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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Layoffs in the Sports Industry

The NFL announced today that it will be laying off about 150 employees. The same has happened with other major sports leagues and various other sports companies. Having been through a job layoff in the last seven months myself, that's not a pleasant experience, even if, as in my case, you're expecting it to happen. That being said, let's look at this from the side of those of you who are still students. There is the potential that this could be something of a good thing for a lot of you pursuing internships. How? Why? I can tell you from experience that when a sports organization is short on staff, they utilize interns even more! I've previously written about the experience I was able to get at Disney Sports because we were so short-staffed when we opened in comparison to the number of people they have now.

These layoffs don't mean that leagues/companies will necessarily be taking more interns. (Although they might. The $500-$1,500/month is definitely cheaper than the cost of an employee and her benefits.) What it does mean is that they are going to have a lot of overworked staff who may gladly allow interns to now work on loftier projects so that they can get some of the additional work off their desk and get that work completed. The keys to interns being successful in gaining this additional experience will be if the interns are capable, hard working, and take the initiative to ask, "Is there anything I can help with or take off your plate?"

If you're fortunate enough to get an internship this year, take advantage of all the work that may be available. Be a sponge. Come in early, stay late, work weekends, help staff in departments where you don't technically even work. The experience you will gain will be invaluable even though, with this economy, the internship won't likely turn into a full-time job with that organization. Happy internship hunting!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Follow-up and Initiative

Within the last couple of weeks, I've had what seem to me to be a few odd experiences with students and follow-up, or lack thereof.  I've had students ask for my assistance in reviewing resumes, helping them find a job, wanting to talk to me about going to grad school at Ohio University, and "interviewing" me as part of a portfolio to turn in for an assignment.  After initial contact, none of them have followed-up.  I have absolutely no problem helping students with all of those things.  As a matter of fact, it's what I enjoy and one of the biggest reasons I got into teaching.  Most people I know in sports are the same.  They have absolutely no problem talking with students and helping them.  One of the main things, though, that we won't do is babysit or handhold.  There has to be some desire for the students to help themselves, so to speak.   Some semblance of initiative needs to be taken.  

In my situation, one student made an initial appointment, we reviewed her resume, and I directed her to some websites to look at job descriptions/postings based on what she said she wanted to do.  We agreed that she would make some edits to her resume and then come back to see me the following week.  Nothing.  One made an appointment to see me and discuss the OU Sports Ad program because she "wants to go to OU for grad school more than anything!"  She made an appointment, but never showed up and hasn't sent any type of communication to explain why she didn't keep the appointment, not even communication to reschedule.  Another wanted to talk to me about going to OU for grad school.  I told him that the director of the program was coming to speak in my sponsorship class.  The student asked if he could sit in on the class.  I told him that he absolutely could and that, in fact, I encouraged it.  Nothing.  He didn't come to the class and I haven't heard from him since.  The student requesting an interview told me she would be back later during my office hours that same day.  Didn't show and hasn't followed-up with me, yet.

On the opposite side of the fence, I've met with three phenomenal students.  Two of them want to go to grad school and one is trying to find out more about different areas to help him figure out if we wants to work in sales/marketing or event management.  They've each been in my office multiple times, with and without appointments.  They ask questions, they want to know what websites, books, etc. they should read that might help them, etc.  

Basically, the second group is taking initiative.  They're asking for help, not asking for me or others to do the work for them.  These are the types of behaviors that employers look for in employees.  Sports is a competitive industry.  If you can't take initiative about your own future and career, what kind of initiative will you have on the job?  If you won't help yourself, why would anyone else want to go out of his/her way to help you?  I will gladly still talk to the first group and help them out, but I now wonder how serious their pursuits are.  Show some initiative and follow-up with people whose assistance you seek.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Revisionist History

"Historical revisionism is the attempt to change commonly held ideas about the past. In its legitimate form it is the reexamination of historical facts, with an eye towards updating historical narratives with newly discovered, more accurate, or less biased information, acknowledging that history of an event, as it has been traditionally told, may not be entirely accurate.

"Historical revisionism" (also but less often in English "negationism"), describes the process that attempts to rewrite history by minimizing, denying or simply ignoring essential facts." (source: Wikipedia)

Since I started teaching undergrads three months ago, I've learned a few of things: 1) I love it! I enjoy being around the students I have. They respond well when I can relate topics to things they see everyday in sports. As I get more comfortable in the classroom, it's going to be even more fun. 2) Teaching and prepping for classes takes a lot more time than I imagined, at least for the first time. I have a feeling it will be easier next year after I've taught these classes once. 3) Undergraduate students are different from graduate students, and the grad students I worked with at Ohio University last year are some of the best. This last part is what I want to focus on for this post, along with the second part of the definition above.

The idea of writing this blog was not to say that I or my peers did all of the things I've written about and have advised you to do when we first started in sports. Some we did, but a lot of them we didn't. If you really pay attention, I often say I learned "x" from someone or a boss advised me to do "y." The point is that I didn't know a lot of this when I started working in sports. The idea of the blog was to pass this info along to current students so they learn it earlier than I did, and therefore, hopefully have an advantage moving forward.

I was talking with one of the grad students at OU when I was in Athens in October. He was telling me about an alumnus who sent a written tirade about everything that a couple of people did wrong during a presentation that he saw. While we were talking, two other students jumped in and were giving additional information. Feedback is always good, but this feedback wasn't necessarily given in the most positive way. It was mostly ripping these students apart from what I could gather. These students took it way better than I did, that's for sure. This feedback came from someone who graduated around the time that I did. (Although the name was not given to the students, they could figure out who it was by references he made to his career.)

I was really annoyed because since I was one of the few alumni in the Athens area last year, I had the opportunity to see these students present on multiple occasions and participate as a judge for those presentations. One of the things that I can definitively say is that they are way better with their presentation skills than we were when we were grad students. And I don't mean just a little. I'm talking off the charts better. Their information is well-researched, the presentations are interesting, their PowerPoint skills are phenomenal, and speaking ability is something that Jim Kahler has made sure they have when they leave Athens. This person who gave the "feedback" was comparing them to what his current ability is. Yes, we're better than we were as grad students (at least I hope we all are), but it's not fair to compare these students to us ten years removed, with ten years of experience and currently in middle and upper management jobs. Experience almost always trumps classroom education, and ten years of it definitely does.

There are a lot of things by which we judge students, but lets remember that they're still students. If we could find someone who didn't need any coaching and development, we wouldn't be paying them an entry level salary of <$30,000/year. We look for students who are very good and only need a little tweaking to become great. If they have the right attitude about learning and their career, chances are that a lot of the things they need to "fix" are ones they'll pick up quickly. The level that grad students at a program like OU have reached is one that is well above most students. Trust me, I work with undergrads everyday. Give these guys a break. Stop with the revisionist history and acting like the skills we have now are the ones we had when we were their age.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Sports Business Journal

One of the tools that anyone wanting to work in the sports industry should utilize is the Sports Business Journal.  I haven't posted about it before as a tool because I guess I was naive and thought that most people who wanted to work in sports knew about it.  What I've discovered since I began teaching last month is that none of my students had ever heard of the SBJ, let alone read it.  After talking to undergrad professors at other universities, I found out that my students aren't that unique.  I actually just heard from a student at another university that one of her sports administration professors had never heard of it until he came to that university. That was truly shocking!  I've already decided to use the SBJ instead of, or in addition to, a text book in my future classes to make sure that students utilize it.

For those not aware, SBJ is a weekly publication that covers the business aspect of sports.  It contains vital information on so many different sports business topics.  It is an important publication for any section of sports in which you may want to work.  For students and professors, they offer a significant discount price on semester and annual subscriptions.  I recommend you read it to know what's going on in the sports business world.  

Check out the Sports Business Daily, too.  It compiles all of the sports business news from various newspapers and websites around the country.  I actually read this even more religiously than the SBJ.  The same company produces both, and like SBJ, the SBD also offers student and educational discounts.  

Sunday, August 17, 2008

360 Degrees of Feedback

One of the things that many companies offer is what is called 360 degrees of feedback.  With 360 degrees of feedback, people receive feedback from their leader, their peers, and their direct reports.  It is something that is invaluable.  It's an opportunity to find out how others view you with regard to a number of things based on pre-determined questions from the company.  It's a written report telling you where you need to improve in others' eyes.

Although this is written feedback, it's a specific type of written feedback.  For individual feedback, it's best not to put any constructive feedback in writing.  Tone and intention don't come across well in written form.  Plus, the basic fact is that anything in writing can be kept by the other person forever.  If you're writing something positive about someone, copy others, especially that person's boss.  Copy the person's peers, others on the team, etc.  If it's your direct report, copy your boss.  It's parallel to the idea that you give praise in public (team meetings, for example), but give feedback in private (behind closed doors or one-on-one).  


Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Feedback - Giving and Receiving

I've had parts of this blog saved in draft form since October, 2007.  The topic is feedback.  I've been trying to figure out how best to write it in a relatively short form.  This topic was a multi-hour class when I worked at Disney.  These are just a couple of key points.  By no means is it the end-all, be-all on this topic, but hopefully it will be a helpful start and encourage you to read-up on the subject for more details.

Feedback isn't easy to give properly and it's even harder to hear.  I know, sounds like I have a firm grasp of the obvious here.  In working with the grad students at OU, even at their age it wasn't something that I ever saw any of them able to give without getting personal.  It's even less likely that younger students are going to figure it out without some coaching.  I don't think it's something that is taught at school.  In the workplace, it's only taught in companies with well-established training programs.  

One of the things that I learned was to first ask, "Do you mind if I give you some feedback?" The idea is that no one is going to say "no."  (I've never had anyone answer "no" to this question.)  We all want to receive feedback, or at least we think we do.  When the person answers "yes," she's given you permission.  Remember, though, that it's permission to give feedback, not permission to attack her.  

When giving feedback, you can't get personal with it.  The feedback should be about the person's actions, not the person.  It's not an opportunity to attack the other person, make her feel bad, or show how superior you think you are to her.  Whatever it is that the person did or didn't do, it likely wasn't malicious.  Often, people honestly don't know that they've done something wrong or annoying because no one has ever told them.  One way you keep the feedback from being a personal attack is by relating it back to yourself and using non-accusatory phrases.  What I mean by this is that you use phrases such as "I felt like" and "It seems like" and "I'm sure it wasn't your intention, but..." rather than using accusatory phrases and saying that they "did" such and such.  An example:  

"I'm sure it wasn't your intention, but when you made that comment in front of the staff, I felt like you were undermining my position."  

If you've watched "The Last Lecture" by Dr. Randy Pausch at Carnegie Mellon (and if you haven't, you should), he tells a story about one of his mentors giving him feedback.  Dr. Pausch acknowledged that he was quite arrogant as an undergrad.  Instead of his mentor telling him that he was being a jerk and isolating people, his mentor told him, "It's a shame that people perceive you as so arrogant.  It's going to limit what you're able to do in life."  He didn't say you're an arrogant jackass, but he said the same thing without trampling all over his emotions. Not many of us have a real idea of how people perceive us.

In order to receive feedback, you truly have to be open to it.  When it's given properly, you can't take it personally, either.  You can't get defensive and try to defend your position or offer excuses, especially if you've asked for feedback or said yes to receiving it.  Feedback is a gift, and it's a scarce one.  You have to let that person speak, absorb it, and thank them for the feedback.  Remember, it's not about what you meant to do or say, it's about what others perceive you meant.  This is also not the time for you to turn around and give them feedback.  

Unfortunately, one of the things you're inevitably going to face is people to whom you give feedback, but who will perceive any feedback as an attack.  To this I can only say that at least you're trying.  Just be the bigger person and don't let it escalate.

I'll have more on feedback in the next posting.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

University of Charleston (WV) - New Job

Sometimes things happen to force us down a path we know we should have been on already. Back in May, I was laid off from my job at GamePlan Technologies.  It wasn't a surprise.  I was pretty sure it was coming and had started looking for another job in spring.  I looked at various teaching positions for sports admin programs and/or jobs at universities or in college towns so that I could pursue my PhD.  Teaching full-time is something I've been saying I wanted to do for the last three years.  

I found a posting for the University of Charleston (www.ucwv.edu) in February, but didn't post for it at that time.  In May, I did post for it and was called in for an interview the next week.  I fell in love with the program and the staff!  It's a practical, real-world program that has a huge amount of potential, and a lot of the staff have had a great deal of entrepreneurial success, which I love.  I have a lot of ideas for the program and how I would like to see it grow.  I've also already started speaking to people in my network about internships for the students, ideas for projects, and information for class content.  

I'm very excited to start my new job on Friday as a professor and program coordinator for the University of Charleston's sports administration program.  If I hadn't been laid off, I wouldn't have pursued my dream of teaching full-time for several more years.  Sometimes the things that happen in our careers that seem unpleasant are really serendipitous.  We just need to make sure we're receptive to those moments and take advantage of them. 

Monday, July 14, 2008

Meet and Greets

When you first arrive for an internship or a new job--especially a new job--schedule "meet and greets" with various people at the company.  They don't have to be long, drawn out meetings.  It might only be fifteen or thirty minutes long.  The purpose is simple and just what it sounds like--to meet the staff and introduce yourself.  Ask them what their department does, how it interacts with your department, and how you can best work together.  It's just a little thing, but it shows that you have initiative, that you want to learn about the big picture, and that you understand that your department does not operate in a vacuum.  

One of the new employees at NYRR who is a friend of mine has been going through her meet and greets.  She's in the marketing department, but one that she's scheduled is with the warehouse and logistics manager.  He is a former employee of mine and is still a good friend.  I can tell you that the fact that she contacted him to schedule a meet and greet was huge.  Second, she offered to go to the warehouse to meet him.  The first was huge.  The second was monumental!  His team is responsible for physically delivering the sponsor activation items her department needs, and they're often a victim of the "out of sight, out of mind" syndrome since the warehouse is in a different location.  It makes sense for them to meet and talk, yet few people have done that when they've arrived (actually, I don't know of anyone else who has).  Even fewer have taken the time to go to the warehouse in the Bronx (the office is in Manhattan).  She's doing it because she's a good manager and a good person, but it's going to pay huge dividends down the road.   Things being equal, we prefer to work with people we like.  Things not being equal, we still prefer to work with people we like.  

Monday, June 30, 2008

Mistakes

One of the many things that is so important in life is to learn from our mistakes, but in order to learn from mistakes, we first have to be willing to make them.  Mistakes aren't made and lessons aren't learned by those timid souls who sit idly by and wait to be told exactly what to do.  When you start in a job, you may not quite know enough to do a lot of things on your own. If you don't, be proactive in asking your boss what you can help with next.  Don't sit and wait for her to come to you.  If you learn quickly, hopefully you have a boss who will encourage you to make decisions and will give you the authority to make them.  Know this though, eventually, you are going to make a decision that is a mistake.   

When you make your first major mistake, I hope you have a boss who works through it with you, who explains why it was a mistake and what might have been a better option.  Enlightened bosses will know that you're going to eventually make a mistake.  They hope they can catch you before you make it, but that isn't always possible.  

An important piece after you make a mistake is how you communicate it. When you do make a mistake, own up to it. Don't blame someone else if you know that you screwed-up.  None of us wants to think that we're the ones at fault, but when we really think about it, we might be.  It wasn't done on purpose, but it was our fault.  Our knee-jerk reaction is to blame someone/something else.  I've worked in organizations where the first thing out of people's mouths when they screw up is "such and such was supposed to ________, that's why it happened."  They also love to tell everyone else that same thing.  Please don't do that.  Be an adult.  Don't start telling others that it was someone else's fault.  Be willing to say, "It was my fault.  I screwed up.  It's a lesson I've learned and it won't happen again."  Seriously think about what you learned from the mistake--you should have followed up with someone or you should have gotten the price quote in writing or whatever.  

The next key is not to let it happen again.  Making mistakes isn't career killing, but making the same mistakes over and over is.  You don't want to become known as the person who always screws up.  You also don't want to be known as the person who doesn't take responsibility for her actions. 


Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Promotions Aren't Like Birthdays...

Promotions at work aren't like birthdays...you don't get one every year. I've seen too many young people recently who think that they're entitled to a promotion after being in a job for only a year or two (and sometimes after an even shorter time). And they're pissing off their managers. Worse yet, when they do receive a promotion, then they expect one every year. It doesn't work that way in the real world. There are often situations where a candidate is on the border between title levels when he begins working at an organization. As part of the hiring negotiation, the company may agree to a review his performance after six or twelve months and agree to a promotion to the next level if his performance meets specific expectations. Even after that initial promotion, though, it may be 2-4 years before he receives another promotion.

Let's say the levels of an organization are as follows:

-Coordinator - Assistant Manager - Manager - Sr. Manager - Director - Vice President - President

With a promotion every year, an employee will have worked through the entire organization in six years, and anyone who thinks that the norm is to be president of a company in six years is seriously delusional. Anyone who thinks that being a director after six years is delusional! And in sports, it's even less likely. The simple rules of supply and demand apply for sports jobs more than most other jobs. Be realistic before you start a job. Otherwise, you're going to show just how naive you are and you're probably going to piss off your boss in the process.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Voice Mail Messages You Leave

Before you leave a voice mail message for a person who could possibly hire you for a job or internship, make sure you know what you're going to say. As ridiculous as it may sound, rehearse saying the message out loud. Do it often enough so it doesn't sound like you're reading it. You'd be surprised how easy it is to start rambling like an idiot and continually repeat yourself. Something I heard recently that I thought was a good suggestion was to call your own cell phone (even if from your cell phone) and leave a message when you're driving or just have some down time. Once you listen to it, you'll be able to pick-up on any annoying ticks (um, you know, speak at lightning speed, etc.) that you have and correct them.

Another minor little detail to consider is what you'll say if the person actually answers. I've been in the office late at night and answered the phone to a startled person on the other end. Don't discount the possibility of someone being at his desk. Additionally, sometimes the best time to reach the person you're trying to speak with is in the morning or the evening, before or after traditional work hours (7:00a-9:00a or 5:30p-8:00p). I know that I am NOT a morning person and was often in the office late at night. During the day when I'm running between meetings, I might not have time to speak at length with someone, but later in the day, I usually do.

Something I forgot to put in the last post about the message you have on your voice mail intro--be sure to say your first and last name if you have a name that people often butcher. None of us want to intentionally butcher another's name. This will help make sure they at least get close to pronouncing your name correctly when they do speak with you.

Thursday, May 29, 2008

The Voicemail Intro on Your Phone

"Hi, this is Michelle.  You've reached the right number at the wrong time.  You know the drill.  Leave me a message." 

As you begin to call professionals in the industry, you're invariably going to be leaving them a voicemail with your number so they can call you back.  I'll save the items about when to call and what to leave on their voicemail for the next post.   For this one, it's about the message that they're going to hear on your phone if they call you back.  Personally, I'm OK with funny or informal messages.  I think they show a little creativity, and I LOVE creative people.  I don't like companies that are old and stuffy.  But I can tell you with certainty that most business people don't care for those informal or funny messages.  They hear them and cringe, thinking they're very unprofessional.  They start thinking, "If she has that unprofessional of a message when she knows I may be calling and she's trying to get a job/internship with me, how unprofessionally is she going to behave with my customers?  Could I even trust her to know what a professional conversation with my customers should sound like?"

Unfortunately, there are times when you will have to conform to the accepted "business norms," especially when you're trying to break into the industry or are just starting an entry level job with a long-standing organization (e.g., professional leagues, major universities, etc.)  Personally, I hate the idea of conforming to "business norms" that are a throw-back to the 1950s and were created by WASPy old white men, but I'm also a pragmatist.  Don't shoot yourself in the foot before you even get a chance to begin your career and show them what you can do.  Unless you start your own company or find a really cool start-up or small company that embraces irreverence, you're going to have to get rid of your college student voicemail message.  Welcome to the adult world of business where fun sometimes gets swept under the carpet!  

Friday, May 23, 2008

The Forgotten Piece of Being Able to Work Independently

I was talking with a professor here at OU today and she was praising one of the graduate assistants for how well she works independently.  She was saying that the grad student needs almost no direction on what to do, but that because of it, she (the professor) doesn't know if a project is almost done or if it's barely been started.  I think it's great that this student can work so independently.  It's something that bosses love!  What this student is missing, though, is that she needs to keep her boss updated on her projects and where they stand.  It's a minor thing, and one I know this student will pick-up very quickly once she receives this feedback.  It's a much easier fix to teach someone to keep her boss updated than it is to teach her to work independently.  In the realm of personnel issues, this is a nice one to have.

In your jobs and internships, make sure to let your boss know where you stand on completing projects.  Even if she doesn't ask, let her know either by dropping by her office or sending a quick email.  It doesn't have to be anything elaborate or long.  Quite frankly, it shouldn't be long.  Just a few sentences or bullet points are all you need.  The best solution is to flat out ask her at the beginning, "How would you like me to keep you updated on my progress with this project?"  It will show a maturity level that isn't always seen in young employees.

Monday, May 12, 2008

In Chaos, There Is Opportunity

In chaos, there is opportunity.  I first heard this phrase in an old Cary Grant movie, Operation Petticoat, when Tony Curtis's character was scrounging for parts during a bombing.  The phrase is true in the sports industry, too.  
We all have those one or two top level organizations where we dream of working.  We may even be lucky enough to get to work for them from day one.  Sometimes, though, it's better to take an opportunity in a smaller or start-up or off-the-beaten-path organization.  Why, though?  Often, these other types of organizations can offer more hands-on experience in a lot of different areas than a large one can.  Established companies often have long established policies and procedures.  This isn't necessarily a bad thing.  You can learn about a specific area in an established company, but in a small or developing one, you can learn about MANY different areas and help create the policies and procedures.  It also allows you to have an impact on what happens in a bigger way.  When you go to apply for your next job, you can give concrete examples to hiring managers of the impact you had on the organization.  

I was in the second intern class at Disney's Wide World of Sports.  The first class had three people who started working the year before the Sports Complex even opened.  They worked 100+ hour weeks on a regular basis to help get it open.  There were ten of us in the second intern class and only a handful of permanent staff compared to what Disney Sports has now.  Our class got there about six weeks after they opened and just before the summer deluge of events.  We all worked on all kinds of events and in a lot of different functional areas.  It was the best internship possible and one where we were able to learn a great deal about a lot of different areas.  We got to sit in on meetings and manage areas that I'm sure their interns today don't.  The Disney Sports internship is still one of the top ones out there, but with 30+ interns and a boatload more specialized staff, the interns don't get quite the same experience we did.  It was chaos and we had an opportunity that doesn't come along often with an organization like Disney.

When you're looking for your first job or an internship, take a look at some of those smaller university jobs if you want to work at a BCS school in the future...or if you want to work for an NBA team, look at a team in the NBA Development League...You get the idea.  Search for your internship or job based on the experience you're going to get from it.

Monday, May 5, 2008

Professional Journal

I don't know where I heard about keeping a professional journal, but it's something I've been doing since I started as an intern in 1997 at Disney Sports.  Since then, I've read about various entrepreneurs who keep idea journals and/or notes about meetings.  Maybe I read something about it back then and got the idea that way.

These journals have proven very valuable to me as I've worked on projects and needed to reference information.  I started by recording information that my leaders would relate in meetings.  They weren't necessarily things they were saying directly to me, but items that would come up in planning discussions with the entire event management team, things about event management that I just didn't know at the time.  It could be anything--ratios to use when renting certain equipment (at least 1 portable toilet per 75 people and 1 ADA portable toilet per 150 people); standard revenue split percentages for merchandise sales with partners; keeping signage messages and PA announcements positive (use REMEMBER TO rather than DON'T FORGET TO); and dozens of other simple things. 

From there, I started summarizing great articles I read (a lot of early Fast Company articles in my first journal), writing down key points from books, and taking notes from a multitude of speakers I heard.  It's progressed now to the point of clipping key items that I know I'll use later, especially data/statistics and their sources.  (Even though I know it could all be found relatively easily again on the internet, I still clip it and tape it into my journal.  I know what's in the journal and can flip to it even faster than I can Google the exact info.)  The latest evolution of what I keep in my professional journal includes ideas that I someday want to turn into my own business(es), sketches, names of people from my network I'd want to hire and in what roles, what I want my company employee policies to be, etc.  

I have a friend who negotiates contracts with professional athletes for his organization.  Last month, he was telling me that his mentor had kept meticulous notes of all his negotiations throughout his career.  My friend started doing the same when he began working for his mentor.  He said that it's his professional journal to help him with future negotiations, but it's also a great way to document his career for his own edification. 

If you decide to keep a professional journal, make it something that is your own and fits your personality.  There's no one way to do it.  The only rule is to use it in whatever way is going to be beneficial to you.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Drive vs. Passion

For me, I have to have a lot of passion around my work, which is why I jump around so much in my jobs.  It's something that I'm sure is difficult for some people (especially hiring managers) to understand.  Once the passion for the product or service or organization is gone and I can't re-invent or re-summon it, I go looking for something else.   I know that I need change and continuous new challenges.  My passion lies in exploring new and innovative ideas.  There are people who can work at something that is "just a job" for a long time, but I'm not one of them.  

The reason for this post is to advise you to find a product/service that generates a lot of passion in you and then work in that area.  In the book The Monk and the Riddle by Randy Komisar, he describes the difference between drive and passion.  Drive is something that pushes you along, a commitment or something that you do out of obligation.  Passion is something that pulls you along, a force that you can't resist.  If you really want to work in sports, you should have a passion for sports, but also a passion for your specific chosen area of sports.  If you want to work in marketing, but take a long-term job in event management because you want to break into sports, it's not going to be enough to make you truly happy.   Your passion has to cover both areas to continue to sustain itself.  

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Auxiliary Products and Services in Sports

Inc. is one of my two favorite magazines. (The other is Mental Floss.)  In the April 2008 issue on pages 30 & 31 there is a great picture and insets.   It's a section called "Behind the Scenes: Companies at the Heart of Everyday Life."  On it, it shows a photo from pre-game of a Pistons-Trail Blazers game. It highlights companies responsible for some of the things in the photo - the court, the courtside seats, the mascot uniform, the pre-game pyro.

These are great examples of parts of the sports industry that students don't often know or hear about.  They're also great areas to look at to break into the sports industry, not to mention the fact that there are some really interesting things out there besides the obvious areas of pro sports teams, college sports teams, and marketing companies.  Just looking at this picture I start to think about other areas that students could pursue that they may not know about because they're not so obvious.

I have a friend from grad school who works for Aacer selling basketball floors.   I know another person who was a rep for Spalding basketballs.  A guy I worked with at Disney's Animal Kingdom has a company that creates card stunts for stadiums.   The company that managed the concessions and catering for the Indy car race at Disney also managed concessions for the Kentucky Derby and a bunch of other major sports events.  A vendor/friend from New York Road Runners who is responsible for their major event signage also handles pieces of signage for the Super Bowl.  John Anthony's travel company (Anthony Travel) has grown immensely in the last 10 years and now handles major accounts such as Disney Sports, the Iron Man Triathlon, the ING New York City Marathon, and countless universities and other groups.

There are all sorts of auxiliary areas out there to consider.  There may even be an area that will pique your entrepreneurial interest enough to motivate you to create your own company.   The opportunities in sports are out there. It may just take a little more thought or resourcefulness to find out what they are.

I'm Back

Sorry for the recent lack of posts. I was on a brief personal break, but am now back and starting to resume posting.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

iTunes U

I have found one of my new favorite things--iTunes U. In the past couple of days I have listened to guest presentations at Stanford by some of the icons of entrepreneurial businesses, lectures on Benjamin Franklin, Aaron Burr, The Mind of Einstein, lessons on how to play the drums (from Little Kids Rock), and a commencement address at Stanford by Steve Jobs from 2005. I have also downloaded, but still have to listen to, lectures on art history, the physics of baseball, modern art, presentations on The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, and many, many other items.

I'm completely enthralled! I'm such an information junkie. I love learning new things just for the sake of knowing about them, and this is truly a found treasure for me. Everything I've downloaded has been free and there are a lot of different universities participating on a lot of different subjects. Check it out on iTunes. I'm sure you can find something that will appeal to you.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

10 Seems to Be the Magic Number

Where you are after ten years seems to be indicative of where you're headed. In the last two weeks, this idea has popped up in several conversations with various, and independent, people. The premise from each of them seems to be that the first ten years is about doing the work, paying your dues, taking on projects to get yourself noticed, learning new areas, and creating your network. After those first ten years is when you start to see the financial gains and the title changes that could eventually lead to a climb to the top of the mountain. The first ten years will establish your foundation and set the pace for where you go after that.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

That's the Way It's Always Been Done Around Here!

I HATE this phrase. When I worked at New York Road Runners, there was absolutely nothing that would send me through the roof faster than someone giving this as a reason for why we did something, because most of the time it wasn't followed up with a detailed explanation of how that policy came to be. It was just accepted and never questioned if it could be done better or differently. And then when it finally was questioned, there was push back to change a procedure that no one knew how or why got started in the first place.

Graduation is nearing and a lot of you may be starting new jobs in the coming months. In the spirit of that, here's a recommendation I received from someone that I'll pass along to you. Anytime you take a new job, you're going to come across policies and procedures that will cause you to ask "why do we do it that way?" For the first 90 days, note these, then find out why. There may be a good reason that the company does something a certain way, but then again, maybe the answer is "because that's the way it's always been done around here," which is a common, but dumb, answer. There's a popular story about monkeys that relates. I first read it in A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel Pink and I've seen it on numerous websites since.


Start with a cage containing five monkeys. Inside the cage, hang a banana on a string and place a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the other monkeys with cold water. After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result - all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water. Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

Now, put away the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his surprise and horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted. Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm! Likewise, replace a third original monkey with a new one, then a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs, he is attacked. Most of the monkeys that are beating him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

After replacing all the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs to try for the banana. Why not? Because as far as they know that’s the way it’s always been done around here.


The point is that for the first 90 days you are a fresh pair of eyes and a fresh brain looking at something that others have looked at for a long time. You'll never have the perspective of a "new" person again. Take advantage of it and use it to benefit you and your new company with each new role you take on. You may come up with a great idea for a new and more efficient way to do things that others just simply didn't see. If your company is smart, they'll value your feedback and at least consider your suggestions.

Monday, March 10, 2008

What Classes to Take

I talk with a lot of students, both undergrad and grad, about what classes they're taking or planning to take. These are some of my general recommendations.

1) Business - Take classes in business so that you develop a sound understanding of business principles. A lot of undergraduate programs are now recommending or even requiring a minor in business, and many of the graduate programs are a dual program of MBA and master's in sports. If your sports degree program doesn't require them, look into taking some business classes (finance, accounting, marketing, organizational behavior). These classes will never hurt you, even if you later choose not to work in sports.

2) Business Writing - Writing a research paper or a blog is very different than writing a memo or email for business. Business writing requires you to be succinct (usually 2-3 paragraphs) in explaining a problem, for example. It should offer possible solutions to the problem and your recommended solution. A lot of leaders just don't have the time to read all the details that you might want to include. They hired you to do a job and good leaders trust their direct reports to relay the pertinent information. We've all been in the class where a professor has told us that our paper has to be a minimum of ten pages, even if we think we can make our point in only five. In business, less is more when it comes to writing.

3) Public Speaking - The vast majority of people--me included--aren't incredibly comfortable speaking in front of a group. Take a speech class (or two) so that public speaking at least becomes bearable. These classes will hopefully help you learn what your personal "ticks" are--rocking back and forth; saying um, like, or you know; standing with legs crossed; trailing off at the end of your sentences (one of my worst habits), etc.

4) Foreign Language - Even if you end up not putting it to use, knowing a second language will never, ever hurt you. In an industry where we're all trying to find something to set ourselves apart and get our resume from the large stack to the small stack, a second language can often be a differentiator. If you want to work in baseball, why not take Spanish or Japanese? If you want to work with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the IOC has two official languages--English and French. If you want to be an agent who represents distance runners, a lot of successful runners come from Kenya and Ethiopia. Learn Swahili or Amharic. I'm sure you can come up with a lot more examples. If you can become conversational or fluent, great; but even if you can't, at least understanding some of the phrases and being able to read a little will be helpful.

There are a lot of other classes that may seem obscure, but could help you. Look at job postings and see what some of the most common areas are where people are hiring. I often see entry level positions in sales and database marketing. Database marketing has become huge. Take an introductory class on databases so you can understand what people are talking about. Sales skills are always a plus. A lot of people cringe when they hear "sales," but it's not a dirty word. If your university offers those classes take them. If you can be a money-maker (sales) versus a money-spender (ops and event management, as I was), you can get a job almost anywhere. As my friend Lou Valentic at K&K Insurance says, "Nobody eats until somebody sells something."

It would be interesting to know how many people in sports are continually educating themselves on the new trends, whether it be technology or something else. Who knows, you may get into an organization and become the "expert" on a topic just because you know a little more about it than someone else. Just remember, education and learning shouldn't stop just because you leave college. Be sure to carve out time for your own personal development once you land your dream job in sports so you can continue to be the expert in whatever field you choose.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

Keep Track of Events/Projects That You Work

I'm working on a personal project that has required me to create a list of all of the events I've worked. I'm doing this to the best of my memory, but it's becoming increasingly hard to recall events over the past eleven years, especially some of the smaller assignments. Just at New York Road Runners alone we held 55 road races each year, and each of the Events team worked ~40 of them per year. The same thing when I was at Disney Sports in its early existence and we didn't have the number of staff they do now to manage and work the 200+ events. A lot of us played different roles in a lot of different events other than the ones we managed.

Last year, I advised one of my staff who had been at NYRR for eleven months to list all of the races she'd worked and briefly describe what her responsibilities were for each race. (Turns out she'd worked 42 races in 49 weeks.) The reason for the exercise was for her to have them as she updated her resume. She could then easily choose which ones she wanted to highlight on her resume. I wish I had been smart enough to keep track of everything I had worked or for which I had volunteered. It would have been easy, just a simple Word or Excel document updated each week or month. It also would have made it easier updating my resume through the years and also to recall specific examples for interviews. Something to consider as you start.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

No Single Career Path

I'm working on a book for which I came up with the idea in 2004. (I finally convinced a former professor to join me in writing it.) As part of the research, I'm interviewing quite a few successful people in the sports industry. I recently interviewed a classmate and he brought up a very good point that I think is worth writing about here, especially considering the emails I get asking how to break into the sports industry.

If you want to be a doctor or an accountant or a teacher, it's pretty clear what steps you need to take to get there. Even when you're in junior high or high school, you have an idea of what you need to do. At that same age, you may know that you enjoy sports and want to work in the sports industry, but what's the career path? The answer is that there's not one clear career path. There may be similarities, but there aren't any hard core specific paths.

My classmate's advice, and I agree with him, is to start early in volunteering. He talked about how he didn't do this, but wished he would have, and wished that someone would have given him that advice. He noted that it might have cut down on the number of internships (four) that he had to take before getting a permanent job. I can say that I was the same way in not doing as much work in sports early on as I could/should have. It didn't occur to either one of us and neither of us is sure why.

There is ALWAYS a sports organization that needs volunteer help. It could be a youth team, a university athletic department, a national or regional governing body, the local sports commission, a sports event that is coming to town, or any number of things. Interestingly, he has not been the only one to give this advice. Another associate in a prominent sports position mentioned that she advises young people with whom she speaks to volunteer with an organization or team in an athletic department that has nearly zero funding. This is a way to get experience, make your mark, and/or gain some resume credibility.

Even if the area where you're volunteering isn't an area that you think is your ultimate career dream, you'll still learn something from the experience. Seek out those opportunities and gradually take on more responsibilities as you feel comfortable. It will give you experience and also build up your personal network.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

Make Sure to Answer the Questions You're Asked

I just participated as an interviewer for some of the students applying for admission to the Sports Administration Program here at Ohio University. One of the things I noticed quite a bit was that of the five candidates I interviewed, several of them never answered the question I actually asked them. It was a bit annoying, really, and something that stuck out as a negative for me in evaluating them.

I know interviews are nerve-racking and can get a person flustered, but make sure you concentrate on what the interviewer has asked. Anyone in an interview should carry a portfolio with a notepad in it. Write down the question if you have to or put quick notes about what you want to cover in your answer. If I saw someone do that it would actually indicate to me that they're thinking (quickly) about what they want to say and not just rambling freely.

Also, think about what person you use when you answer questions. I write this blog in second person intentionally. I write it as if it's written to an individual student ("you" this or "you" that). When you're in an interview, and you get asked a question "What would you do...," don't answer it in second person. I, and most interviewers, want to know what YOU would do. Answer it in first person. If it's a generic question, then answer it in third person ("a person would have to..." or "one might..."), but don't try to tell me what I would/should do by using the word YOU.

Lastly, try to avoid generational words. Take "like" out of your vocabulary during interviews. It's become as annoying as "um" that happens while people are pausing. "Awesome" is an over-used generational word, too. If you have to, look up some other descriptive words in a thesaurus. A good grasp of other adjectives leads me to believe that you're educated, well-rounded, and more mature than others. Whether it's true or not doesn't necessarily matter. It's how you come across in the interview.