Developing the Next Generation of SIDs: Mentorship Tips and Strategies

Mentoring: Developing the Next Generation of SIDs We all have something to offer to the young professionals in this business. This session will offer tips on how to get involved with assistants, interns and your student assistants and teach them the ins and outs of the business, while also learning to add their skills set to our own professional knowledge. #CoSIDA18

Meet The Panel Panelist Meghan O Brien Director of Marketing, Communications ECAC MOBrien@ecac.org @MOBrien917 Panelist Jon Holtz Director of Athletic Communication Slippery Rock University jonathan.holtz@sru.edu @Holtz158 Panelist Lawrence Fan Sports Information Director San Jose State University Lawrence.Fan@sjsu.edu @LawrenceFanSJSU Panelist Brandee Britt Asst. Dir. of Athletic Communications University of Iowa brandee-britt@uiowa.edu @beebritt34 #CoSIDA18

Building Your Professional Network What is a mentor? According to Merriam-Webster: trusted counselor or guide tutor, coach

Building Your Professional Network Why do I need a mentor? Network Experience Trust Why do I want to be a mentor? Inspire Leadership Investment

Building Your Professional Network How do I connect with people? Step out of your comfort zone Engage with people on professional and personal levels Keep learning to keep growing Make your presences noticeable, yet notable Be an active listener Show up!

Building Your Professional Network Who belongs in my circle? Top 10 people that should be in your network How To Build a Professional Network Forbes.com How do I stay in touch without being annoying? Social media Schedule check-ins Know when to give them space

Mentors vs. Sponsors

Mentors vs. Sponsors

CREATING A CULTURE THAT FOSTERS MENTORING Jon Holtz, Slippery Rock University

BACKGROUND Slippery Rock DII Enrollment 9,000 2 Full-Timers, 1 GA, 1 Intern, 15-20 Undergrad Students 25+ Grads in last 5 years have jobs in sports

OUR CULTURE STARTS WITH HIRING We don t use the term Interview No dressing up required Keep initial meetings relaxed and informal 10-15 minute meetings Make the questions about them

TRAINING LEADS TO MENTORING HIERARCHY Begin cross-training new students early. Allow assistants, GAs, Interns and other students to handle training of skills they are proficient in. Sharing the training duties creates a mentoring hierarchy within your office where multiple mentors can thrive in one environment and mentees can see the roles they ll eventually grow into.

REINFORCE YOUR STAFF Make it a point to reinforce your staff when they succeed. Use mistakes as a teaching moment. No one can grow without an opportunity to learn from mistakes. Ask questions about where confusion came from and work through the issue from start to finish. You understand how vital the staff is, but unless you actually tell them, they won t truly understand their value.

LISTEN. YOULL LEARN SOMETHING. There are things your assistants and students do better than you. What better way to teach leadership and foster a mentoring relationship than letting them teach you something? Listening to suggestions, watching demos of new programs or ways to do things are simple, easy ways to significantly improve the culture in your office.

SIMPLE THINGS TO PROMOTE GOOD CULTURE FEED THEM! Wish them Happy Birthday. Send holiday greetings. Ask about their classes, family, interests. Check in periodically for updates on those things.

EVERYTHING CANT ALWAYS BE WORK Most popular things we do every year to keep our culture strong are end of semester get-togethers. Dinner, bowling and small gifts after the fall around the holidays. We talk about holiday traditions. This creates a strong, personal bond within our staff. It s the best thing we do. Dinner, lawn games at the end of spring.

LASTLY STAY IN TOUCH! Once your staffers or students move on, STAY IN TOUCH! Celebrate their successes after they re gone. Privately AND publicly. Celebrating their success makes great summer filler stories for your web and social sites. Continue to learn from them as they advance their careers. The relationship cycles to the point where THEY become the mentor, and YOU become the mentee.

From Intern Supervisor Brandee Britt @beebritt34 Assistant Director Iowa Athletic Communications

But What The Heck Do I Know? You are qualified to be here Confidence is key Use the age gap to your advantage Set the bar high for yourself. Your interns/students will follow

Take the Blame Don t throw your interns under the bus Build trust Don t take yourself too seriously Be transparent when you make mistakes

Compliment & Encourage Find their uniqueness Workshop their writing but don t give them all the answers Help build their portfolio Own your sport

Compliment & Encourage Congratulate your interns/students on a job well done Encouragement pushes everyone to be better

Reflect on your own experiences What did you appreciate most about your supervisors? What was the most beneficial thing they did for you? Describe the characteristics of your favorite supervisors. Describe the characteristics of your least favorite supervisors. What will you do differently?

Worlds Best Boss The people that you work with are, when you get down to it, your very best friends. -Michael Scott

Get to know your interns as people