My 2 Cents
I often find myself being asked about my journey within this industry. It might be one of our interns trying to discover his/her own path, a colleague interested in the course I took to get to where I am today, or just a curious athlete wanting to know how I ended up in this field. These small innocuous queries about my history always stir up memories of the past fourteen years. From an intern to a graduate assistant (GA) then my first full-time job at IMG Academies in Florida; then I moved to Arizona as part of a team to facilitate the creation of Athletes’ Performance. Recognizing my desire to further my education, I made the transition back to college for a PhD and soon after moving into the position as the Director of Sports Performance at Stanford University while concurrently preparing our USA National Softball team in preparation for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
As I reflect upon my good luck and fortune of being around some truly amazing people over the years, I realize that the things I did (and still do) haven’t changed all that much. At the end of the day, it all goes back to 12 fundamental ideas. So, I thought it might be helpful to provide a little insight (to those of you who are interested) into what I believe are those fundamental notions (listed in no particular order).
As an Intern...
Exceed expectations.
Ask questions.
Read, read, read.
Learn as much as you can.
Keep an open mind.
Be professional.
Be punctual (early).
Love what you do.
Remember that you are there to learn and do just that.
Do not think that you know it all (you may feel like you do).
Represent yourself and group that you are working for well (you are reflection of someone other than yourself).
Thank those who have mentored you.
As a Graduate Assistant...
Exceed expectations.
Ask questions.
Keep reading, keep reading, keep reading.
Learn as much as you can.
Keep an open mind.
Be professional.
Be punctual (early).
Love what you do.
Remember that you are there to learn and do just that.
Do not think that you know it all (I think I am finally getting this).
Represent yourself and group that you are working for well.
Thank those who have mentored you.
As a Performance Specialist...
Exceed expectations.
Ask questions.
Continue to read, read, read.
Learn as much as you can.
Keep an open mind.
Be professional.
Be punctual (early).
Love what you do.
Remember that you are there to learn and teach...do just that.
Do not think that you know it all (I thought I was getting it, but I was wrong).
Represent yourself and group that you are working for well.
Thank those who have mentored you.
As an Associate Director...
Exceed expectations.
Ask questions.
Still keep reading and reading and reading.
Learn as much as you can.
Keep an open mind.
Be professional.
Be punctual (early).
Love what you do.
Remember that you are there to learn and teach...do just that.
Do not think that you know it all (So much to learn).
Represent yourself and group that you are working for well.
Thank those who have mentored you.
As a Director...
Exceed expectations and create and promote an environment where others can do the same.
Ask questions and create and promote an environment where others can do the same.
Continue to still keep reading and reading and reading and encourage others to do the same.
Learn as much as you can...especially from your staff.
Keep an open mind.
Be professional and treat your staff with professionalism.
Be punctual (early)
Love what you do and create and promote an environment where others can
do the same.
Do not think that you know it all (I can’t believe how much I don’t know).
Represent yourself and group that you are working for well.
Thank those who have mentored you and provide good mentorship.
Hire people who do all of the above.
More to come...