One Question Leadership Podcast

@1QLeadership Question: What are some of the best ways to communicate change from the leadership and management perspective?

Troy Austin, Deputy Athletics Director for Development at Duke University, discusses his role helping the athletics director manage change. Interviewed by People and Culture Professional Lamarr Pottinger, Austin gives his definition of culture as "how the staff acts within its environment."

• Address points that are actually at play
• Don’t jump ahead of the facts
• Dispel rumors
• Control what’s in front of you
• Manage the leader’s message

Austin believes in leading with clear, candid communication combined with positivity.  - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: Does the adjustment from making decisions to giving suggestions have to be difficult?

Kim Record, Sr. Associate Commissioner & Chief of Staff at the Atlantic 10 (A10) Conference, talks about her adjustment to working with longtime A10 Commissioner, Bernadette McGlade. Record talks about times when challenging conversations are necessary for the team to be effective.

• trust is the bottom line of any kind of relationship
• anytime there is change, there is opportunity
• teaching, learning, and giving back are necessary for success

Record also covers learning how to become a team when many people in the office have only been together for a couple years. She believes active listening and empathy are two important skills for effective leadership. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: Can a team show consistent growth if most of the players come from the transfer portal?

From the 2023 AVCA Convention, Matt Buttermore, Head Volleyball Coach at Omaha, talks about what he valued about the volleyball day matchup, which pitted Omaha against Nebraska and saw record attendance and viewership. He also gives his thoughts on transfers and NIL.

• you don't know exactly how a transfer will fit in
• we can't try to do the same things we did last year
• if we keep growing great teams, the sport will continue to grow

The conversation wraps with Buttermore sharing advice for people who want to be in a head coaching role. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: Does age matter if someone has the capacity to do the job?

Tangela Cheatham, Deputy Athletic Director for Sport Administration and Senior Woman Administrator at Central Michigan, talks about being trusted with an executive level position at an early age. The woman who hired her, CMU Director of Athletics Amy Folan, was also trusted early in her career. 

• credits 'supported autonomy' as a critical development tool
• most of her current responsibilities were new experiences when she was hired
• understands that she will never know everything, thus she is always willing to learn

Cheatham describes leaning on Folan to understand the depth of the Deputy position. She also gives her thoughts on impostor syndrome. Throughout her career, Cheatham has always considered caring about people as her primary skill. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown 

@1QLeadership Question: Should substance abuse in sports be viewed as more than just a disciplinary issue?

Ryan Cain, CEO of The Hope Desk, and Shelly Mullenix, Senior Associate AD for Health and Wellness at LSU, discuss the mechanics of providing mental health services for former LSU student-athletes. Mullenix talks about studying social work to further impact the people she has served for nearly three decades. Cain gives his story of recovery and how it led him to create The Hope Desk, which serves people dealing with similar issues that he dealt with. 

• substance abuse must be viewed beyond simply a disciplinary issue
• a family system approach is just as important as a diagnosis
• people begin the mental health journey by searching for a lower level of care than they may actually need

Through the Tiger Legacy Care program, Mullenix hopes to help out any and all former LSU student-athletes that need help. Cain and The Hope Desk are expanding services to more schools throughout the country. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: What role does a third-party multimedia rights holder play in mending and maintaining relationships with businesses throughout the campus community?

Otis Wiley, General Manager at Michigan State Sports Properties (PlayFly), talks about his experiences in revenue generation, including repairing relationships on campus after the school faced a few tumultuous years in the news. 

• PIPER Values - People Innovation Partnerships Empathy Results
• "If innovation comes with a plan of action to drive additional revenue, then go for it."
• "Working in sports is a blessing, we aren't doing hard labor."

Wiley leads by example and emphasizes patient aggressiveness to reach goals. He encourages his staff to enjoy their jobs without sacrificing the passion that comes with living a joyful life. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: Are corporate partnerships always about advertising exposure?

Jazmin Elliott, Director of Corporate Sponsorships and Marketing at Norfolk State athletics, discusses her thought process when looking for companies to partner with the department. She finds areas of alignment between the company and the university, that go beyond just advertising exposure.

• national brands don't need Norfolk State for exposure 
• impactful relationships between a company and student-athletes are always top of mind
• "In business and personal relationships, when you make their ROI just as important as your ROI, people will try their best to help you succeed."

Elliott gives an example of a synergistic relationship with a corporate partner where both parties value a lot more than just the transaction of money. Her overarching philosophy is that people should always be a part of the formula for maximizing return on investment. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: Can the processes learned throughout your career lay the foundation for entrepreneurial pursuits?

Dr. Jason Penry, Founder of Penry Advisors, spent years working in fundraising in college athletics and on campus in general. Not long ago, he decided to start a business based on the concepts he learned during his career raising money. 

• "involvement precedes investment, almost always"
• relationships work across all industries
• doing things for the greater good makes it easier to put in the time
• never promise something you can't deliver

Before branching out on his own, Penry used the same concepts to help start a medical school in the state of Arkansas. He also notes that the pace of athletics fundraising is far more urgent, in terms of immediate use, than academic fundraising. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: Do the titles given during your career define your underlying skillset?

Chris McFarlane is the Deputy Athletics Director for External Relations and Business Development at UCF. At a quick glance, his career arc would have him labeled as a fundraiser. With further study, McFarlane's career is actually rooted in building programs.

• Hired to lead an athletics fundraising office in his mid-20s
• Purposely stepped away from a leadership role after successfully building a couple of fundraising programs
• Recent appointment leans into his program building skill while using aspects of his fundraising experience

McFarlane continues to rely on the skills developed while working as a fundraiser but has always known that his superpower is building sustainable programs that help athletics departments focus on executing their purpose for existing. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: Do winning head coaches need leadership training?

Penny Lucas-White, Head Volleyball Coach at Alabama State, tells her introspective journey learning to be a better leader after 30 years in the role. She decided to invest in her own development by attending a John Maxwell leadership retreat.

• she was communicating but not connecting with student-athletes
• when student-athletes police themselves, the coach's job is easy
• the country is paying attention to the HBCU experience

Coach Lucas-White shares her excitement for the health of the game of volleyball and considers herself a relational and servant leader whose role is to grow and show people how great they are.  - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown