Working in sports is a unique journey that can be both exciting and challenging for most people. For Black professionals, especially those navigating the complex landscape of middle management, their path may come with even more hurdles.
Today, we're excited to bring you a collective voice from three of our distinguished career coaches and industry experts who have not only conquered their own career challenges but are dedicated to empowering others in their pursuit of sports career success.
This blog post is more than just advice; it's a celebration of resilience, a testament to the power of community, and a guide for Black middle managers aspiring to break through barriers and elevate their careers to new heights.
Advice from Nicole Britenriker
It is year 5, 10, 15 of your career and you find yourself reflecting on what you’ve accomplished and quite possibly, what you haven’t. Maybe you envisioned yourself in a bigger role with a more advanced title. You think you’re doing everything you’ve been asked and yet, you’re being overlooked for promotions and new opportunities. You are experiencing a frustrated feeling shared by many Black professionals of being stuck in the “middle rung.”
Advancing as a Black middle manager in today's corporate landscape requires a strategic and multifaceted approach that goes beyond traditional career development strategies. Firstly, it's essential to build a strong professional network both within and outside the organization. Cultivating relationships with mentors, sponsors, and peers can provide valuable guidance, support, and opportunities for career advancement.
Secondly, it's vital to manage your professional growth proactively. Take ownership by upskilling and actively seeking stretch opportunities within your current role. Raise your hand for projects that push you outside your comfort zone and provide exposure to different areas of the business. This not only expands your internal business knowledge but also increases your visibility among leaders who can influence your future advancement. For continuous skill development, leverage learning platforms like Coursera, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning to enhance leadership, hard, and soft skills across various subjects and even earn a certification or two.
Finally, looking beyond clichés, “be great at your job” (which stands true), maintain a running list of your accomplishments, denoting your direct contributions to organizational strategy and core objective wins. Accompany this list with the value you brought to each accomplishment, emphasizing unseen contributions, such as mending cross-departmental relationships that led to organizational process improvement. You must be vocal about your desired growth and earned promotion while highlighting your achievements during performance reviews.
Combining strategic networking, continuous learning, and proactive self-promotion are must-do tactics to help you advance to your next. Empower yourself to own your career journey.
💡 Want to work with Nicole? She offers job search assistance, resume reviews, and career/leadership coaching. Click here to learn more about her background at the NBA, LEARFIELD, and the Cincinnati Bengals!
Advice from Trinity Monteiro
No one is going to fight for your career like you can and that is not a knock on the incredible mentors and peers that you may have in the industry, but the fact of the matter is no one else is going to make you their first priority. So when it comes to elevating your career you have to be your own biggest advocate, which I know is much harder said than done. Even as someone who is building a career on advocating for others, I find it extremely hard sometimes to advocate for myself. However, here are some tips and tricks that I have picked up along the way, through successes and failures, to make sure I am pushing myself forward to where I want to be.
Track Your Stats - keep a record of your career wins so when a manager or anyone asks what you have accomplished or why you should be considered for a raise, promotion, or new role, you have your evidence prepared. Again, no one else is going to be a better bookkeeper than you and too often managers are too busy managing to truly take the time to assess your achievements. So when it comes to any type of evaluation, have your stats ready.
Set up a Feedback Routine - At the beginning of any new role set up some time with your manager to specifically discuss how they prefer to give feedback and how you best receive feedback. Feedback can come in many forms such as scheduled check-ins or live and in the moment. Be sure to discuss what will work best for BOTH of you and record whatever feedback you do receive so you can refer back to it when discussing progress and expectations.
Stay Open - We all know the saying that life will laugh the hardest at you when you try to plan it all out. Even when you think you have found the perfect role that you could see yourself staying in for years to come, remain open to conversations about other opportunities. At the end of the day, a conversation can't hurt you, but it can present a new opportunity that you hadn't even dreamt of yet or a new connection that could lead to future collaborations and endeavors. Give yourself permission to stay open to blessings you did not even see coming.
Create Clear Boundaries - Especially as a Black professional we are too often asked to do things outside of our job description. Whether that is leading a Black ERG, assisting in DEI initiatives, or unofficially always being the Black representative on your team to speak for the entire Black population. Create clear boundaries of what you will and will not do without further compensation whether that is pay, a title upgrade, or other benefits, because I promise you companies will work you as a manager, but keep you at coordinator title for as long as they can.
💡 Want to work with Trinity? She offers job search assistance, resume reviews, and networking opportunities. Click here to learn more about her background at the NFL, SEEN, and RISE!
Advice from Antonio Williams
This sounds very elementary, but knowing your company very intimately, will provide the backdrop and the launchpad for advancement. Having an in-depth understanding of your company also requires you to remain present and keenly focused on your present tasks, in your present position. If you deeply understand your company, then you understand the issues and blind-spots that your teammates may endure in other departments, as well as some of the challenges that you may face in your job function. These challenges represent the growth opportunities that you should leverage for advancement. Solving those issues and relying on your creativity and passion to develop new, more efficient ways to arrive at best practices leads to your advancement and new opportunities. You also should make certain that you possess a high level of passion for your industry of choice, given that you may have to depend on that passion and interest, when you sometimes have to perform mundane or routine tasks.
STAY IN THE PRESENT IN ORDER TO DOMINATE THE FUTURE!
💡 Want to work with Antonio? He offers 1:1 career coaching and mentorship calls. Click here to learn more about his background at the NBA, Phoenix Suns, ESPN, Nike, Boras Corporation, and more!
An exclusive event just for you!
🚀 Crafting Your Career in Sports
Hosted by Nicole Britenrike, Antonio Williams, Trinity Monteiro & Bryce Celotto!
📆 Wednesday, February 21, 2024
🕑 7:00-8:30pm EST
📍 Virtual - Zoom
💸 $25 registration fee
Learn from Nicole, Antonio, Trinity & Bryce how to craft your own career path in the sports industry. We will cover topics related to entrepreneurship, career pivoting, networking & personal branding, and career transitions.
This event features:
✅ A panel discussion
✅ A Q&A session
✅ Intimate breakout group coaching
✨ This event is exclusively for Black students and professionals in honor of our celebration of Black History Month! ✨
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