@1QLeadership Question: Are there measurable metrics beyond revenue that lead to championships in college athletics?

George Mason AD Marvin Lewis shares how he walked into a department hungry for leadership and, in three years, built a people-first, championship culture grounded in a clear strategic "playbook."

He breaks down the staff survey that set the tone, the shift from bad‑news‑only meetings to high‑energy all‑staffs, and a revised coach evaluation model that finally matches expectations to resources and values more than just wins and losses.

Lewis also explains how he uses a senior deputy AD/COO, quarterly "time and score" metrics, and a campus‑wide approach to strategic planning—plus his work on the NCAA Women's Basketball Committee and the Professional Patriots leadership program—to offer a ready-made blueprint for aspiring Division I ADs. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown

In this special episode of 1Q, Tai M. Brown welcomes former pro runner and longtime interviewer Steph Garcia Cichosz as the new co-host of the One Question Leadership Podcast. Both reflect on what they learned from years of interviews on the AthleticDirectorU platform.

They discuss former Oklahoma AD, Joe Castiglione's "water the plant" analogy regarding developing staff, former Washington and current USC AD, Jen Cohen's focus on mentorship, and other insightful conversations that have influenced how they think about leadership.

They also introduce a new framework that will quietly guide future episodes, Forward Management. With segments based on creation, cultivation, and affirmation, listeners can zero in on how leaders build culture, sustain it, and celebrate the people inside it. - One Question Leadership Podcast - Tai M. Brown - Steph Garcia Cichosz

@1QLeadership Question: Is compliance leadership superpower in college athletics?

This episode of the One Question Leadership Podcast follows Erin Adkins' journey from law school to becoming Executive Senior Associate AD for NIL Strategy and Initiatives at UCLA. It explores how compliance, instinct, and relationships prepare leaders to guide student‑athletes and coaches in an era of NIL, the transfer portal, and high‑stakes competitive success.

Path to college athletics

• Erin shares how growing up an Arizona fan, choosing law school, and trying both pro sports and college internships helped her realize that collegiate athletics was where she could directly impact the "product" every day.

Why a compliance background is a leadership superpower

• She explains how compliance touches every corner of an athletic department, giving future sport administrators a 360‑degree view of people, processes, and problems—and making it an ideal launchpad for leadership roles

Leading through relationships in the NIL and transfer‑portal era

• Adkins describes how intentional presence, quick responsiveness, and small daily interactions with coaches and student‑athletes build trust, which then underpins everything from navigating NIL to keeping elite teams—like UCLA baseball's veteran junior core—together and thriving

One Question Leaderhsip Podcast - Stephanie Garcia Cichosz - Tai M. Brown