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. 

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.