Basically I'm Basic, and That's More Than Fine

Having been fortunate to serve organizations that developed strong brands and personalities throughout my career, I am occasionally invited to attend sports management or marketing courses at various post secondary institutions regarding my career pathway and tips to succeed in the competitive environment. So I thought I’d put these thoughts on paper.

While it may not be as simple as Robert Fulghum’s All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, for someone like me to succeed, the path needed to be pretty basic. For some reason, basic has a negative connotation. However, in a complicated world, basic functions and characteristics still serve people well.

Write Right. I don’t care that the world now revolves around 140 characters of text or six seconds of video, there is still no substitution for the written word. It took me two cracks at OAC English (note: kids today, that was Grade 13), and two professional mentors - the now retired Steve Dranitsaris, former executive officer at York University’s School of Kinesiology and Health Science, and communications guru John Lashway, who I proudly served at the Raptors - to understand that writing remains at the very foundation of the professional world.

There is no exchange for hard work and sacrifice. My father has spent the better part of 40 years working in a factory, busting his tail for the betterment of his family after moving from former Yugoslavia, by himself, at 17 years of age. His mother, my Baka (seen above with Dad), recently moved to Canada after living on a farm in a small Croatian village for nearly 70 years, the last 30 alone. While I have been blessed with an entirely different set of skills (the factory and farm would’ve killed me within days), it doesn’t mean the pace is different. It took some time for my father to understand that I can put in the same effort as him, despite having fingers that type instead of weld. Working for places like Tennis Canada and MLSE, I have been blessed with some amazing work trips and world-class experiences. But many came with a price. You need to have a very understanding network of family and friends to endure the long hours associated with the professional sports industry. I am truly grateful for the family work ethic, and equally of accepting this 24/7 marketplace.

People Are People. Depeche Mode was right in 1984. Unless you are working alone on a fishing boat or you are Sandra Bullock flying solo in a spacecraft, you need to understand how humans operate. This industry is just as much about psychology as it is sports. Not everyone needs to be an extrovert and love the microphone like a certain lead singer of a certain cover band (www.3ht.ca), but in order to advance in this society, we must all learn how to co-exist, and leverage relationships for our development. Not everyone ticks the same and learning that is part of the fun. You never know when you will need to call upon your growing network – trust me. When you require help, ask. We’ve been there.

Information Overload. In this day and age, I’m stunned when conducting an interview and it’s obvious the candidate doesn’t know much about the organization. Research. When you’re done, research some more. With the level of public information and transparency in most ethically-run organizations today, you should be able to get every business detail online except the CEO’s favourite colour. When networking or interviewing, it should not be difficult to show people that you’ve done your homework with thoughtful, strategic questions. It’s easy to impress, but just as easy to fail. Do your homework.

Volunteer. It feels good. Use your talent to help others. Service adds perspective. Volunteering will also give you experience and more connections. Just do it for the right reasons.

Stttrrretch. Are you flexible? Can you adapt? Are you willing to push the limits of your comfort level to expand your knowledge and grow the organization you are serving? Many of today’s top broadcasters paid dues by starting their craft in some rural Canadian town. Personally, I’ve been fortunate to work for leaders who have embraced innovation and allowed me to expand the capacity of my portfolio as long as my prescribed duties were completed with excellence. Thanks to Michael Downey and Derek Strang at Tennis Canada, my job was entirely different the day I left the national sport governing body than it was when I started five years earlier:

Digital strategist? Sure!

Olympic broadcaster? Yes please.

Radio host? Why not?

Symposium moderator? Let’s give it a try.

Grant writer? Okay. 

Thanks to their faith and my willingness to try new things (just not oysters), the portfolio at Tennis Canada expanded exponentially. Set no boundaries. Learn and grow. The company will do the same and thank you for it.

There is no doubt it’s more difficult for graduates to land their dream sports job today. At least a paying dream job. Demands for higher education, work experience and technical knowledge, coupled with financial pressures add stress to the challenge of getting your foot in the right door.

I’m like my LinkedIn account, Basic, and it’s worked so far.