The Leadership Playbook

The Mustang, the Minivan, and the Man Who Saw Both Coming

Welcome to Epic Fails, Epic Comebacks: How Great Leaders Turned Setbacks into Success—the podcast where we uncover the true stories of visionary leaders who hit rock bottom … then rewrote the ending. Epic Fails, Epic Comebacks is an offshoot of The Leadership Playbook, the podcast of Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics and the Center for Leadership Formation. 

In this episode, we tell the story of Hal Sperlich, the quiet visionary who saw how people really lived and imagined a car no one else believed in: the minivan. Rejected at Ford, embraced at Chrysler, Sperlich’s persistence reshaped the auto industry and changed family life forever. It’s a story about vision, power, and what happens when the right idea meets the wrong boss—and why believing in it anyway can change the world.

Credit goes to the Wall Street Journal and Capital One Auto Navigator for providing details that went into this podcast episode—writing by Alicia Kan and music/production by Alvarez Audio. Follow Epic Fails, Epic Comebacks wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe now and join Viviane Lopuch as we explore the fall, the fight, and the rise of the world’s greatest leaders. Follow us on leadershipplaybook.org to find out more about the show.

Unlimited Opportunity: Leading with Humility, Grit, and Care

What happens when someone who never planned on college ends up leading a global logistics company? In this episode, Dan Wall, President and CEO of Expeditors International and alum of Seattle University's Leadership Executive MBA program, reflects on his unlikely path from airport courier to the C-suite. 

 

Dan talks about Expeditors' "unlimited opportunity" culture, why titles don't define importance, and how he stays grounded while overseeing operations in more than 100 countries. He shares real stories of navigating constant supply chain disruption, cyberattacks, and regulatory complexity—while keeping people's livelihoods at the center of every decision. 

 

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 Pivot to CEO: Why Authenticity, Courage, and AI are the New Leadership Playbook

Beverly Anderson, President and CEO of BECU—the fourth-largest credit union in the United States—shares her 30-year leadership journey in financial services on the Albers Executive Speaker Series. From her Kentucky small-town roots learning credit fundamentals at a local corner store to leading a major financial institution, Anderson reveals the career strategies and leadership principles that shaped her path to the C-suite.

In this conversation, Anderson discusses her leadership philosophy built on three pillars: authenticity, excellence, and courage. She offers practical advice for women executives navigating corporate leadership, emphasizing the importance of self-advocacy in career advancement.

Anderson details a pivotal career decision that changed her trajectory: leaving a toxic leadership environment, a bold move which ultimately positioned her for the CEO appointment at BECU. Her experience demonstrates how strategic career pivots can accelerate executive success in the financial services industry.

 

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. 

Proceed Until Apprehended

This live recording of the Albers Executive Speaker Series features Swedish Health Services President and CEO Elizabeth Wako, who outlines her career trajectory in the context of the five leadership principles that have guided her. In the fireside chat with Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver, she talks about the impact of AI on healthcare, the business challenges generated by tariffs and the value of mentors. More than anything, Wako emphasizes being strategic in making life choices. "You only have one life," she advises the audience. "Make sure you experience the life that you want. If you're unhappy, make a change."

 

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. 

Culture is the Only Priority

Recorded in front of a live audience in February 2025, Costco CEO Ron Vachris talks at length about how the organization's culture is the bedrock for the retailer's success. "We always do what's right" is not an arrogant statement, he says, but a commitment to their stakeholders, whether they are customers, shareholders or the communities where they operate. Vachris, the third CEO to helm Costco, demonstrates the firm's commitment to growing talent from within. Starting as a forklift driver in 1982 at Price Club, which merged with Costco in 1993, he worked his way up through the company over the years, becoming CEO in January 2024.

 

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. 

Let Your Life Unfold

Entrepreneur and philanthropist Sunny Gurpreet Singh kicked off the 2024-25 season of the Albers Executive Speaker Series with this recorded fireside chat with Seattle University President Eduardo Peñalver. Singh is the founder of global healthcare technology company Edifecs and the Roundglass organization that supports programs and initiatives in India promoting health, wellness, the environment and more.

In this conversation, he talked about his journey from India to Montana and Seattle, what he learned in jobs as varied as engineering to working in an Alaskan fishing boat, and how he realized his calling as an entrepreneur at 32. Key to his success was his openness to what each day would bring him. "Let every day, every job, everything you do be an experience in figuring out who you are," Singh advised the audience made up mostly of students. "Find your purpose."

 

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. 

People, Planet, Profit—and Purpose

PCC Community Markets CEO Krish Srinivasan closed out the 2023-24 season of the Albers Executive Speaker Series talking about the co-op's history; the challenges they overcame during the pandemic; their mission, vision, and values, and why a statement of equity and inclusion—which may seem rote in today's business world—is particularly meaningful to their business. "The food supply chain in this country, for centuries, has been extremely exploitative, has been built on the backs of enslaved labor," Srinivasan said. "It is one area where, as a grocer, we decided we needed to make it clear that it's a long journey ... we acknowledge that they exist, we acknowledge that we have a role to play ... and anything that falls under our purview, we will take steps to ensure that we have a safe and inclusive environment."

 

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. 

Math and Magic

It was a packed Pigott Auditorium when Taco Bell CEO and MBA alum Sean Tresvant spoke at the Albers Executive Speaker Series. Tresvant, the first Black CEO of the $16 billion QSR brand, talked about his journey from university to the top position at Taco Bell, lessons he learned along the way, and how he saw marketing for the future: "It's both math and magic."

 

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.

Leadership is About Learning, Collaboration, and Embracing Change

"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.

The Regime Change of Our Times

Most recessions are not all hands-on-deck, everything-stops-at-once collapses." RSM US Deputy Chief Economist and Industry Analyst Program Leader Kevin Depew talks to Albers Dean Joe Phillips about the economy, domestic and global, and prospects for inflation. Recorded in August 2023, Depew elaborates on why he doesn't think a recession is guaranteed and how the regime change the world is experiencing is underpinned by three key factors: Globalization, growth, and liquidity.

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.