Books

I love books. If I could have one thing free for the rest of my life, it would be books. I can drop a fortune in Barnes & Noble or on Amazon.com in a New York Minute. I'll go in spurts where I'll read several books a week. I just like to know what information is out there and how other people look at things. I'm always curious to see what people are reading or talk to them about the latest book they've read. In order to continue your growth once you leave school, try to read a least a few books each year, preferably more. Take a look occasionally at the best seller list, the business best seller list, or the business section at your local Barnes & Noble. Try out a couple of books and find an author you like. There are certain ones I love, others I can't stand, and some I liked to start out, but grew out of. You'll always learn something from every book you read, even if it's as simple as the fact that you don't like that author's writing style and that you'll never torture a reader like that with your own writing. To quote Tom Peters (one of my favorite business authors), "If I read a book that cost me $20 and I get one good idea, I have gotten one of the great bargains of all time."

Let me know what some of your favorite books are.

Do You Know What You Might Have To Do?

Last week, I was having a conversation with one of the graduate assistants who works for me. She was noting that she didn't think a lot of people understand what they may be asked to do in their early careers. She had a few years of work experience in professional sports before coming to grad school and has had the experience of doing some of the, to put it bluntly, crap work that we all have to do in sports, especially starting out. Just because you have an MBA and/or Master's in Sports, it doesn't make you immune to it. You're going to be asked to make copies, man a check-in table for an event, take tickets at a turnstile, or even pick-up trash. If you kvetch and complain about it, or do it half-way, you're not going to do your career any great service. I've seen interns and entry level employees get written off by my colleagues, and I've written off people myself, because they thought that such menial tasks were beneath them.

Right, wrong, or indifferent, this is often part of paying dues in the sports industry. There's always someone else out there who will be willing to do the work. If you're not willing to step up and go the extra mile, you won't survive long.

Sports Business Savvy

You are inevitably going to work with some people during your career who don't have ANY sports business savvy. Some of them don't even have common sense. There are some people who are only in the position they're in because they like that sport and thought they'd get a job in that sport. They obviously had good interviewing skills, and someone went ahead and hired them. Admittedly, I've seen it more in the non-profit area than the for-profit area. Regardless, it will drive you crazy. It can also throw a monkey wrench into your day. You could have to drop everything and fix what someone else broke. It is probably one of my single biggest frustrations. The worst part is, I don't have any advice on the solution, but I want to make sure you understand that it will happen.

Here are some real-life examples that I've seen:

- UPS was a high level sponsor of an event and it was a renewal year. An administrative person completed edits to the contract for the event's sponsor rep, several versions of edits over a few weeks. Obviously the UPS name was in multiple places in the contract, including the mailing address. When she sent out the completed contract to UPS for signature, she sent it to them in a FedEx envelope. The UPS rep took the FedEx envelope, folded it in half, put it in a UPS envelope and sent it back. It took a lot to repair that relationship and save a six figure sponsorship.

- We created a new revenue stream for an organization. When the first monthly check came in from the vendor, the manager sent the check to the finance department. The controller for the company called to ask what it was. The manager explained that it was revenue from this new area. The controller said she would just put it in the department's budget. The manager tried to explain that it didn't go in a departmental operating budget, but the controller didn't get it. After hanging up the phone, the manager immediately told her own VP. The VP called the CFO (the controller's boss) and told the CFO that although he (the VP) would love to have the extra money in his department, it shouldn't be there. The CFO said he would correct it, then said that the controller didn't understand the difference between revenues and expenses.

- An event had both a water company and Gatorade as major sponsors. The medical director for that event was quoted (correctly, he admitted) in the New York Times saying that Gatorade is no better for participants than water. Gatorade's response: Then why the hell am I sponsoring your event? This organization also had to repair a major relationship. This was a situation that became a drop-everything-else-you're-doing- for-two-complete-days-to-repair-it situation for three of the highest level people in the organization. And it's not like their schedules weren't already jam packed. All this caused by a loose cannon who just a few months later did a complete 180 and supported what his medical colleagues around the world were saying, that isotonic drinks are actually better than water for that type of event.

- From the company lawyer: "Well the last person in your job used to just not tell me about it and then just hire a (third party marketing) company. Why do you need me to write a contract for these people? If you just don't tell me, then I don't know about it and I don't have to write a contract. But since you've told me I guess I have to write one." Well, maybe I would like you to write one for things like 1) making sure they know they must have "x" in insurance coverage and list us additional insured, or 2) making sure we have a non-performance clause in their contract in case they really botch part of their work, or any number of endless legal necessities in a very litigious society.

Hopefully it won't be something that you encounter very often, but be prepared for it and don't be surprised by anything. To quote Albert Einstein, "The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits."

Job Search Techniques

I've gotten a couple of email messages from students recently asking about how to get started working in the industry and how to find jobs if they haven't yet developed their network of people who can refer them to others for jobs and/or if they want to get some work experience before going to graduate school.

One fo the easiest ways to find entry level positions that are open is to use one of the online services. One of the free ones is www.teamworkonline.com. It's a pretty good site as far as entry level job postings, but I HATE the part, or I should say parts, of their site where a person actually posts for a job. It's absurd! Another organization that is a sports executive search firm is Turnkey Sports and Entertainment out of New Jersey. Most of the positions they fill are well above entry level, but it's a site to look and and pay attention to for your future, and who's to say they won't start filling entry level positions in the future. One of my favorite sites overall is www.workinsports.com. This one is a subscription service, but one I like if you're willing to pay.

If you have trouble breaking into an entry level job and can financially swing an internship, that's always a possibility, too. It's not a fun option to think about, but it's an option if that's what you have to do to reach your goal. One of my classmates from grad school worked three lengthy internship before he found a permanent job. I think his internships totaled almost two years. He knew he wanted to work for an NFL team in a specific area and that's what he had to do to reach his goal. He's now the Assistant GM of the New York Giants.

When I speak to people, this next one seems to be the most overlooked search technique. For sports leagues/sports organizations/teams and for companies that sponsor sports (e.g., Visa, Sprint, HomeDepot, etc.), you can go to the job section of their websites. If you look at the bottom of the page, it usually has a link something similar to "Careers" or "Jobs" or it may be in the "About Us" section. In the keyword search, type in words like "sports" or "events" or "sponsorship" or "sports marketing" and you may get some hits in their sports and/or events departments. Also, on those specific league sites, they will often have the same jobs, and sometimes more, posted as www.teamworkonline.com does. Sometimes the link for posting will take you to the posting system for www.teamworkonline.com and other times it is the league/team/company's own job posting site.

Again, these are recommendations for entry level positions if you don't yet have your network developed. The best option is always your network. Often, job opportunities aren't presented by someone directly in your network, but from someone who knows someone in your network and is then referred to you. Think six degrees of separation, which seems like it's reduced to about three degrees of separation in the sports industry.

Presentation Skills

Last week, I sat in as a judge for presentations made by graduate students (MBA's and MSA's (Master's in Sports Administration)). This wasn't a full term class. It was actually a three day training session. The book the instructor used, Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story by Jerry Weissman is one that he had recommended to me last year. I finally read it a couple of months ago, and I must say, it's a dead-on accurate book. Forget the standard schlock you hear or read about presenting. Weissman, who is a former television producer, provides detailed explanations and detailed how-to's. His book is packed full of useful information on everything from why the story is so important, to various types of flow structure for the message, to proper usage and layout of slides, etc. The book is a great investment that is worth much more than the cost of the book. You'll never be able to watch a presentation again without asking yourself the preparation questions posed in this book.

Overall, the presentations and presenters were exceptional. It was impressive just how much they had all taken in from the instructor and the book. The work they did was very detailed, the slides were well-prepared and not merely a regurgitation of what they were saying.

One of the other class assignments required each student to come up with a 30 second elevator pitch about themselves. The idea was for them to have a way to introduce themselves to someone they wanted to meet in the industry if they were to run into that person. I think it's a brilliant idea. Too many people, including me, run-off at the mouth when someone asks them about themselves or when they try to explain the work they do (or have done). I know it's something I need to work on. My next self-improvement project is to prepare my own elevator pitch. It's definitely an exercise that anyone starting in the sports industry should also undertake.

Handwritten or Email?

When I receive a handwritten note or thank you card from someone I've helped or even talked to, it ratchets them up a notch in my eyes and keeps them in my memory. If it's a personalized note card that has their name embossed (and the person isn't an executive who gets personalized cards as part of his/her job), it ratchets that person up several notches in my eyes.

Email may be the means of communication today, but it's still too casual in my opinion. Take the time and make the effort to write out a personal note to people you meet, speak with, work/volunteer for, etc. I may glance over an email from someone just because I'm rushing through my day, but if I receive a handwritten note, I ALWAYS read it, usually a couple of times. A handwritten note conveys a message to me that the person sat down and took the time to try to make a personal connection. They weren't just blasting off another email in a 200 email day.

I know there are other stationery stores out there, but an easy one, and one I've used for years, is www.americanstationery.com. It's easy and relatively inexpensive. If you can't afford professionally made cards, there are alternatives. With today's easy to use graphic design add-ons and programs, many people can even make their own professional looking cards with supplies from Staples.

Handwritten notes are a small thing, but they're a big deal to me and others that I know in the industry. In talking with colleagues, it's amazing how few (almost none) of the people interviewing for entry level and next level jobs don't send handwritten thank you notes after an interview. In an email generation, handwritten notes are another way to distinguish yourself from others, especially if you're just starting in the sports industry.

Leadership vs. Management

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I hear or read about "managing people." To some people, the difference between leadership and management is just semantics, but it's more than that to me. Processes are managed; people should be led.

Management is about making sure that procedures and tasks (processes) are properly taken care of and done on time--things such as expense reports, financial tracking, time management, administrative paperwork, business processes specific to your industry, etc. Leadership is about creating a vision and developing people.

I've had peers who have tried to manage people rather than lead them. It wasn't pretty. Their staff had no respect for them. People need to know that you're committed to them and their development. Once a leader makes that commitment, she has to make sure to follow-up on it, ALWAYS, even when she doesn't feel like it. Just as with emails and voice mails, not following up will cause a leader to lose all credibility with her direct reports. It's the kiss of death.

Good leaders genuinely care about the welfare of their employees. Great leaders learn what it is that each employee wants and needs, what motivates them, what their goals are, and help them reach their potential. Yes, I do think that there are some people who are natural born leaders, but that doesn't mean it's hopeless for those of us who weren't born with that ability. Being a good leader can definitely be taught. A person can learn what makes a good leader and practice those behaviors.

There are certain traits that you will almost always hear when someone describes a good leader. Emulate those. Learn about them. Develop your own leadership philosophy and practice it. Two of my favorite sources that I think best describe a good leader and how to become one are The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell and Disney's Great Leader Strategies, which were developed by Lee Cockerell (www.leecockerell.com). Lee recorded CD's of one of his Great Leader Strategies presentations in 1997. The presentation is ten years old and I still listen to it at least once a month. I always learn something from listening to it again.

Some of the things that I thing make good leaders, traits that I look for in leaders I work for are:

- They always make time for me when I need to speak with them or need their assistance.
- They learn about me as an individual, what my career goals are, and are committed to helping me reach those goals.
- They make sure that I am in an environment where I am constantly learning new things. They give me assignments to help me grow professionally and even take a role in directly teaching me new things.
- They give me the freedom to try new things and new ways of doing old things.
- They give me feedback and direction rather than criticism. (Direction tells people what to do. Criticism tells people what NOT to do.)
_ They let me manage my area and lead my direct reports without micromanaging.

Leadership isn't easy and it certainly isn't something that can only be done once in a while, but the rewards are well worth the effort.