1.question Podcast

The One Question Leadership Podcast was created to discuss leadership with some of the most influential leaders within the college athletics industry. We look at the systems, policies, and people needed to create an environment that people want to be a part of. While college athletics may be the industry we emphasize, the leadership concepts discussed span all walks of life.

Illinois State VB Student-Athlete, Kendee Hilliard, is joined by Redbirds AD, Kyle Brennan as the two cover a number of topics relating to leadership. Brennan discusses diversifying his leadership team, handling decisions he may not agree with, and advice to those seeking to make it to the AD Chair.

Darrice Griffin, Sr. Deputy Director of Athletics at Georgia, stops by @1QLeadership to dive into the evolution of her servant leadership style. She covers the areas where she and the department align - experience of those who work and study at the school, maintaining a level of excellence in sports, and commitment to inclusion. The conversation wraps on becoming a servant leader with a vision, and learning from everyone around her.

Troy Austin, Deputy AD for Competitive Excellence, People, and Culture at Duke visits @1QLeadership on the topic of making decisions and giving a voice to staff who are not involved in making decisions. He also covers evaluating culture and engaging underrepresented populations within the department. The conversation wraps on the topic of weighing experience against values when making decisions in a dynamic, ever-evolving environment.

Illinois State VB Student-Athlete Hilliard is back as a guest host for @1QLeadership. Hilliard talks with Women Leaders CEO Patti Phillips on managing energy as a leader, finding your voice, and balancing commitments. The two visit about the anniversary of Title IX and the ongoing pursuit of equity for women. As the conversation progresses, Hilliard gets fired up and asks Phillips about her use of emojis on Twitter.

Ball State President, Geoffrey Mearns, visits @1QLeadership to talk about creating and managing a strategic plan. The discussion covers the nuance of planning for a specific future as opposed to providing solutions to existing problems. Mearns talks about his process of planning as far out as 2040 while including incremental goals to measure success in execution. The conversation also covers the process for making adjustments to the plan and wraps on his experience serving on NCAA committees.  

Marcus Bowman, Deputy AD, Chief Financial Officer, and Business Strategy at University of Oklahoma visits @1QLeadership to discuss some of the aspects of his role that may or may not be covered in his job title. Bowman doesn't look at business as purely an "increase profitability" proposition, he is more attuned to how they can find more resources to pour into the Student-Athletes, coaches, and staff. He discusses contracts and financial arrangement length relative to the evolving industry. He also gives insight on his three pronged approach to managing effective relationships.

Daniel McCarthy, Deputy AD at University South Alabama, visits @1QLeadership to talk about some of the celebrations and challenges faced as he has grown with the South Alabama athletics department. He talks about switching from internal to external operations and leading a sales team without sales experience. The conversation wraps on the benefits to the community of opening a new stadium.

ACC Director of Student-Athlete Programs & Compliance, Shamaree Brown, gets the @1QLeadership treatment from guest host Kendee Hilliard. The conversation covers two major areas, the ACC's focus on Student-Athlete development, and Brown's advice on career progression for Student-Athletes who want to work in college athletics. He covers the importance of SAAC and the need for increased involvement of basketball and football playing students. They also discuss Brown's leadership philosophy and core values.

Jovan Overshown, Sr. Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs at Baylor, visits @1QLeadership for a discussion focused on her leadership style. With only five years in college athletics, Overshown talks about learning the industry while simultaneously learning how to lead within the industry. She gives insight on her 'project up and protect down' philosophy of running the external department. The conversation wraps on her process of evaluating the progress of those she leads.

Tremaine Jackson, Head Football Coach at Colorado Mesa University, visits @1QLeadership to talk about his experience after his first full season leading the program. Jackson talks about challenging the athletics administration to clearly define success and evaluation for the football program. The conversation delves into the possibility of creating new expectations that may benefit other sports beyond just football. The discussion wraps on the words he delivered during a recent commencement speech.

Louisville Interim AD Heird and Associate AD Calabrese visit @1QLeadership to talk leadership. Both were graduate assistants together getting an MBA and discussed the application of that degree. Heird talks about the impact of self-reflection as a person and throughout an organization. Calabrese gives her input on collaborating with campus colleagues to ensure a successful Student-Athlete experience.

Dr. Karin Lee, Deputy AD for Internal Operations, at Ball State visits @1QLeadership to talk about critical thinking and other outcomes garnered from earning a PhD. She questioned her effectiveness early in her career when she oversaw 14 out of 19 sports, acknowledging that it was not the best situation. Lee talks about, what she considers, a critical component of her responsibility as Deputy Athletics Director and wraps the conversation on the importance of inclusiveness.

Andy Rowdon, Sr. Associate AD for External Affairs at Eastern Michigan, stops by @1QLeadership for a discussion covering creativity, marketing, and leadership. He talks about his team learning how to use data to assist in making decisions and the continual learning process involved. Rowdon also discusses the challenges of transitioning from being a marketing guy to leading the external team.

Haven Fields, Deputy Athletics Director at Ball State visits @1QLeadership to discuss the skill that was identified early on in his career that has been the foundation for his career progress. Sharpening strengths is the underlying topic as Fields discusses honing his people skills. He talks about the things he does that help the Athletics Director, Beth Goetz do her job well. Fields also goes into the additional skills he has developed since being in the deputy chair.

MIT Director of Athletics, Dr. G. Anthony Grant is joined by Rhodes College Dean for Faculty Recruitment, Development, and Diversity, Dr. Justin Rose, on @1QLeadership. In Rose's quest to become a college president, he spends time picking Grant's brain on the nuances of college athletics in the academic setting.

Liz Reyes, Assistant AD for Student-Athlete Development at Illinois, visits @1QLeadership to work on her leadership philosophy. The conversation touches on starting a new job virtually, developing relationships with colleagues, and earning trust with the Student-Athletes. Reyes' philosophy on leadership is four fold, including caring about those you serve and those you work with, building trust, having high expectations for the quality of work produced, and understanding the goals of those you lead.

Fresno State Director of Compliance, Marcus Everett visits @1QLeadership to work on developing his leadership philosophy. Everette speaks about his previous experience as a one man shop at Stetson University. He talks about coming to Fresno State in a leadership role and learning to be an effective leader. His philosophy develops into being willing to learn, being knowledgeable about your role, being accountable for the work you do, and being able to effectively communicate whatever needs to be communicated.

Andrew Gavin, Director of Athletics at Wisconsin-Parkside visits @1QLeadership on a number of topics. He talks about his background as an SID and how that laid the foundation for how he leads from the AD chair. The conversation also covers answering questions he didn't have the answer to when he began at Parkside. Other topics discussed include introspection, internal fundraising, and his relationship with the chancellor.

Illinois Sr. Associate AD for Sport Administration and Student-Athlete Development, Dr. Brian Russell visits @1QLeadership to talk about the importance of developing a narrative about how the athletics experience helps to develop Student-Athletes for life after sports. Russell also discusses his leadership philosophy, which is rooted in candid care. The conversation wraps with exploring the strategic trade-offs that may be necessary in an athletics department.