probably Arranger. I used to listen because I'm trying always to kind of solve puzzles and put a lot of different information together to get to optimal results. And if you don't listen, you know, you're not going to get there. You're going to miss something. So, you know, I do my best. I bring my team together regularly so that they can share information so that we can come up collectively with a better solution.

Jon Clifton:
[16:51] It's hard because a lot of times the stakeholders that exist in the ecosystem that a CEO manages, everything from maybe a private equity firm, maybe it's your customers, maybe it's your labs, maybe it's your sales team, you have to touch so many different parts. And sometimes there's conflicting things. I know you've told me before, too, you also lean into your Connectedness. But what have you learned in terms of managing all of those different data points? And how do you bring them to a consensus when oftentimes those stakeholders conflict?

Allison Boersma:
[17:21] Yeah, not always easy. And I think you have to move people, right, over time. And it can't happen overnight. I think, you know, presenting people with the why, giving them the context for the decisions, not saying, you know, we have to do this, but, you know, here are the reasons why this makes sense. I think over time, I've seen people pivot and come together. And I think that's what it's all about. We do have a lot of conflicting requirements and objectives. And that's OK. We will work together to develop the best answer for the organization.

Jon Clifton:
[17:54] I think one of the great challenges with business, at least for executives, is making the case for change. And I heard recently one executive say that it's actually easier to make the case for change for companies who are struggling or in decline. It's more difficult when you have a company that's growing, for example, because not everyone's aligned on what that change should be. A, do you agree with that? And B, what do you do to be successful at that? Do you lean into your Communication or what is it that you make it easier to make the case for change, even when It could be tougher when things are going well.

Allison Boersma:
[18:32] I think it's absolutely a fact that when you are leading in the market, you can develop a sense of kind of complacency or, I don't know, somewhat arrogance, right? That we, you know, we're the best. And so I think that is a real phenomenon. I saw it at Kraft. I, you know, I can see it here because we do deliver and our customers love the product that they have. And that's actually one of the challenges we're dealing with right now. We have a helmet that's been in the market for over 12 years and people don't want to give it up because they love it. But we need them to move to new technology because new technology is more protective and offers more features and benefits. So I think that is a real challenge. But I also think that the competitive nature of the company. Now I'm not high on, you know, the Competition on my strengths, but I think, you know, being a football and a sporting goods company, we've got an incredibly competitive group of people in the company. And leaning into that and, you know, winning is important. So anytime we're not winning, we are not happy. So I do think that drives us to continue to, you know, accelerate innovation and outperform competition.

Jon Clifton:
[19:42] As somebody with Communication, when you have to deliver a tough message, I mean, every CEO has to do it at some point. How do you do it?

Allison Boersma:
[19:51] I think it's about giving context. It's about delivering what the facts are, but giving the context on why the facts are what they are and what we need to do to move forward. I think, you know, everything is not always good news. And that is one of the things that when you're in the CEO, there's no dodging it. When you're in the CEO seat, you can't hide. So you need to, you can't pretend it didn't happen or it isn't happening. So I think you need to be honest about it, communicate and paint a picture of how to get past it.

Jon Clifton:
[20:20] And when you're looking at your strengths and just kind of looking at your talents throughout your life, was there someone who saw a strength in you before anyone else did? And if so, who was that person and what changed as a result of it?

Allison Boersma:
[20:37] Yeah, a couple come to mind, but I think the one that kind of really resonates with me was probably, you know, in this role when I was the CFO 10 years ago. And the company asked me to essentially ... two things that were completely not related to being a CFO. But the first was to lead the team on helmet sensors, on making helmet sensors accessible. So we had had helmet sensors in the market. They were a different technology. We needed to, you know, bring the technology to a broader group, make it more affordable for the world of football. And I led that group of engineers and, you know, scientists and product and communication people, marketing folks, in order to launch our InSite sensor technology.

And I think, you know, that wasn't, again, it was completely not related to me being the CFO, but they saw, and they being, I think Dan Arment, our president at the time, and the chairman saw that I had that Arranger kind of skills and the curious nature to be able to bring all the different constituents together and get something that we could take to market. And we did, and we did it pretty fast. So I think they saw that in me. And, you know, since then, I think my chairman says, you know, Allison's an operator, she's an operator. And I didn't really think of myself as an operator, so I think that it was like, oh, you know, maybe I am an operator. So, which aligns, I think, with the Arranger. I can look at something that's fairly complex and figure out how to bring the right resources together to make it happen.

Jon Clifton:
[22:11] Which of your strengths brings you the most joy?

Allison Boersma:
[22:14] Definitely Connectedness. And I would say combined with Woo. I think it's the both of those two. I don't know. I believe that there is, you know, that things happen for a reason. I believe that there is huge value in networks and the people you know and helping the people around you. And I believe there is a, you know, a higher purpose and that my role is to really kind of help make connections. And that gets you to the Woo, to meet new people so that you have more connections to make.

Jon Clifton:
[22:44] Winning others over, of course, is Woo. What does that look like for a CEO?

Allison Boersma:
[22:47] I think just being approachable and real to a large extent, right? Because I think people think of you as something different when you get that title. Even people who know you start treating you differently to some degree. So I think it's just kind of keeping it real and being curious about other people and, you know, what drives them. And I love, you know, finding out about people, learning about them, and also, you know, going to, you know, Individualization. I love creating opportunities for people. I like figuring out what they want to do and then how to, I try to figure out how to help them thrive and deliver on that. So I think that's really important to me in this role.

Jon Clifton:
[23:27] A lot of times something may happen, you know, with the business. It could be even something around personal safety with our colleagues. But when you feel fear, what strength do you turn to?

Allison Boersma:
[23:39] I think I really am a problem solver. So I think Arranger is really where I lean heavily. It's like, oh, I've got a problem to solve and I'm going to, you know, sit down and, you know, draw from my experience. And the good news is, is I've been in the workforce for a long time. I have a lot of different experiences to draw from. And I think I go into problem-solving mode. I don't get afraid. I just, I'm like, okay, this is the situation. Let's try to figure out the best way out of it. And I think Arranger really serves me there.

Jon Clifton:
[24:07] Coms are critical. I mean, communicating with your colleagues, communicating with your stakeholders. What's your strategy for communications?

Allison Boersma:
[24:14] A lot. A lot. Yeah, and I have a great communications team, and we've really amped up the communication. You know, we have done the CliftonStrengths and the Gallup poll for employee engagement. So we are doing a lot of work supporting that and communicating on what we're doing with that, as well as communicating more about the marketplace, what's happening in the marketplace, and communicating more with what the strategies are and how they are evolving. So we are trying to communicate as much as possible. I think from an internal perspective, we've amped up the communication. Then importantly, because employees are our number one asset, right? If they're not on board, then we've got nothing. So really engaging with them on a more frequent basis. I'm making, you know, I'm going to each of our facilities multiple times a year to make sure that they're having access to me and hearing, you know, how we're doing from me and what I see the vision for the future is. So that's really important. We do written newsletters to provide a little bit more in-depth information. And then I'm really focusing, as we said, on getting out more to the customers. And making sure that we're hearing them and communicating with them. So I absolutely believe communication is critical to the business success.

Jon Clifton:
[25:28] You just started your tenure as CEO, but, you know, thinking at some point, that'll be the legacy that you left with Riddell. Which of your strengths do you wish you would be most remembered for as your time as CEO?

Allison Boersma:
[25:42] Yeah, I think it's the Connectedness as well as the Individualization, right? So I love connecting people. I want people to see that I've helped them, that I've taken an interest in them to help them thrive. So that's the Individualization part, but I do it through my network, which I do believe is a superpower. The more people you know to connect, to help other people, you know, with their goals and to thrive. And then hopefully Positivity as well. I hope people, you know, remember it not as, you know, a grind, but as somebody who cared, who was positive, who just saw the incredible potential of not only the people in the organization, but the company as a whole.

Jon Clifton:
[26:29] Allison, thank you for being here with us today, and thanks for leading a strengths-based organization.

Allison Boersma:
[26:33] Thanks for having me. It's been fun.

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