Show notes
Today’s guest, Jim Knowlton, is the Director of Athletics at the University of California, Berkeley. He previously served in the same role at the US Air Force Academy, Rensselaer (Ren-Suh-Leer) Polytechnic Institute and as an interim at the US Military Academy at West Point. After 26 years on active duty in the US Army he retired as a Colonel and began his career leading Athletic Departments. In this episode you’re going to hear how he formed his leadership philosophy, which is very much a servant leader approach, and how he led Cal Athletics through the pandemic by being comfortable with not knowing but having his strategic plan serve as their guide. Jim shares why a strategic plan is critical and the unique approach they took to develop their plan. Highlights 10:28 Going to West Point was a defining moment for him 13:38 West Point opened his eyes to leadership 15:16 His family also expected commitment from him as he entered West Point. 17:34 He loves his work as Director of Athletics because he can help student-athletes to be successful in life 18:58 He got the position at Cal because of the many people who helped him along the way 27:25 He suggests celebrating small victories 28:04 He developed core leadership core values by serving many bosses 29:08 Servant leadership, leadership by example, hands-on leadership, and caring for others are the things learned along the way 29:30 His leadership philosophy is taking care of people 30:22 The importance of the organizational vision 32:56 The importance of shared ownership of the plan 38:15 He switched early from crisis management to recovery management during the pandemic 40:00 He emphasizes the need to communicate plans and goals in the pandemic 42:52 Threats to the strategic plan: changes in the landscape and financial support 46:14 He believes in work-life integration. Resources Mentioned Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t by Jim Collins The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell Listen to Coaching Through Stories on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or wherever you download podcasts and leave us a review! Coaching Through Stories is sponsored by HigherEchelon, Inc. hosted and co-produced by HigherEchelon’s Director of High Performance, Dr. Eric Bean and co-produced by Siana Sylvester.