Unpaid Internships

When I was an undergrad, I was involved in almost every business group on campus (I majored in Business, not Sports Administration). Each one of the organizations, at some point, would have someone come in and talk about resumes/internships/job interviewing/etc. Often it was staff from the Career Resource Center or recruiters from companies interviewing on campus. Over and over I heard people say that if we had taken an unpaid internship, we should note on our resume that it was unpaid. They said that an unpaid internship was impressive because it showed that we were dedicated. They told us that it showed them we valued the key learnings that we would get from an organization (such as IBM) if we were willing to work for free. Fourteen years and one week removed from my college graduation day, I'm calling BULLSHIT!

There are some pretty big name organizations out there that still won't pay interns. I don't understand this. For years, Nike and other companies got hammered for paying low wages to international workers. Why and how is offering unpaid internships in this country still OK? Yes, interns are receiving training from top-notch organizations, but they're also doing work for them and contributing to the company.

I often tell people to volunteer for events to break into the sports business and start developing their network, and I still firmly believe that they should. The difference is that volunteering is done for the one or two days for a few hours a day. An internship is usually several months for ten and twelve hours a day, sometimes six or seven days a week.

In my last posting, I advised people to find organizations with name recognition for their internship. I'm still holding to that. Here's the amendment, though. If they're unpaid internships, think twice. I'll even change that to flat out say don't take them. They should pay something. They don't have to pay the equivalent of an executive salary, but interns do provide value and should be compensated for it. Graduate interns are just a few short months away from being the same people these companies will hire.

Thank goodness that I encountered the voices of sanity when I got to graduate school. I know what the stance was of the SAFM program with Dr. Kreutzer and Dr. Higgins at Ohio, and I'm pretty sure it's still the same. They never told anyone that they couldn't take an unpaid internship, but they sure didn't support it. They advised us to think long and hard about that decision.

If you're in a graduate program, what is your program's stance? Do they have one? It might be a good question to ask if you're interviewing to get into a program to see just how much value they put on your talents coming out of their program.

Finding Sports Internships

There are a lot of internships out there for sports students. Some of them are pretty obvious--university athletic departments, professional sports teams and leagues, sporting goods companies. If you know that's the type of work you want, those are easy enough to find posted on the organizations' job boards.

I had a friend the other day tell me that he advises students to try to get their internship with an organization that is well-known and has name recognition in sports. I hadn't thought about it before, but the more we talked, the more I agreed with him. When you search for your first job, it's sometimes a different story (subject of a future blog), but it makes a lot of sense in looking for internships. When future employers see Disney or NFL or Nike or University of Florida or Octagon or USOC on a resume, they know what they are. They also have some pre-conceived ideas that go with those names that can work to your advantage. When I see names like that on a resume, I immediately start thinking some of the following:

- They understand customer service. I won't have to re-train them on going the extra mile. They may even rub off on some of my employees.
- That's a hard internship to get. This person must be pretty solid.
- They have to have seen, and now understand, the business side of sports.
- They've seen the details and intricacies of running a sports business. They understand it's about more than just being a fan.

Right, wrong, or indifferent, landing those types of internships gives people a leg up. Look for them and see what you can find. Every website has a jobs section somewhere on it. It may be down at the bottom or off to one side. If it's not blatantly listed as Jobs or Careers or Employment, try the About Us section. If you still can't find it, search within their website or Google "jobs at _______."

References Available Upon Request

I've been working with a few of the students as they start to pursue sports internships for the summer. The next several posts will relate to areas of job/internship searches, resumes, interviewing, etc.

References available upon request. This is a common phrase that people put at the bottom of their resumes. I don't remember who gave me this advice, but I remember someone once told me that I shouldn't put that phrase on my resume. Instead, I should automatically include a list of references as my last page. The idea is that if I want this person to hire me, why make them work any harder than they have to by contacting me for additional information? I should make it as easy as possible for them to get as much information on me as they want.

For years now, I've done this. I've also passed this advice on to others. I now look for this, too, on all the resumes I receive for jobs. If I don't have to call and ask for a list of references, it also helps speed up the interview process. I will often call references before I even interview candidates. In some cases, it's helped people get on my interview list who wouldn't have been on it if all I had was their resume to review. Again, it all comes back to, and is related to, the professional network a person has. Make sure you have strong references who know you well and can speak about your talents.

It's a little thing, but it's often little things that make a big difference.

Competition vs. Cooperation

I've been searching on the Internet to find out who first said that youth is wasted on the young. According to thinkexist.com, it was George Bernard Shaw. I guessed Mark Twain. Seemed like something he would have said. It was 100% true with me and I'm seeing that it is still holding true.

I absolutely LOVE being around a college campus again and working with students. I definitely want to get my PhD and teach, even if I only teach part-time and pursue other options full-time. There are certain things about being around students, though, that are really tough for me. I now understand the frustration that my mentors went through with me.

With two or three exceptions, the students I've come across this year don't fully grasp that the people in their class are going to be their network for the rest of their professional lives and not their competitors. They could do themselves a huge favor by eliminating the internal competition and focusing on cooperation. It's not as if they don't like one another or don't get along, because they do. It's just that they're ultra competitive with one another. I've seen it firsthand, this weekend being the most recent example. One of the students was incredibly secretive and evasive when asked what internship she was applying for when another student was giving her an update on some reference information.

They're so worried about other students going head-to-head with them for opportunities. They don't want to tell others who are interested in the same line of work where they're applying. In contrast, if they helped one another through the process and made sure that at least someone in their network gets the internship if they don't, they'd be so much better off. They'd have someone they know in that area who could help them out in the future! It's not the easiest thing for competitive people to do, but by helping one another, by being happy when one person does well, by accepting competition for internships, and by being willing to let their merits go head-to-head against anyone, it would solidify their reputation within their class as someone who's willing to help others reach their goals. Yet, they're secretive and they hide information.

The greatest example I've come across of what people would ideally be like when working with those who are also competing with them was the description of Lincoln in Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Lincoln took the idea of cooperation to levels I can't even fathom. I think it's one of the things that made him such a great leader. He chose four men whom he beat out for the presidency for major positions in his cabinet, any/all of whom were expected to be elected over Lincoln. He was continually back-stabbed by people in his cabinet, yet he knew that they had the best talents for the jobs. And even though they treated him that way, he never reciprocated. He chose these men because although they were competitors, he wanted them around him because they had the best talents for the jobs.

Again, cooperating with people you view as competitors isn't easy. It's really damned hard, because that behavior may not be returned! I can scream about it until I'm blue in the face, but like almost everyone through time, there are life lessons that we only learn through our own experiences, and not from others trying to teach us. Just be open to the idea of cooperation instead of competition.

Referrals

In one of the summer seminar classes for the MBA/MSA students here at Ohio University, the instructor talks about the importance of referrals to the sales process. Referrals can be referrals for selling sponsorships/tickets/etc. and even referrals to other people in the industry to help you sell yourself in order to get a job/internship. One of the things he hits on is the importance of following-up with those people who gave you the referral. It’s important just to update them on what happened with their referral and let them know the status. You don’t have to give them constant updates. It can be as simple as “I contacted “x” and we have a follow-up call scheduled for next week. Thanks again for the contact.” I have to say that in the last several weeks I've experienced this firsthand.

One of the students in the class of 2009 is a close friend. Several weeks ago, one of her classmates asked me to help him out in pursing contacts in the pro sport of his choice. I was happy to do it. Helping students find and build their network is actually one of the things I really enjoy doing. I have two classmates in the sport of his choice. I contacted them personally, gave them info on this student, and then asked if he could schedule some time to talk to them. Both of them took time out of their schedule to talk to him. (That's part of the beauty of the OU SAFM network. Almost everyone is willing to help out fellow SAFM people.)

I've yet to hear another word from this student. Last week at an SAFM event I saw him and asked him how the conversations went. He told me that they went well and that one of my classmates gave him a suggestion that could lead to an internship. Great news! I’m really happy for this guy, but it would have been nice to hear this several weeks ago when it happened. None of us in the industry who help students are asking them to grovel at our feet or kiss our asses, but basic courtesies go a long way. I’m not saying that I absolutely won’t help this guy again if he asks, but I’m honestly not sure how much effort I’ll put forth on his behalf. I’ll think twice about it before I make a final decision, that’s for certain.

Delegating

I just came back from working the ING New York City Marathon. One of the things that I think is hardest for people to learn is how to delegate to the other people, whether people who report directly to them or people who are reporting to them only on a specific project. This came out loud and clear with some of my former colleagues at the marathon. A leader’s job is to lay out the plan and overall vision for a project and then delegate areas of that project to her direct reports. There will be areas that she will manage, and she should know what is happening in all of the areas her direct reports are managing.

I saw a situation occur this weekend where a leader kept such tight control of an event that on the day of the event, his direct reports told a colleague of mine that none of them knew what they were supposed to do for the event (what their responsibilities were) because their leader, who was managing the event, was supposed to give them their assignments, but he never got around to telling them. This was scary to see because there was a lot that needed to be done, yet one person was the only one who knew the plan and he and was trying to complete it alone.

Too many people want to hang on to their areas of responsibility. I think it stems from a couple of issues: thinking that no one can do it better than they can and fear that someone else will be doing their job, and hence, taking away their spotlight. What they don’t realize is that they’re not doing themselves or their direct reports any type of justice by doing this. Good leaders understand and follow the mantra that in order to move up, you’ve got to give up, meaning that in order to grow and climb the ladder of an organization, you have to give up specific control of areas. This doesn’t mean that you give up responsibility for something, but rather that you give up the detailed control. You still oversee an area and are ultimately responsible for it, but you’re not the one hashing out the details. As a leader, you assign new areas to your staff and guide them through the minefield. They walk through the minefield on their own, but you as their leader never allow them to even get close enough to a land mine to cause any damage. One of the keys is to have regular (weekly) meetings with them to review their projects and guide them through the problem areas. A leader should understand all of the areas that report to him and know what is happening in them by way of regular updates from his staff. Giving up the specific tasks allows a leader to take on broader responsibilities and create future leaders by developing their talents. Good leaders lead managers. Great leaders develop and lead other leaders.

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.

Buying Into A Leader

“You can dream, create, design, and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.”

This is a quote from Walt Disney that was painted over the cast entrance to the tunnel at the Magic Kingdom (probably still there). I have found this statement to be very true. I've seen too many leaders think too much about themselves and their own capabilities. They think that they are the only ones who make things happen. The best leaders I've seen and worked for take the notion of this quote to heart, whether they're familiar with the specific quote or not.

I have seen leaders of organizations who had a vision of what they wanted to do, but went about trying to accomplish it seemingly by themselves. Too many times, leaders forget the basic crux of what this quote explains. They start believing their own press releases and hype, and start thinking that they're the only ones who can make things happen.

I've witnessed one leader who has a great passion for her vision, but has done an exceptionally poor job of selling that vision to her staff. Quite frankly, the vision statement, and sometimes the leader herself, have become a punchline within the organization. The main reason, in my opinion, is because the staff doesn't buy into her as a leader. And people will first buy into the leader and THEN buy into the vision. She hasn't done the basic things that good leaders do in order to get to know staff and gain their trust and respect.

She is leading an organization that is teetering on a divide. Within the next six months, I think it is either going to go one way and become a major force in its industry or it is going to fall the other way and completely implode. Unfortunately, my bet is on the latter. In the last three months, seven people have quit (five from one department), which equals 12% of the entire staff. There's been no acknowledgment of it and no desire to find out why. Don't get me wrong, everyone is expendable, but when numbers like that start a mass exodus from an organization, it's a sign of some major problems. A good leader will 1) find out why people are leaving, and 2) do something to correct the problem(s). Neither effort has been made.

My caution in telling this tale is for the following reason: when you start looking for jobs, really consider who the leaders are in that organization. Find out as much as you can about them, their leadership style, their vision. Use your network and ask a lot of questions. I remember hearing a conversation with a 30+ year Disney leader where another person asked him what he looked for in new assignments at Disney. He said that the first thing he always looks at is who his leader will be and what type of leader that person is. I have always remembered that and it has become a major criteria in my job searches as well. There are certain leaders I'd work for again no matter what company they'd joined. All it would take is a phone call from them asking me to come work for them. These are people I've bought into as leaders because I know and respect their leadership style. They've learned what it means to be a good leader. I have confidence that whatever vision they have for their organization will be sound.

In the next post, I'll go through some of the qualities that I think make a good leader, some of the qualities that the people whom I've bought into actually have.

Networking

The contacts you make in the sports world will be important throughout your career. Some of the things you do that may not seem like much at the time or that you do for reasons besides networking, may bring future dividends.

My mentor, JC, was the venue manager for boxing at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. In the late 80's and early 90's, she worked for ProServ. One of her assignments early in her career at ProServ was to meet with the insurance broker about coverage for their events. She said that at the time she thought she was being punished or overlooked by being handed this boring assignment. She became friends with the insurance broker and they are still friends today. The president of the insurance broker's company was friends with Billy Payne at ACOG (Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games). That person forwarded on her resume to Billy Payne who sent it to one of his lieutenants. One meeting later in Atlanta, and she was hired.

I stayed involved with the Ohio University Sports Administration Program for my own personal reasons of wanting to give back and make a contribution to the program that first provided the opportunity for me to make a full-time career of sports. That network has paid off with some of the best friends I've ever had, but also by presenting job opportunities, including a possible new job. The Ohio University SAFM network is very strong. It's almost like an informal family. Anytime I've placed a call to any alumni, they have always returned my call, from the time I was a student to the current day.

Building your network is one of the most important things you will ever do. It's not always important who you know, but rather who knows you. That won't get you the job necessarily, but it will often get your foot in the door and allow you to do the rest of the job of selling yourself. And that is all we as professionals can ask for--the opportunity. You never know where your next opportunity will come from, so keep your network and contacts up to date.

Returning Phone Calls and Emails

One of the things that will take up a lot of your time during the day will be returning phone calls and emails. Always return messages within 24 hours. Follow-up will give you credibility. This is an easy way to establish credibility and a good habit to develop. Schedule time(s) during your day to go through all your messages, even if it has to be before or after traditional work hours. Schedule a specific time or times during the day that you will return voice mail messages. Leave this information on your message so that people know when to expect to hear from you. Remember, even if you don't have an answer for them within 24 hours, still return their call or email to let them know you're woking on it and will get back to them.

Finding Employees

The way for companies to distinguish themselves from their competitors is through their employees. The skills, knowledge, commitment and abilities of the people who work for the company are the greatest assets they have. For great workplaces, there is no shortage of talent. Smart companies are involved in constant hiring. They have talent scouts within the company who are always looking for possible new hires.

For example, Walt Disney World has a program known as Casting Scouts. Throughout the year, cast members (employees) are given small cards with the casting scout logo and information on the card. There are lines on the card where the cast member fills in her name and work location. If she experiences great guest service at a restaurant, hotel, convention center, the airport, etc., she can give one of these cards to that person and tells him that he should consider working at Walt Disney World. The card has the number of the Casting Department (Human Resources) that the person can call. This card tells Casting that this person has exemplified the type of guest service that Disney is looking for. They pass step one of the hiring process.

In The Gifted Boss by Dale Danten, he states that the exceptional employees are rarely the ones who are looking for jobs, which I would agree with. He relates a story of how Lou Holtz would keep a hiring wish list with prospects to fill each coaching position. Holtz said, "You can't wait till there's an opening and say, 'Who can we hire?' That's how you end up with a group of second-stringers." He'd get to know the prospects well enough to know if he wanted to work with them in the future and how to win them over (what their goals were). Being on his wish list was halfway to being hired. Most importantly, when he did have the opportunity to hire them, he wouldn't ask them to come help him, but rather, tell them how he could help them get what they wanted out of their careers.

After I read Danten's book in 1999, I vowed that I would be that type leader in my hiring when I got into a position of authority to be able to make hiring decisions. When I worked various events with great people, I would ask them about their goals while we were making small talk and get to know them better. While at NYRR, I had a list of five people I'd worked with before that were on my hiring wish list to bring to NYRR. I got two of the five in the two years I was there. I don't know if that's a good percentage or a bad percentage. The work that those two exceptional people did was extraordinary. The great thing about hiring exceptional people is that their standards and work ethic are already higher than most other people's. They've both made huge contributions to an organization accustomed to mediocrity. Because I had gained the confidence of my boss by bringing in great talent, the other three people had open-ended job offers. My boss and I had an agreement that if any of those three people changed their minds and called for a job, we would find a place for them in the organization whether we had positions open or not.

Event Planning Tools - Timelines

Timelines

This is probably one of the most important documents you'll learn to use. The best program to use for timelines is Excel (in my opinion). Other people use Microsoft Project for their overall project plan, but I'm not a huge fan of Project. Excel is a very important program to learn to use. It is capable of doing many, many things. Also, most people have Excel on their computers. The same is not true for Project. When creating a timeline, I start out by looking at the various functional areas and what the respective deliverables are. Work with your contacts in those functional areas to establish realistic deliverable dates.

For the format, moving left to right on the page, I usually have the following columns:

Days Out - meaning how many days before the event is the task due
Date Due - the date that this equals
Task - what needs to be done, in detail
Responsibility - either the person's name or the department's name
Notes - any special information
Sometimes I will add a Date Completed column. I will do this in a situation where it's a new event that will be a repeat event, and I don't know how long it will take to complete a lot of the tasks.

I also put an auto filter on the entire document to allow sorting to be much easier, especially for very detailed and long timelines.

If you're working on repeat events, you can set up a template timeline. Put in the number of days out that the an action needs to take place (e.g., signage ordered 30 days before the event). With Excel you can create a formula that allows you to simply enter the date of the event in a cell (I put this cell at the top of my timeline), and the due dates will fill in the second column based on the number of days out previously entered in the first column.

Timelines keep everyone on task and keep the project moving forward on a common schedule.

Event Planning Tools - Fast Facts and Checklists

There are some major tools that event managers use everyday. Three of the main ones are: fast fact sheets, checklists, and timelines. They're all very important for keeping the planning and management of events on track. Different people use different formats, and some may even have different names for some of these documents. This blog will cover fast facts and checklists. A later blog will cover timelines.


Event Fast Facts

This is usually 1-2 pages. It is a very high level summary of all the general information. This should be short, to the point, and unambiguous about the information it covers. This document is very helpful for people in the organization who answer the phones and/or email. They often get a lot of general, high level questions, and rather than calling you for the answer to every one of them, they should have the information at their fingertips.

Here are some of the standard types of information I include in my fast fact sheets:
- start and end times and loctions (both for internal setup and for participants)
- maps and diagrams
- transportation options and directions
- broadcast information
- registration times and locations
- website addresses
- travel booking contact numbers
- awards
- volunteer information
- contact numbers and email for event staff, both on race day and before


Checklists

Checklists can be used in pre-planning and for the day-of the event, but I primarily use them for the day-of. My timeline often acts as my pre-event checklist. For each area on event day (e.g., for a road race - start, course, finish, post-race, etc.), prepare a checklist of what needs to happen in each area by what time. Also, prepare an equipment checklist for the logistics team for packing and setup. For example, drop-off of specific equipment, volunteer arrival, participant arrival, etc. This helps the person managing that area help you by making sure nothing is missed.

These two tools will prove invaluable in your preparation for your events.

Know Your Environment

A lot of companies will schedule happy hours throughout the year. Although I definitely recommend going to these to get to know the people you work with, it's also important to be aware of your environment. Understand the difference between drinking with your friends and drinking with colleagues, even if the people you work with are both. I've seen people do some pretty stupid things, like slamming boilermakers in front of company executives while they looked on with mouths gaping. Although this person and some others thought it was funny, his professional image never recovered. The work he did was fabulous, but he was never assigned any projects that were high profile or that involved sponsors. Upper management were afraid of what he might do or say when in meetings, via email, etc. Right or wrong, perception is often reality, and it carries over to other areas. Don't let stupid decisions you make in your early career impact where your career may go in the future.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Introduction

I decided to start this blog after having several discussions with people about working in the sports industry, especially younger people just starting their careers or currently in college.

Why a blog about the sports industry and working in sports?
1. When I went to graduate school for my master’s degree in Sports Administration, what we were taught wasn’t often what it was really like in the work world. Grad school was great for theorizing, but it didn’t address a lot of the everyday issues I’ve faced working in sports.
2. I enjoy teaching and mentoring. I’ve done quite a bit of it over the last 10 years, to the point where many people are encouraging me to do it as a full-time occupation. We’ll see.
3. I want to cover some of the basic things about working in sports that I don’t think many people are taught. They’re often forced to learn them on their own.
4. I’ve searched various places on the web and haven’t found many of this type out there. I’m trying to fill a perceived void.
5. I want to comment on current events happening in the sports industry and also on some of the things that I’ve experienced/witnessed in my ten years of working in the industry.

I’ll try to keep the postings relatively focused on a single item/issue. If a topic needs to be broken up, I’ll continue it in postings on subsequent days.

Not by any stretch of the imagination do I presume to be the authority on working in sports. I have, however, seen quite a lot in many different areas of the sports industry and will give my observations and opinions based on them. I also talk to a lot of friends in the sports industry and get feedback from them on what they wish they would have known or what they wish their employees knew.

I welcome questions and comments. Hopefully people will find this useful in some way.