Is That Your Dog on the Website?

That was one of the most unique questions I have ever been asked by a student when I’ve made a guest appearance in a post-secondary classroom.

It was one of many that was posed to me during my visit to Nancy Spotton’s Applied Business Communications – Personal Selling class at George Brown College last Friday. If you have never met Nancy, there is no more ideal person on the planet to be guiding the development of tomorrow’s sport business leaders. I can’t really do justice to the course she has created, but stealing from her Strat Plan it’s all about establishing your personal brand and building on your strengths.

I was honoured that Nancy asked me to attend and share my story and advice for these young students. I assume the intention was for me to impart some wisdom or counsel to these youngsters, along with a dose of inspiration. I assume they wanted to understand how to go about pursuing that first vital role in the industry and what their expectations should be of that job or internship. There was some great dialogue and excellent questions, even beyond the canine inquiry.

Their questions triggered a flow of memories for me that swamped much of my thinking over the weekend. I guess its been a long time since I shared stories of being a paper boy at 12 and the relevance of that role with what I do today. It inspired me to imagine what I would say if I were to write a letter to my younger self about pursuing my first job.

Remarkably, it seems like yesterday that I developed a list of some 50 companies ranked by my desire to work for them and started to target them for interviews. Fortunately for me, I didn’t have to go down very far on that list before I was hired. Unfortunately for me, I was subsequently un-hired when they lost the client before I even started. Fortunately for me, the hiring manager was both horrified that she had to renege on me and compassionate enough to provide some leads for potential employers. One of them, somewhat remarkably, hired me. Remarkable not that I am being self-deprecating (because pigs really can’t fly), but in the fact that I ended up at a company that had never hired someone right out of school before. Let alone someone who was still in school, me, and would actually start working part-time. I owe a big part of that achievement to my mother, who coached me to write a pitch like document to get the job.

Here we go!

October 27, 1987

Dear Much Younger Mark,

It’s time for you to move to the next stage of your life.

The current stage of your life I would call the nickname stage. Some of your friends call you Herschel (as in Walker); others call you Brunswick (as in the bowling ball manufacturer…due to a horrible haircut one day); your best Black Canadian friend calls you Dark (as in appropriate as they may be); you call yourself Mh3 some days and Herschel others (because you are self-absorbed); and your boss at the University of Guelph calls you “Student” (because you are the only student on the Athletic Department Management Team). But young man, it is time to move on.

The world awaits.
Employment is to be gained.
It’s time to put that big mouth of yours to rest and see some action.

Fortunately, I can provide you with 29 years of foresight into what you should do. As I look back at you, you did some things right and some things poorly. Perhaps if I write these things down you may share them with some friends, new or old, to help them along as well. Even if you feel you have done all these things, perhaps you have not recognized them consciously.

1. You need to develop a personal brand. What is your Mission in life (your value to the world? What is your Vision (where you will be in ten years)? What is your Brand Promise (the commitment that a future employer can expect from you)?

2. Have you clearly articulated your strengths and your weaknesses? Have you done so in a way that a future employer can understand the benefit of hiring you?

3. Have you been working on this for a long time? I don’t mean to scare you, but starting to position yourself as employable in fourth year or late during your post-grad, is going to put you behind others.

4. Do you truly understand the definition of Passion? I really should have put this first. Passion trumps (sorry the word trump has a different meaning in 2016 than 1987, so maybe I shouldn’t have used it) everything in my mind. Allow me to repeat, Passion is the most important quality in any team member, each and every day. Whether it be in the workplace, on a team, in a relationship, or during alone time. Passion. Hunger. Commitment. Motivation. Inner Drive. Resilience. All the same thing.

5. Only pursue jobs you will be passionate about.

6. Find a great boss. A friend of mine speaks the truth when he says, “You don’t work for a company, you work for a boss.” I have seen lots of great people at bad companies and I have witnessed many bad people at great companies. Interview your potential boss. Check them out. Find someone who has worked with them. Understand how they work, what is the boss-employee relationship. Be prepared. It’s not like having a Coach, or a Mom, or a Professor.

7. Show me how you can make my company money. Want a job anywhere in the world? If you can demonstrate your role in boosting the bottom line, you will have an offer from any company you wish.

8. Show me you want to start your own company. I am biased. I love entrepreneurs. Maybe we will end up starting it together.

9. Don’t just sit their and Listen. Listen and ask questions. Listen and probe. Listen and offer an answer. Listen actively. Listen to build. Listen to engage. Listen passionately.

10. Be Your Passionate Self.

I am sorry if you wanted me to tell you where to find a lead or who is hiring today. I have a simple answer. Everyone is hiring. Every company that wants to succeed is hiring. Every boss in the world needs another team member. Every organization is short staffed. When they say they aren’t hiring, what they mean is they aren’t hiring YOU.

Best of luck. If you have read this far, I will give you at least a better than average chance of securing that dream role.

Talk soon!

Much Older Mh3