Over the course of my professional career, which has been entirely in the sports industry, I’ve been humbled in the presence of great leadership. One thing’s for sure: the sports industry is filled with leaders whose teams perform at extremely high levels all over the world and have so much to be proud of, especially given that our industry is highly nuanced, sought after, and competitive.
With that, navigating tough situations and making difficult decisions is often the only constant. A leader can be viewed through a variety of lenses; many are loved, liked, or simply tolerated for different reasons. But to better understand a sports industry leader’s role and create the foundation for this piece, here’s a breakdown of what leadership truly is and isn’t.
Leadership IS…
· A series of actions
· Making sacrifices and going out of your way to help others achieve greatness
· Holding yourself and your team accountable; asking the tough questions
· Continually revisiting your processes. What works, what really works, and what doesn’t work?
· Setting your standards apart from the basics and upholding creatively intentional expectations
· Showing up and doing the work alongside your team
· Setting the tone with your passion, dedication, diligence, zeal, faith, bravery, hope, and resilience
· Resourceful! Recognizing and amplifying each individual’s strengths to benefit the team
· What you’re doing when no one is watching (learning new skills, improving your craft, etc.)
· An awareness of how much you don’t know and need all your teammates
· Experiencing success because YOU create an environment that brings out the best in everyone
Leadership IS NOT…
· A position, role, or title
· Demanding in any way, or inflexibility as to how tasks are accomplished
· Slacking off or complaining in the face of adversity
· Taking all the credit for team efforts and wins; otherwise selfish in any way
· Controlling or micromanaging team members in a way that prevents them from growth
· Looking backwards at how something “has always been done”
· Unreliability; “not my area of work/expertise; not my problem; not my fault”
· Knowing it all
· A weak or nonexistent team vision, values, culture, goals, and/or direction
Leading others well and by example, holding yourself accountable with and without supervision, and being a good influence on those around you isn’t always easy, but anyone can take this initiative and start any time! A natural leader has many qualities that are applicable in a sports workplace environment, regardless of their professional title. Any good manager loves when natural leaders who report to them maintain the highest standards for themselves, as it often rubs off on those around them and simultaneously sets them up for more responsibility in a supervisory capacity.
Below are ways anyone in sports, regardless of your title, can be a Leader:
· Attitude is EVERYTHING. Next time you and your team are in a challenging situation, try throwing some of these phrases in:
o “How can I help?”
o “(Colleague’s name) had a great idea!”
o “Never been done before? No sweat. We CAN do this. Let’s figure it out together!”
o “What can we do differently next time for even better results?
o And while you aren’t talking? LISTEN! The best leaders are also some of the best listeners. They absorb and pick up on details other team members may not while they’re in their heads preparing to talk again.
· Routine is so important! A solid daily routine with constants you can count on, whether it’s regular business hours with the team away or it’s an event/game day, will ground you mentally and lock you in for success. It will also set a great example for those around you! Try these:
o Give yourself plenty of time in the morning to prep for the day ahead. Maybe you stretch, read, pay the gym a visit, make a good breakfast, cue up an energizing podcast, or a combo of these. Even if your “in time” varies day to day, consistency here is key.
o Meals around the same time every day will keep your mind fresh and focused.
o Stay hydrated! All day! Game changer for clarity and staying energized.
· Learn about everyone around you, from executives to entry-level employees.
o Using your memory to retain important details, or making quick notes about co-workers to reference later, will show others you’re genuine and help create conversation that’s exponentially more interesting than surface-level interactions. Case in point: any time a co-worker asks about my rescue Frenchie, Coach, it makes my day!
· Get creative and set yourself apart!
o What are some of your favorite things, and how can you integrate them into your work life? Personally, I love helping others, giving back, and making a difference, which is why I’m a mentor with theClubhouse®. In addition, wellness, stretching, and movement are my passions, and I am a Certified Personal Trainer, which led me to join a “MoveWell” committee at my company. Lastly, my love for sports history and baseball led to my part-time job as a Dodgers tour guide, and various media appearances representing the Coliseum as a spokesperson. Your passions are a guiding light as you define your identity and may open leadership doors you may not even know exist!
Lastly, to provide additional perspective I asked three of my colleagues with decades of effective leadership experience to talk about what their leadership roles mean to them.
Cristal Chavez – Assistant Manager, Event Services
Cristal oversees our Command Center on event days, and manages over 100 event day employees.
1. Describe in one word what leadership means to you: Respect.
2. In your opinion, what’s the best part of managing a team and having the ability to influence your staff in a positive way? The best part about managing a team is having the ability to create a comfortable work environment where people feel confident, respected, and valued. Many of our staff members and partners return to work with us season after season because of the work environment we have created for them at the Coliseum. Their dedication and consistency to our venue is what makes us the best in the business!
Nick Hanneke – Manager, Event Operations
Nick manages over 20 full and part-time employees. He oversees our Event Operations teams, who set up (load-in) and tear down (load-out) all event spaces throughout the Coliseum.
1. Describe in one word what leadership means to you: Accountability.
2. In your opinion, what’s the best part of managing a team and having the ability to influence your staff in a positive way? The best part of managing a team is finding, harnessing, teaching, and developing the talent you are tasked with leading. As a leader, your team is not just there to work for you, but you are also responsible for working for them and serving them in their respective roles and career paths. It is your duty to provide opportunities for your team members to grow and develop their professional (and/or personal) skills, while setting them up for success and putting them in a position to take that next step forward. If you can provide a clear vision for not just your team, but for each individual as well, you can begin to align everyone to work toward the common goal.
Tina Boonmag – Senior Manager, Coliseum Experience & Team Development
Tina manages over 90 event day Customer Service employees, as well as overseeing the Coliseum workplace experience. She also proudly earned her Executive Master’s Degree in Leadership from USC!
1. Describe in one word what leadership means to you: One word?! That’s tough! 😊 Leadership is a critical component when developing high performing teams, having the right leaders who not only produce the work but also have the right attitude is key. Leaders should continuously seek to improve themselves for the betterment of those that they lead.
2. In your opinion, what’s the best part of managing a team and having the ability to influence your staff in a positive way? The BEST part about being able to manage a team is being a positive influence in their lives so that they can in turn take these positive traits into other realms of their lives. The most touching stories I’ve heard from my staff are when they do something well in life/school/work and say “I took what you taught me and applied it to (this.)” It’s so humbling that our staff choose to spend their time working with us, and feel a huge responsibility to always give them my best self.