One Question Leadership Podcast

@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 Podcast: What happens when someone who always wanted to be in the background assumes the leadership position?

This conversation initially took place on AthleticDirectorU.com.

Deana Barnes, President at Paciolan, shares insight into her collective leadership strategy and how her longevity with the organization provides her with perspective. The conversation took place after Barnes had been in the position for roughly a year. She talks about vulnerability of leadership, and feeling better suited in the No. 2 position. She also talks about being a former point guard and how it translates in her leadership style. – One Question Leadership Podcast – Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: How can core values help with decisions in the workplace?

Raymond Harrison, Senior Associate Athletics Director at NC State, discusses how core values and purpose are integral to how he navigates his career. From deciding whether or not to take a job, to deciding whether or not to hire someone, Harrison checks on value alignment throughout most of his decision making processes.

• you don't teach values, you hire values
• you live life forward but you understand it looking backward
• values of the organization should be used to guide decisions within the organization

With patience as a core value, he strives to keep emotion out of his decisions. In terms of his personal life, he strives to live imperfectly in front of his children. One of his primary reasons for being in the college athletics industry is to ensure young people use the student-athlete experience to create better opportunities in their lives. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

On the question of the why women and people of color are given unfavorable leadership positions, Dr. Christy Glass, Professor of Sociology at Utah State, visits @1QLeadership to discuss the Glass Cliff. Glass unpacks her research finding that that women and people of color are more likely to be appointed to leadership positions when an organization is at risk to fail. She also offers suggestions on how to convince organization leaders about the importance of diversity. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

@1QLeadership Question: How much does an athletics director think about succession planning?

Alex Ricker-Gilbert, Senior Vice President and Athletics Director at Jacksonville University, discusses hiring coaches and succession planning with Lamarr Pottinger, Director of Leadership Development with NCAA. Ricker-Gilbert has a process of identifying assistant coaches that could potentially be head coaches in the future and engaging with them regularly. He also talks about being aggressive with head coaches who show early signs of success, such as extending one Jacksonville head coach to a 10-year contract after his first year.

• "Will this person care more about our student-athletes as people than as athletes?"
• "Tell us why you want to be at our institution"
• "If you do a good job hiring, the rest of the leader's job is much easier."

Ricker-Gilbert believes upward mobility at Jacksonville is the department's competitive advantage. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown