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Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Reality Check

A couple of weeks ago, my newest employee, who has only been working at the company for less than five months, asked me for a promotion. I was floored. She's newly out of undergraduate school (less than a year) and this is her first "real" job. I explained to her why that wasn't going to happen right now, and probably not for at least another year. I chalked up the request to inexperience. Come to find out, she also later told my department Vice President that she should get a promotion. He was floored, too. Another Assistant Manager, who has been in the position for less than a year and has no prior experience, also felt he deserved a promotion. Without going into the details of why each of them didn't deserve a promotion, I just want to make sure people know what to realistically expect when entering the job market.

Here are some realities of working in the sports industry:

1) You will work evenings and weekends. I don't know of any area in sports where people don't work any evenings or weekends. Some areas of sports work more evenings and weekends than others, but all areas work at least some.

2) Salaries may not be what you expect when you start. I was completely clueless of how little I would actually be making. Before graduate school, I worked for Ashland Chemical in sales. After my graduate internship at Disney Sports, I was hired in as an Event Manager, a level higher than Coordinator where other people had to begin. As a manager with a master's degree I was making $15,000 less than I did when I left Ashland Chemical, and that's just salary. At Ashland, I also had a company car, the company paid for my gas and auto insurance, and I had the opportunity to earn a bonus. I don't regret the decision to work in sports, even with the lower salary, but I would have planned differently had I known what to expect. It's the simple law of supply and demand. There are a lot of people who want to work in sports. If you won't take that starting salary, there's someone else who probably will. We often get paid to do what a lot of sports fans would do for free.

3) You're not going to be vice president or general manager within a few years of starting a job unless you start your own company. Don't get too caught up with titles. Understand that it's a marathon, not a sprint. Choose opportunities that will help you learn skills that will get you to your ultimate career goal. Yes, there will be people who are promoted quickly, and you may be one of them, but they're usually the exception. Andy Dolich, Memphis Grizzlies President of Business Operations, has a frame in his office of all of the business cards he's had over his career. I don't know the exact number, but it's definitely more than a few. Be realistic about how long it may take you to get to the position you want.

Don't be discouraged by these things. Know that any great organization rewards performance both monetarily and with more responsibility, just have realistic expectations when you start.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

Managing Up

In talking with my newest direct report, I mentioned that one essential skill for her to learn is how to manage up. She said that she had heard the phrase "managing up," but didn't know exactly what it meant. Here's what I explained to her.

My first week of working for my mentor, she sat me down to go over her expectations of me with respect to my work and also as someone who would be reporting to her. Her first "rule" is one that I've adopted and taken with me everywhere I've worked: Don't ever let your boss get blindsided. Ten years later, I still follow this rule. I practice it with the people I work for and I ask my direct reports to do the same for me. This is the first piece of managing up.

Too often, people go about their work and don't update their boss. Any project you're working on, make sure your boss knows what is happening. There are many ways to accomplish this: hallway conversation; phone call; regular meetings with your boss; departmental meetings; written departmental reports; email summary. Update her on what you're doing, what your concerns or challenges are, what other people's concerns are, etc. If there are any potential problems or issues, she will know something about them if she's asked, or at the very least will have heard something about them. By knowing about them, she can also help push things through.

Second, don't let the first time your boss (or upper management) hears something be in a planning meeting. When you're working on a project that is going to encompass many different areas, you'll likely have meetings with all of the stakeholders. With so many people involved, you'll run into some conflicting ideas. Work the building before a meeting, especially with the respective executives. They, or at the very least your boss, should know about any new idea before the meeting. That way, they can punch any holes in ideas and give you time to adjust. They can also help sell the idea once you're in the meeting. People are naturally resistant to change. You may get push back on a great idea just because they don't want to change. Talk about the idea with the other stakeholders beforehand and give them time to think about it. A meeting should not be the first place they're hearing about something new.

Third, learn what the hot buttons are for your leader and make sure you've covered them in your planning. Every leader has one or two things that they will focus on for an event. Here are some real-life examples that I've experienced. When I would give an overview of an event, after I had gone over all the details, one general manager would always ask what the rain plan was. Another general manager would always ask about the nearest restroom access and want to know if I had custodial staff scheduled to be on site at each location. A VP wanted to know what the "a-ha" moment was that we were going to provide for the client (whether in the contract or not - see blog on adaptability). One manager wanted to see in the plans the name and contact number of who to call for each area if something didn't happen when it was scheduled to happen. After a couple of times of presenting to each of these specific people, I learned what I needed to address when presenting.

Managing up is keeping your leader and partners aware of what's happening and ensuring that they have the information they need.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Meeting Agendas and Meeting Notes

Meeting agendas and notes are things that are pretty basic, but I don't ever remember anybody teaching it in any undergraduate or graduate level class that I had. Maybe because it is basic we're expected to just know it or it's supposed to be common sense, but even the most basic of things have to be taught to us at some point. It may be so simple that we understand the concept after hearing about it once, but we still have to hear about it at least once, don't we? This is simple, but hopefully helpful.

You will invariably be invited to internal meetings where the meeting leaders have not sent out an agenda ahead of time. Even when you get in the meeting you may not see an agenda. It's sometimes hard to tell what the purpose of the meeting is, and after the meeting you don't see any follow-up summarizing the points that were discussed. Be a person who manages meetings in a more organized way.

Meeting agendas set expectations for what will be covered. Just because people are invited to a meeting doesn't necessarily mean they all have to attend. By sending out an agenda ahead of time, attendees can determine if they really need to be in that particular meeting and then let you know. People are busy, including you. Don't waste their time. Send out the agenda a day before the meeting, at the latest, and include an overall meeting purpose. e.g., Purpose - To discuss the signage installation for the marathon. The subjects could then be broken down by various areas of signage--expo and registration, merchandise sales, press conferences, start, course medical stations, course sponsor zones, general course signage, finish, awards area, family reunion, etc. One company where I worked had a policy that if invitees didn't receive an agenda at least 24 hours in advance, they didn't have to attend. The philosophy was, 'If you can't tell me in advance why I need to be there, then I obviously don't need to be in the meeting.'

Put times by the subjects on the agenda and try to stick to them as much as possible. A lot of planning meetings can become very long. Time ranges on the agenda indicate the approximate times you think you will get to those subjects. This will allow people to only come to the portion of the meeting where they're on the agenda. Most people will come to the entire meeting to get the complete overview of the subject, but sometimes they're schedule won't allow that. They attend the meeting for the approximate time range that covers their subject, then leave. They may also send one representative from the department to be present at the entire meeting, take notes, and then report back to the department.

Take notes in meetings. If you're leading the meeting, it can sometimes be difficult to do both, but it's necessary. If possible, ask a colleague or subordinate to take notes during the meeting for you or in addition to your notes. This option will let you lead the meeting with a smoother flow, yet still capture all the information. As an intern, being assigned as a note taker was a great learning tool. It made me pay attention in meetings and boosted my note taking skills.

Always send out meeting notes within 24 hours after a meeting. This is something that is very simple to do and it gives you credibility as someone who follows-up. Find a format that works for you. When I send out meeting notes, I leave the header that I had at the top of the agenda to note when and where the meeting took place. I list the names of the attendees. From there, I use the agenda topics and put the respective notes for those areas under the corresponding category headings. If something was discussed that wasn't on the agenda, I put that category at the bottom. At the end of the notes I have a section called "Follow-Up Items." Anything discussed in the meeting that creates a follow-up action for someone is listed here, along with the person responsible and the due date. (When you're taking notes put a star by these items, underline them, highlight them, whatever works for you. At the end of the meeting verbally summarize these points to make sure you have all of them and then put them in the meeting notes. If someone says they will follow-up on something, always ask the next question: by when?) The last section of my notes lists the dates, times, and locations of any upcoming meetings.

When you send out the meeting notes, ask people to review them and get back to you by a specific date/time if there are any corrections or additions.

Again, something basic, but hopefully it will be of use.

Monday, April 9, 2007

Email Strings and CYA

We've all done it in our jobs. We write an email, maybe copy a number of people, and proceed to work out the details for a specific aspect of an event or project. It usually leads to several back and forth emails, questions, answers, etc., when the easiest thing to do would have been to simply walk over to that person's office or pick up the phone and talk to them. So why is it that we don't just take the simple route? CYA (Cover Your ***).

We've all been burned at one time or another. We go over things with people, agree on what's going to happen and who's going to do what, and then BOOM! Someone throws us under the bus. Someone basically saves their own skin when something doesn't go as planned, and we don't have anything to show what was agreed on. From this point on, we put everything in writing. We shut down on verbal communication and rely on written communication.

The easiest way to work with other people, and the best way in my opinion, is to talk to them, whether face to face or on the phone. I understand the need to CYA. I put things in writing, too. What I would recommend, though, is this: develop relationships with people. This is an important part of any job. Talk with people to plan and work out the details. After the meeting, send an email (a single email) summarizing the details of what was agreed on. "Per the discussion we had about staffing/registration/sponsor deliverables/whatever...." This email will serve the purpose of documenting the details and making sure that there isn't any confusion.

This is advice I've given to the people who currently work for me. We had some contentious times between departments in the past, but the relationships have gotten a lot better, simply by increasing the direct communication. Relationships are personal. Email, too often, is not, and if that's the only way you're communicating with people, it could make your job all the more difficult.

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Adaptability

In addition to my own thoughts, I've been asking a lot of colleagues for their opinions on what they think people entering the sports industry should know, things that they've seen newer employees struggle with. Recently, I had a conversation with my friend Ann. She's been working in sports for nearly twenty years. Ann currently is the head of a sponsorship department of fourteen people, many of them with less than two years of work experience. Her insight is definitely pertinent.

One of the most important things, regardless of whether you're working in events, sales, marketing, ticketing, etc. is adaptability. What you learn about a situation or the rules for the way something works may not apply to every situation. In fact, they rarely will apply across the board. You need to be able to ascertain the specific situation and the background of the people involved to best adjust your thinking.

I've had people who have worked for me who had a real problem with this concept. The best advice I can give to people is not to think of too many things as "rules," even if that's the word that is used. When someone gives you a rule for something, think of it more as a guideline. Guidelines are flexible. They give you a foundation knowledge, an understanding of the basics, but then rely on your judgment from there.

An example where I've seen this, and experienced it myself when I was younger, is with contracts. The first major event I worked on once I was hired full-time at DWWS was the National Senior Games. The contract was something like fifty-eight pages long. Ridiculously detailed. I practically had it memorized with respect to what deliverables we owed them and what they owed us. When we would have meetings with the NGB (national governing body), my boss and other executives would (I felt at the time) cave in on requests that they made of us that weren't in the contract, things that often cost us money. No one ever sat me down and explained why they would do this in general. They would explain specifics--we're giving up "x" so we can ask them for "y" in the future. Often times we would give up items without anything foreseeable to gain. I don't recall anyone having a conversation with me about the overall concept of handling contractual relationships. Maybe they thought it was common knowledge or that I understood. Not sure, but I can say without a doubt that it's not common knowledge. I've seen that first hand from people who have worked for and with me. Ann is the person who has best been able to verbalize the explanation. I use her explanation quite often when I'm teaching someone about contracts and why it's important to be open-minded. Her description is that a contract is the best understanding of the agreement at the time it was signed. Other things come up during the life of the contract that require changes. It's inevitable that it will happen. The more adaptable you are and understand that things aren't written in stone, the faster you're going to learn and move through the organization.

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Plug for Ohio University Sports Administration and Some of Its Alumni

Although I grew up in Ohio and received my master's degree in Sports Administration & Facility Management (SAFM) from Ohio University, I received my undergraduate degree in business from the University of Florida. I'm a very happy fan and proud alumna after Florida's defeat of Ohio State on Monday night. In looking at the men's Final Four, I'm also a very proud alumna of the Ohio University SAFM graduate program. Why?

University of Florida - Athletic Director Jeremy Foley and three other staff are alumni of Ohio's SAFM program
Georgetown - Athletic Director Bernard Muir is an alumnus of Ohio's SAFM program
Ohio State - two of the athletic department's staff are alumni of Ohio's SAFM program

Pretty good statistics for one program, I'd say, especially considering that's only looking at the schools in the Final Four.

For anyone planning on going to graduate school for Sports Administration, Ohio University is definitely one of the first places you want to apply.

Note - News is all over about the University of Kentucky trying to recruit Billy Donovan to come to Lexington to coach. The Athletic Director at UK, Mitch Barnhart, he's also an alumnus of Ohio's SAFM program.

Mentors - part 2

Often, people think that a mentor is someone who has to be their mentor forever. That’s not always the case. If you find a mentor(s) for the duration of your career, then consider yourself lucky.

You can ask someone to be your mentor for a specific time frame or to teach you about a specific topic. If you arrange such a mentor/protégé relationship, talk with your prospective mentor and come to an agreement on the following things:

1) Expectations – What is it you’re looking to learn from him? Have a specific topic(s) before you ask someone to be your mentor. If you don’t have an idea of what you want to learn, you may end up disappointed. You may want to learn about budgeting, but without any guidance ahead of time, he may start teaching you about something completely different that he thinks is important. If you’re not quite sure what you want to learn, ask others (professors, people you know in the industry, etc.) what they think are important things to know for people starting in the sports industry.

2) Meetings – Agree on how many formal meetings or phone discussions the two of you will have. A prospective mentor may work better off a set schedule and be more willing to say yes if he knows how much time it will take up on his calendar.

3) Time Frame – Set a time frame for the mentorship with a specific end date. Especially if your prospective mentor is high up on his company’s organizational chart, he is going to be very busy. It may be easier for him to say ‘yes’ if the time frame is finite. You don’t want it to be a situation where it seems like you’re looking for another parent and asking him to be your mentor for life. Again, if you relationship develops into one where that person remains a lifelong mentor, be grateful.

Most people I know, including me, have had a number of mentors throughout their life, not just one. I have people who have been long-term mentors and others who were mentors for only a few months. Either way, mentors often teach you some of the most valuable lessons of your career. They have for me.

Monday, April 2, 2007

Mentors - part 1

After my master's degree classes at Ohio University, I finished my degree by completing an internship at Disney's Wide World of Sports in Mega Events department (yes, that actually was the name of the department). DWWS actually just celebrated its 10th anniversary. I started there just two months after they opened. What a learning experience!

The biggest factor in my learning experience was the mentor I was assigned. I can't express enough how important it is to find a good mentor. My mentor (JC) was assigned at random and I was extremely lucky. If the person you're working for isn't a good mentor, find one.

Some of the things to look for in your mentor:

1) Someone who wants to be a mentor.

One of the funniest stories I've heard about mentors, and saddest really, came from my intern class at DWWS. One of the other managers assigned as a mentor asked JC how often she talked to "her intern." JC didn't quite understand the question and asked, "You mean how many times during the day?" The other manager's response, "You mean you talk to your intern every day?" That person still works at DWWS. Subsequent interns assigned to him asked to be moved to other departments and assigned other mentors. Find someone who's not being a mentor simply because they were assigned to by the intern manager.

From day one, JC was great. She let me attend EVERY meeting with her. Simply being in the room for the planning meetings and hearing the conversations at an upper management level allowed me to absorb so much. I was like a sponge. After meetings, we would talk about what happened in the meeting, why a decision was made, and then she would answer any questions I had about the meeting. It was the biggest factor in my learning so much so fast. The people in the room had decades of experience working in sports, and I got to learn from every one of them.

2) Someone who will let you be involved and give you assignments to help you grow (if you work for your mentor).

On the second day of my internship, JC said, "You're going to be the event manager for the Inner City Games." I'll never forget my response. I was scared to death and shocked. I told her, "I've never managed an event before!" Her response was great. She told me, "Don't worry. I won't let you fail. I'll guide you through the planning, but you're going to do the actual planning and manage it."

Too often, I've seen managers who won't let interns or young employees take the lead on projects. The key is that your mentor actually allow you to do the work. Your responsibility is to provide regular updates, ask questions, and get feedback. A good mentor should also allow you to make your own decisions and mistakes, yet not allow you to make any decisions or mistakes that will jeopardize the project.

3) Someone who likes to teach

Mentors should be people who like to teach and pass on information. They should sit down with you and review projects, review best practices, share examples based on their experiences, etc. Good mentors want to pass on their knowledge.