The Leadership Playbook

"You want to be a leader? Then you must be a sponge." Virginia Mason Franciscan Health CEO Ketul Patel told the audience at the Albers Executive Speaker Series that learning is core to leadership success, along with building relationships and leaning into change. Healthcare continues to face challenges, among them workforce shortages and the entry of Wall Street, but he is optimistic about growing and scaling the only health system covering the entire Puget Sound. He is committed to rebuilding the workforce and culture, exploring partnerships, and continuing to learn from everyone. A wise mentor once told him that to be successful, "you have to live on an elevator. What he meant was you must connect with people at all levels of the organization, not just make it to the boardroom. Hosted by Joseph M. Phillips, dean of Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics, The Leadership Playbook asks top executives from the business world's most recognizable brands and companies about the stories behind their success, their leadership secrets, and the biggest obstacles they've faced and overcome. Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show. Subscribe to listen to succeeding episodes. The Leadership Playbook is brought to you by RSM US, the nation's leading provider of assurance, tax, and consulting services focused on the middle market. Podcast production and music by Alvarez Audio.

In April of this year, Albers' MBA in Sport and Entertainment Management hosted the Pacific Northwest Academy of Legal Studies in Business' regional conference here in Seattle. Among the sessions was a highly anticipated panel discussion on NIL. NIL (name, image, likeness) refers to the rights of college athletes to profit from their personal brands as mandated by an NCAA policy that went into effect on July 1st, 2021. The evolving legal landscape for NIL makes it a closely watched topic by athletes, brands, universities, and other stakeholders. This is a recording of the panel discussion with NIL subject matter experts who are deeply immersed in the area: James Buder, Assistant Attorney General of the University of Washington; Hector Rivas, co-founder of Disruptive Sports; Debbie Spander, founder and CEO of Insight Sports Advisers; and Natalie M. Welch, assistant professor at the MBA in Sport and Entertainment Management. Hosted by Joseph M. Phillips, dean of Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics, The Leadership Playbook asks top executives from the business world's most recognizable brands and companies about the stories behind their success, their leadership secrets, and the biggest obstacles they've faced and overcome. Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show. Subscribe to listen to succeeding episodes. The Leadership Playbook is brought to you by RSM US, the nation's leading provider of assurance, tax, and consulting services focused on the middle market. Podcast production and music by Alvarez Audio.

The FIFA World Cup is the world's largest sporting event, 14% bigger than the Olympics in audience size and six times the size of the Super Bowl's 175 million viewers. And it's coming to Seattle in 2026 as the city becomes one of 16 North American locations chosen to host several games. How do cities pitch for sporting events of this size? What is the economic impact of occasions like this? Peter Tomozawa, CEO of SEAFWC26, the organization tasked with preparing Seattle for the 2026 World Cup, talks about this and more at a recent Albers Executive Speaker Series. More important than putting on a good show is the legacy left behind, he says. "We're not going to build another Space Needle," he says, referring to the iconic construction from 1962 World's Fair. "The plan is to focus on a people-based legacy, on community, culture, and children." Hosted by Joseph M. Phillips, dean of Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics, The Leadership Playbook asks top executives from the business world's most recognizable brands and companies about the stories behind their success, their leadership secrets, and the biggest obstacles they've faced and overcome. Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show. Subscribe to listen to succeeding episodes. The Leadership Playbook is brought to you by RSM US, the nation's leading provider of assurance, tax, and consulting services focused on the middle market. Podcast production and music by Alvarez Audio.

Intentionalist founder and CEO Laura Clise makes the call for thinking small – small business, to be specific. In this episode, she talks about how we can all be part of the solution to economic inequality, racial injustice, and the fraying of our social fabric by being more intentional about where we eat, drink, and shop. As Clise puts it, 'Economic allyship is a powerful way to translate our good intentions into action that contributes to the cultural change necessary for a more connected, inclusive, and equitable world.' Hosted by Joseph M. Phillips, dean of Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics, The Leadership Playbook asks top executives from the business world's most recognizable brands and companies about the stories behind their success, their leadership secrets, and the biggest obstacles they've faced and overcome. Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show. Subscribe to listen to succeeding episodes. The Leadership Playbook is brought to you by RSM US, the nation's leading provider of assurance, tax, and consulting services focused on the middle market. Podcast production and music by Alvarez Audio.

For Albers' 75th year, Dean Joe Phillips sat down with the iconic Harriet Stephenson, a business professor who taught at Albers from 1967 to 2014. Stephenson, one of the few female business PhDs in her time, founded what is now the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Center (IEC) and won many awards for her teaching and her work in social entrepreneurship and small business management. Phillips asked her how she first got interested in business (leasing her grandfather's swimming pool in Walla Walla), what it was like to be a woman in business in the 60s ("business was pretty much men"), and the origins of Albers' triple bottom line, among others. When asked how she felt about the IEC naming their business competition after her, Stephenson said with much satisfaction, "I gotta say I like it." If you studied under Harriet or are just interested in the woman after whom our business plan competition is named, listen to understand why she's a living legend. Hosted by Joseph M. Phillips, dean of Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics, The Leadership Playbook asks top executives from the business world's most recognizable brands and companies about the stories behind their success, their leadership secrets, and the biggest obstacles they've faced and overcome. Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show. Subscribe to listen to succeeding episodes. The Leadership Playbook is brought to you by RSM US, the nation's leading provider of assurance, tax, and consulting services focused on the middle market. Podcast production and music by Alvarez Audio.

REI Co-op President & CEO Eric Artz emphasized values and impact in this recording of the first live Albers Executive Speaker Series panel in 18 months. With an ambitious goal to grow membership from 20 million to 50 million, Artz said their aspiration is to grow a community of 50 million who are engaged and fighting for pressing societal issues we face today such as climate change and racial equity. He also spoke about how REI is handling supply chain challenges, how he built a powerful company culture, and the advice he'd give aspiring leaders. 'Challenge yourself. Go do. Go try. When you get comfortable, force yourself to get uncomfortable, because those are the moments that you're growing.' Hosted by Joseph M. Phillips, dean of Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics, The Leadership Playbook asks top executives from the business world's most recognizable brands and companies about the stories behind their success, their leadership secrets, and the biggest obstacles they've faced and overcome. Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show. Subscribe to listen to succeeding episodes. The Leadership Playbook is brought to you by RSM US, the nation's leading provider of assurance, tax, and consulting services focused on the middle market. Podcast production and music by Alvarez Audio.

Challenge Seattle CEO and former Washington Governor Christine Gregoire talks to Albers Dean Joe Phillips about her experience navigating a recession, the initiatives she is spearheading in response to last year's racial unrest, and her advice for students graduating in a pandemic. The common thread throughout the episode is being open to learning throughout one's lifetime. 'Whatever you end up doing, don't assume that's your lifelong job,' she says in this episode. 'Let the doors open; let the sky be the limit.' Hosted by Joseph M. Phillips, dean of Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics, The Leadership Playbook asks top executives from the business world's most recognizable brands and companies about the stories behind their success, their leadership secrets, and the biggest obstacles they've faced and overcome. Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show. Subscribe to listen to succeeding episodes. The Leadership Playbook is brought to you by RSM US, the nation's leading provider of assurance, tax, and consulting services focused on the middle market. Podcast production and music by Alvarez Audio.

Retail Lockbox President and CEO Craig Dawson knew he wanted to go into business when he was four years old. In this episode, he talks about how he is leveraging his experience as a Black business owner and leader in heading up the Washington Roundtable and Washington Employers for Racial Equity, how he feels strongly about championing Black business, and the advice he would give to young professionals as they start their careers. 'When I graduated, I thought I was old,' he recounts. 'What I didn't realize was how much runway I had.' Hosted by Joseph M. Phillips, dean of Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics, The Leadership Playbook asks top executives from the business world's most recognizable brands and companies about the stories behind their success, their leadership secrets, and the biggest obstacles they've faced and overcome. Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show. Subscribe to listen to succeeding episodes. The Leadership Playbook is brought to you by RSM US, the nation's leading provider of assurance, tax, and consulting services focused on the middle market. Podcast production and music by Alvarez Audio.