Never Give Up

By Carolanne Roberts

Photo courtesy of Innovative Switchgear, Inc.

Major league baseball or a career in business? Back in the days of college and all-things-possible, Bobby Kocol weighed those viable options. As a high school standout, he had been heavily recruited by many colleges.

“It came down to the University of Florida or Mississippi State,” he explains. “I chose State mainly because of Coach Ron Polk [the acclaimed former head coach] and, quite honestly, because I liked the student to teacher ratio. At Florida it was two or three times higher.”

He continues, “There’s no question that Mississippi State and the College of Business were the pieces of the puzzle that helped me succeed in life. If I’d gone to a different university that was more hectic, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Kocol arrived in Starkville as an accomplished outfielder who had never lived away from his Cocoa Beach, FL, home. His lack of confidence, he admits now, kept getting in the way of accepting not just one, not two, but three draft bids from the Chicago White Sox during his school career.

“I didn’t think I was ready,” Kocol says. “Even though it sometimes felt like I was majoring in baseball, I was torn between playing [professionally] or going to school. The third time, I told myself I’d finish school. I figured I’d get drafted again, so no big deal.”

The fourth call never came. Not even after Kocol, an Academic All-American, MVP and team captain, led Mississippi State to the 1979 College World Series.

“We were one of the top five teams in the country, and I was getting calls from people wanting to be my agent,” he remembers. “The baseball draft’s going on, and I’m sitting back wondering which team’s going to call me up – and the phone isn’t ringing. My first thought after my disappointment was, ‘Thank goodness I have my education.’”

Any conversation with Bobby Kocol is laced with affirming life lessons like that one. He could write a motivational bestseller, and indeed his book Epic Impacts remains a project for the future. For now, he uses his stories and sayings in speeches around the country, to audiences that include Wall Street institutions, Fortune 500 companies and professional organizations. The 1979 alumnus spoke on campus at the spring induction ceremony for academic business honor society Beta Gamma Sigma, focusing on his journey as well as the students’ journeys to come.

Don’t give up is one message Kocol hammers home by talking about his CPA exam. “Exams,” actually, because there were three attempts before making the grade.

“Another thing I tell students is that pain is temporary, but quitting is permanent.”

“‘We hereby notify you that you have failed,’” says Kocol, quoting the first results letter. “I’d driven from Florida’s east coast to its west for 26 straight weeks for 10-hour review classes. After failing the first round, I did it all again – and failed again. By the third time, when I passed it, my interests had changed, but I couldn’t accept failure. I wasn’t going to give up.”

Which brings him to another message – you can’t work around issues; you have to work through them. This and another of his mantras – never say no again – were put into practice when the businessman took the CFO position at StorageTek, a $2 billion public company, only to face a nightmarish start.

“We had product delays, $75 million or so in losses and stock plummeting from $40 to $8, and we lost a patent infringement case, all in that first year,” says Kocol, admitting that he considered resigning. “But I realized you must experience adversity in order to achieve something. It took six years, but we turned things around.”

He adds, “Another thing I tell students is that pain is temporary, but quitting is permanent.”

Under Kocol’s watch and with his involvement, StorageTek was eventually acquired by Sun Microsystems in a $4.1 billion transaction, at which point he found himself retired at the age of 48.

That lasted long enough to squeeze in travel with wife Lindy and enough golf to feel proficient. But more work was to follow. He began consulting with, and soon became CEO of, new venture Innovative Switchgear Solutions, Inc., in his adopted state of Colorado.

Says Kocol, “Their engineer developed a product that makes traditional high voltage electrical switchgear a more green technology. I’m now involved in a business that is growing exponentially, tripling revenues after just four years.”

He remarks, “It’s been fun for me to start with a clean sheet of paper and develop the process and discipline. We’ve worked as a group to establish the company.”

Compared to the CFO days, today’s pace allows him to enjoy his first granddaughter. The Kocols make frequent hops to Tucson, AZ, where the smitten granddad answers to “Poppy.” A daughter who lives in Colorado has opened a yoga and fitness business that has attracted her father to the discipline. He is also a walker, praising and cursing a Fitbit®, received as a gift, that drives him to a daily step count. Kocol does church work as well and occasionally even preaches.

He returns to Mississippi State often.

“Starkville and its people are unbelievable,” he reflects. “They were willing to help me out in any way possible when I arrived as a student. State was the right choice for me, too. What I walked away with are not only the things you learn in sports but also an education, and it’s the combination of the two that has helped me through my career.”

The man who has lived life on the diamond and in the boardroom wants to help State’s student athletes prepare for their post-sports futures.

“As an athlete you’re treated well and are in the spotlight, and all of a sudden it all goes away,” he says. “I was there, so I know. I get it.”

Giving is another of Kocol’s long-held missions.

“I like to inspire people and get them fired up,” he says, citing a back-burner program to coach business people to recognize the impact they can make on the lives of others. “I’m a firm believer in the old phrase ‘you learn, you earn, you return,’ and I’m in that last phase where it’s time for me to return with my time and the lessons of my career.”

That’s why Bobby Kocol has said to Mississippi State University, simply, “Use me however you want. Tell me when, and I’ll show up.”

Whether it’s a Career Chat – a College of Business classroom dialogue with students – or a keynote address to Beta Gamma Sigma, he will be back, timing the visit with a game weekend whenever possible.

“We now have the SEC Network in Colorado, so I get to show the people out here what real football is all about,” he says with pride.

When he comes back, Kocol, never at a loss for a good phrase, will pack along messages like, nobody can take away what you stand for and hope is not a plan, but a plan can give you hope. But mostly he will focus on the memories that shaped his success.

“So I didn’t go on to play professional baseball,” Kocol reflects. “There are more ‘big leagues’ than just baseball. If you can make an impact in your business and earn respect for what you do, those are the biggest leagues.”

You will be hearing from Bobby Kocol again – we all will. With energy and dreams fueled by Mississippi State, he vows to stay an achiever for the long haul.

“I plan to use life up all the way,” he states, with a conviction worthy of the guy who has said again and again, “never give up.”