Leading with Heart: Dr Monique Carroll of Chicago State University On The Power of Authentic Women’s Leadership
An Interview With Pirie Jones Grossman
Authentic leadership helps you build genuine relationships — I’ve been able to quickly build relationships because I’m showing up as my genuine self to every meeting and situation. From student-athletes to our corporate partners, I’ve got the right consensus of people behind my work. I am intentional in how I spend my time, and I enjoy the part of my day that involves building relationships with my colleagues and those I serve daily. It’s a humbling reminder of who my work truly impacts when I get to truly know who I am serving.
In today’s dynamic world, the concept of leadership is continuously evolving. While traditional leadership models have often been male-dominated, there is a growing recognition of the unique strengths and perspectives that women bring to these roles. This series aims to explore how women can become more effective leaders by authentically embracing their femininity and innate strengths, rather than conforming to traditional male leadership styles. In this series, we are talking to successful women leaders, coaches, authors, and experts who can provide insights and personal stories on how embracing their inherent feminine qualities has enhanced their leadership abilities. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Monique Carroll.
Dr. Monique Carroll was named Chicago State’s Director of Intercollegiate Athletics on July 28, 2022, and promoted to her current position of Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics in December 2023. Dr. Carroll made an immediate impact on Cougars athletics and the University. In just over 14 months in the role, she worked with President Zaldwaynaka Scott and the Chicago State University Board of Trustees for the University to receive and accept an invitation for full conference membership with the Northeast Conference (NEC) beginning in fall 2024. Additionally, under her leadership, CSU has begun a fundraising campaign to expand sports offerings to increase Division I athletic programs on the South Side with the possibility of adding FCS Division I Football, as well as earned approval for the launch of a women’s triathlon program set to begin in the fall of 2024. Among these first-year successes, Dr. Carroll has added a significant number of corporate partners to support the future of CSU Athletics. Finally, she is also credited with hiring the winningest women’s soccer coach in program history.
Dr. Carroll came to Chicago State after serving as the athletic director at Huston-Tillotson University. During her two-year tenure at Huston-Tillotson, Carroll developed a partnership with Thrivent Financial to support athletic operations and campus-wide social justice internship initiatives which provided student-athletes with financial literacy workshops and resources. She also developed a partnership with the San Antonio Spurs & Frost Bank on the announcement of the $100,000 Spurs Operation Renovation Grant. She also oversaw an unprecedented four-year deal with Adidas via Cardinal Sports to support all 13 Red River Athletic Conference teams, cheerleading and E-Sports. Academically, 60 student-athletes earned degrees for the 2019–2020 & 2020–2021 academic years and finished Spring 2021 with nine student-athletes earning a 4.00 GPA while 90 student-athletes achieved a GPA of 3.00 or higher.
Prior to her time at Huston-Tillotson, Carroll was the Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Operations and Senior Woman Administrator at South Carolina State University. In that role, she served as the sport administrator for 10 sports. In addition to serving as a sport administrator, Carroll oversaw various units including, business operations, compliance, academics, strength and conditioning, sports medicine, ticketing, sports information, and game day operations.
Prior to South Carolina State, Carroll served a nine-year stint at Prairie View A&M University in various roles. In her last role as Associate Athletic Director for External Operations her duties included overseeing all external functions of Panther Athletics, including fundraising, game operations, ticket operations, and sponsorships and advertising.
Carroll got her start in intercollegiate athletics as a compliance volunteer at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff (UAPB). Carroll was a three-sport athlete as she was a member of the UAPB volleyball, track and field, and bowling teams. Carroll also attended Langston University (LU) where she was a member of the track and field team. During her time at LU, she set four school records in the indoor high jump, outdoor high jump, outdoor triple jump, and women’s heptathlon.
Carroll’s recognitions and organizational memberships include NCAA Division I National SAAC Representative for the SWAC, NCAA Committee on Women’s Athletics, NCAA Effective Facilitation workshop, Women Leaders in College Sports, NAAC, and BWSF, and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.
A native of New Boston, Texas, Carroll received her Bachelor of Science in Secondary Health and Physical Education from Arkansas Pine Bluff, a Master’s of Sports Science in Sports Management at the United States Sports Academy in Daphne, Ala, and a Doctor of Education with an emphasis in sports management from Northcentral University.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion about authentic, feminine leadership, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
Sports were always a staple in my family. My four siblings and I all played sports in high school. I got an opportunity to play Division I volleyball as well as track and field. From there, I really gained an interest in the business side of sports and what that could look like as a career. That’s what really piqued my interest and got me on the path of athletic administration.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
The most interesting story was when I was at Prairie View A&M University. We had a unique opportunity to build a lot of things from the ground up. I was leading our external relations when we launched our first-ever athletic booster club. We constructed a 15,000-seat stadium, a track and field complex and a soccer complex. We also upgraded some additional facilities all within a year. That was a wild time. There were a lot of meetings and a lot of things to do. Overall, that was so interesting especially in the landscape of intercollegiate athletics because you rarely see that type of growth that fast. While we were doing the facilities, we were also focused on building out the fundraising arm of the department. We were able to do it successfully because of the alumni and the support we had.
What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
It’s the passion and people who work here. It sounds cliché, but when I came to CSU, even to just interview for the opportunity, it was evident. It was something that I could feel. I think we’re aware of the opportunities that exist for us, and everyone lives in that space of opportunity. While it’s easy to live in a space of challenges, I think what we really do well is we live in that space of opportunity. We feed off the students’ energy every day to get up and come to work and do what we do.
You are a successful business leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Transparency has been key in getting me to my current position. Knowing what to say, when to say it, who to say it to and how to filter information is crucial. Sometimes, information can empower people, and sometimes too much transparency can have the opposite effect, especially when you’re trying to rebuild or maintain a culture within a department. I exercise that every day when I show up to work.
Leadership often entails making difficult decisions or hard choices between two apparently good paths. Can you share a story with us about a hard decision or choice you had to make as a leader? I’m curious to understand how these challenges have shaped your leadership.
I don’t have a specific story, but this applies almost every day. Most decisions I make aren’t that difficult, but I have to look at each decision with a degree of respect because of who they can impact. So, every decision I make, even the simplest task such as approving financial expenses, has a direct impact on someone at our university. Personnel is always the area where you’re doing what’s best for the university as well as what’s best for the long-term future of the athletic department, but it’s still difficult because we’re humans. People have families. While people sign contracts to do jobs and they need to deliver on those contracts, there’s still a human element to what we do. It still has an impact on student-athletes who may not be privy to all the things you had to review when you made that decision. Those are things that really can continue to shape you because it helps you look from a more objective viewpoint. You’re here to do a job. I’m going to give you these tools, you’re going to give me feedback, and in exchange, we’re going to have to maintain a good relationship. At the end of the day, you have to deliver. When you don’t, it’s hard. It’s so difficult, but we can end up at that juncture, where maybe sometimes our philosophies don’t align, and we have to move forward. That’s continued to shape me as a leader. I don’t think it will ever get easy. I don’t want it to because we are in the human business, especially with the personnel. That’s an example of making those hard choices that are still the right thing to do.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Can you share a personal experience where embracing your unique leadership style, which might not align with traditional expectations, led to a significant positive impact in your organization or team?
I would say one thing about me is what you see is what you get. A lot of people say that, so what does that really mean? Typically, on someone’s first day I tell them I’m excited that they are here. I also give the same tone and expression in the event we do have to part ways voluntarily or involuntarily. It really is the same because I’m showing up every day as me. I tell my staff that 330 out of 365 days you are going to get the same me. Those other 35 days I plan to take a personal day so there’s no variance. Departments need stable leadership, consistency and to be able to understand expectations. I think some people try to use a persona when they get put into a position of leadership. You try to pattern yourself after others. It can be a good thing, but it’s really about what works for you. It goes back to just the authenticity and transparency of what we’re trying to do. Our team does a great job at eliminating the guesswork, which allows us to work at a higher level.
In your journey as a leader, how have you balanced demonstrating resilience, often seen as a masculine trait, with showing vulnerability, which is equally powerful, but typically feminine? Can you give an example where this balance created a meaningful difference?
One of the things I’ve always been told is if you’re in a meeting and you don’t have anything to add or say, should you really be in the meeting? To me, that ties into demonstrated resilience. In larger meetings and conversations where people might think women don’t know what’s going on, it’s even more important to speak up. I’ve learned that a lot of people have the same questions in meetings. I’ll go back to when I was working on some facility projects and construction at Prairie View A&M. I’d ask, “what is a change order? What does that mean? I’m not a facility expert. I’m an athletics business expert.” Then I’d look around the table and see that other people, both male and female, had those same questions. That made me confident in asking the questions in the first place. I think it’s important to have the courage to step in and say what you have to say. Just like sports, sometimes you’re going to shoot the shot. Sometimes it’s going to go in, and it’s going to be nothing but net. Sometimes, it will bounce around a little bit. Sometimes, it doesn’t go your way, and sometimes, you’ll get an air ball. Being a former student-athlete helps with that. You go after it. Maybe you get what you need, maybe you don’t. You still have that resilience where you can make sure that when you walk out of a meeting you’ve done what you had to do and you’ve said what you had to say, especially in a leadership role. Oftentimes, I’m an advocate not only for the student-athletes and coaches, but I could also be in external meetings where I’m the university’s sole advocate. If I don’t speak up, then I’m really doing the university a disservice.
As a woman in leadership, how have you navigated and challenged gender stereotypes, especially in situations where traditional male-dominated approaches are the norm? What strategies have you employed to remain authentic to your style?
There’s no secret that in sports, especially in front offices, it’s a male-dominated industry. I think you need to show how you can really do the work. I was afforded opportunities to do it early in my career. I knew my core values and who I was to understand my leadership style. When I stepped into the room, I was confident that I could lead in any environment. Oftentimes, still in 2024, I’m the only female in the room. Those come with unique opportunities because there’s always a different perspective to try. Just continue to step up, speak out, be heard and even embrace things from a different lens. Oftentimes, leaders can go into a meeting where they want to make sure their point gets driven home, but are we really being introspective when doing that? That’s something I pride myself on. What can I take from this meeting? You’re not just speaking because you’ve got to say something. Have you really been introspective? Are you prepared for that opportunity, and are you speaking because you have something to say? People can quickly let others know when you’re not being genuine. I think being able to do that while being your authentic self is what separates what I would call leaders from processors.
How do you utilize emotional intelligence and active listening to create an inclusive environment in your team or organization? Could you share a specific instance where these qualities particularly enhanced team dynamics or performance?
Emotional intelligence was something that wasn’t really talked about early on in my career. It comes up more now when we talk about soft skills. Did you get the degree? Do you have the grades? Did you get the specialization or the certification? We’re currently in a space where people think you could have all the skills in the world, but if you don’t have that emotional IQ, it may do you a disservice. I think naturally it’s who I am. There are certain things in leadership that you really have to learn and hone in on. I think the act of listening was a skill I really had to work hard on. The act of listening was something that I had to go to leadership courses for. I think the biggest thing I can do as a leader is practice that in meetings — not cutting people off and letting them express their thoughts. Your team knows when they feel heard, and the results will show if you have a team that feels like you’re really hearing them.
What role has mentorship played in developing your authentic leadership style, and how do you communicate authentically to inspire and empower both your mentors and mentees?
Mentorship has been very critical for me. Not only from the people who I can pick up the phone and call right now, not only the bosses who I’ve worked for and with, but also people who I’ve watched from afar. Early in my career, I would look around on game day and ask, what is the AD at this university wearing? How do you show up for a football game versus a basketball game? I also had some mentors who told me you always have to be prepared. I always try to keep a suit jacket and some dress clothes around me because you never know where you might have to go. I may initially think my day is going to be spent in the office where I can wear athleisure clothing. Conversely, I can get a call from my president asking me to attend something that requires a different dress code. You always have to be nimble and ready for anything and having those mentors to pour that kind of information into you will help you succeed. I had a strong network of mentors that were not going to let me fail, and they still allowed me to be my authentic self. I’m very intentional when I’m communicating. Even with my coaches, I make sure they know I’m showing up as myself so they can show up as themselves. That really creates a culture.
A person I admire is Steve Jobs. He wore the same thing every day, which was one less decision he’d have to make. I don’t know if I’m that mundane, but one thing I can say is when you know you’re showing up as your authentic self, something as easy as getting dressed in the morning doesn’t turn into a challenge. It’s a simple hey, this is me. This is how I’m showing up in the workplace. Continue to be authentic and hopefully inspire someone to develop their own self.
Based on your experience and research, can you please share “5 Ways Leading Authentically As A Woman Will Affect Your Leadership”?
1 . Authentic leadership helps you build genuine relationships — I’ve been able to quickly build relationships because I’m showing up as my genuine self to every meeting and situation. From student-athletes to our corporate partners, I’ve got the right consensus of people behind my work. I am intentional in how I spend my time, and I enjoy the part of my day that involves building relationships with my colleagues and those I serve daily. It’s a humbling reminder of who my work truly impacts when I get to truly know who I am serving.
2 . Authentic leadership elevates opportunities for culture growth — When you show up as your authentic self everyday, you are creating an environment for others within your reach to do the same. Research says it takes 36 months to change a culture, and I’ve experienced a team culture that needed to change. When people are stubborn and inauthentic, it takes much longer to change a culture. Any time spent not being your authentic self is time lost when rebuilding a culture. I’ve been able to recruit and retain talent at several stops in my career by leaning into authenticity.
3. Authentic leadership helps you bring more energy to an environment — I bring commitment and passion to work everyday. I intentionally find ways to turn negatives into positives and not let the challenges be the focal point. While we have to address challenges, we don’t have to wallow in them as female leaders. We don’t need to be overly empathetic; we just show our consistent dedication to achieve our goals. A fond memory I have is when I was responsible for game day operations and oversaw over 200 staff. We would start the day with two important things — food and a briefing to discuss the day. I would start every meeting reminding my team that this was an environment where people go to have fun, and while it was important to ensure the safety and security of guests, this was also our opportunity to engage and ensure a vibrant atmosphere. I believe this allowed individuals to relax and ultimately do a better job serving our fans.
4. Authentic leadership results in improved efficiency — It saves time when people aren’t trying to figure you out. One tangible thing that I have taken from President Z Scott at Chicago State and incorporated within my team is creating a document that details what the team can expect from me when it comes to communication, conflict, feedback, performance expectations, and other critical things that take out the guesswork of what they will get from me and what I expect from them. It’s important as female leaders that we operate in an authentic way to ultimately save time and focus.
5. Authentic leadership results in proven effectiveness — Women are proven to be effective leaders. This should give us even more reason to show up as ourselves. We shouldn’t allow preconceived notions or distractions in the workplace take away from our goal of uplifting our organizations. Why be anyone else when being you is just fine? Research shows that women are more likely than men to doubt themselves and create barriers to success. Leading authentically helps you get out of your own way and be the best leader you know can be.
Are there potential pitfalls or challenges associated with being an empathetic leader? How can these be addressed?
Empathy is a great trait for a leader to have. You have to frame it in a space of expectations. For example, I may be empathetic to the fact that you have a child, or you have a personal situation outside of the office that you have to manage. But within that, you’re still expected to perform and do this job at a high level. The empathy part comes in there. How can you make that a win-win? How can you show enough empathy where people know you care but still get them to perform their job at a high level? I’ve learned those individuals will be the ones who will run through a wall for you. There are also challenges that come with that, especially in a post-COVID environment. How do you manage someone who wants to work remotely just because versus someone who has a legitimate reason to? How do you maintain parity and fairness within the team without divulging things of that nature? It can be a landmine, and the question becomes, how do you really navigate it? I think it’s important because we’re human at the end of the day. As a team, we often spend more time with each other than we do with our own families and loved ones. So, if we can’t bring empathy into what we do, then we’re failing before we even get started.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
A movement that is important to me is building the future pipeline of female coaches. There are a lot of good organizations out there that are focused on this, but I think it could be a bigger movement. Time moves quickly, and if we don’t take action now, we won’t have a pipeline of female coaches in the future. A student-athlete may have an affinity for coaching and also earn a business degree in school. Will this student-athlete choose to start in an entry-level coaching job, or will this student go pursue a business opportunity? We need to find ways to turn potential female coaches to this career path to make sure we have female coaches down the line and don’t revert to a pre-Title IX environment.
How can our readers further follow you online?
You can follow Chicago State Athletics (@ChiStateCougars) on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. We are growing as a department and have many opportunities unfolding in the next year that will significantly expand our reach across the country.
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
About The Interviewer: Pirie is a TedX speaker, author and a Life Empowerment Coach. She is a co-host of Own your Throne podcast, inspiring women in the 2nd chapter of their lives. With over 20 years in front of the camera, Pirie Grossman understands the power of storytelling. After success in commercials and acting. She spent 10 years reporting for E! Entertainment Television, Entertainment Tonight, also hosted ABC’s “Every Woman”. Her work off-camera capitalizes on her strength, producing, bringing people together for unique experiences. She produced a Children’s Day of Compassion during the Dalai Lama’s visit here in 2005. 10,000 children attended, sharing ideas about compassion with His Holiness. From 2006–2009, Pirie Co-chaired the Special Olympics World Winter Games, in Idaho, welcoming 3,000 athletes from over 150 countries. She founded Destiny Productions to create Wellness Festivals and is an Advisory Board member of the Sun Valley Wellness Board.In February 2017, Pirie produced, “Love is Louder”, a Brain Health Summit, bringing in Kevin Hines, noted suicide survivor to Sun Valley who spoke to school kids about suicide. Sun Valley is in the top 5% highest suicide rate per capita in the Northwest, prompting a community initiative with St. Luke’s and other stake holders, to begin healing. She lives in Sun Valley with her two children, serves on the Board of Community School. She has her Master’s degree in Spiritual Psychology from the University of Santa Monica and is an Executive Life Empowerment Coach, where she helps people meet their dreams and goals! The difference between a dream and a goal is that a goal is a dream with a date on it!
