Every business leader talks about culture — what it means, how to build it, how to protect it. It’s one of the most important aspects of running any successful organization. And though Nordstrom is a retailer, the fundamentals of culture-building that apply to our business can actually be found in all kinds of seemingly unrelated industries.

For our host, Pete Nordstrom, one of the clearest and most inspiring examples of that has always been sports. Pete is a former player and coach for the junior varsity men’s basketball team at the University of Washington — the themes of competition, preparation, and team building continue to serve him today, and will feel familiar to anyone who’s worked to motivate a group of people toward a singular purpose. Whether that’s people on a salesfloor or players on a basketball court.

So in that spirit, we’re taking the Nordy Pod on a trip to the University of Washington’s men’s basketball facility to gain leadership insights from Danny Sprinkle, the head coach of the UW men’s basketball team. This life-long Huskies fan has loads of experience coaching for Montana State, Utah State, and now UW, and the cross-over application for our business leaves no room for want.

Go Dawgs!

Thanks for tuning in to episode 99. We hope you enjoy it!

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