Today’s post is about another blog – How to Change The World by Guy Kawasaki.
His latest post is about My Alltop – an online platform that allows you to manage your favourite blogs in one place and keep RSS feeds on your iphone.
It’s very simple and great for those times when you’re out of the office and have some time to read (in between meetings, sitting in a taxi, waiting at the airport etc).
In my last post, I talked about playing to your strengths. So how does this relate to athlete management?
Well, as an athlete manager, you shouldn’t waste all your time improving an athlete’s weaknesses to make them more marketable. Rather, you should play on their strengths to own a niche category.
Not every athlete fits the Ian Thorpe / Pat Rafter mould. Don’t try to make your athlete something they are not.
Embrace your athlete’s true colours. But shine a spotlight on their strengths.
You see, what one sponsor perceives to be a weakness, is another sponsor’s gain.
If your athlete has a bad boy image (within context) that appeal’s to females then why not capitalise on that? The other approach is to burn an enormous amount of energy trying to change perceptions – only to mislead the public and sponsors.
This strategy will let you grab a piece of the sponsorship pie, be it a smaller piece but its better than going hungry.
Everyone in this world is given a different combination of strengths, just as everyone is given different weaknesses. Yet so many people waste time trying to catch up on their weaknesses that they never fully capitalise on their strengths.
Why be mediocre at a dozen things when you can be master of a couple?
It’s hardly surprising that people love to do what they are good at (strengths). And often what doesn’t come naturally pains them (weaknesses).
I bet you’ve heard the phrase, “to be successful you’ve got to do what you enjoy most”. But do you know why? When you do things you enjoy, you are playing to your own personal strengths, so success comes naturally.
Next time you find yourself enjoying a task, be it writing, drawing, calculating numbers, being creative or managing people. Ask yourself if that task aligns with a strength of yours. I think you know what the answer will be.
Using the 80/20 rule, if you can play to your strengths 80% of the time and work on your weaknesses 20% of the time you will be shocked at the ease of which you find success.
You were given talents, not so you can work on fixing your weaknesses. You were given talents so you can use them to be the best you can be.
I noticed Mitchell Johnson’s mum is in the news again today, this time defending her recent outburst having any link to Johnson’s poor Ashes form. I’ve watched this story unfold with interest.
First of all, having a private family matter debated in the media like this is awful and I really feel sorry for Mitchell (anyone who says this hasn’t had some impact on his below par Ashes performance has never worked with elite athletes).
This story has raised a good issue though. And that is, family members, partners, friends or even long lost relatives of celebrities have the opportunity to go to the media at anytime. So what drives people to seek out the media? It comes down to one or a combination of these things:
So we know what drives it, the hard thing is stopping it. When manager’s sign athletes they’ll often ask about skeleton’s in the closet. This refers to anything the manager should be aware of that could warrant media attention or impact on sponsorship down the track. Maybe it’s time managers also discussed over-zealous family, friends and relatives? I’m not saying this will prevent any outbursts but if a manager knows about it they can at least think of strategy before it happens.
Back to the Johnson case, and what a recipe for the tabloids! Here we have Australia’s newest and brightest cricketing star, throw in his attractive partner, a mum crying for his attention, the rising popularity of the WAG’s and a tense Ashes battle and you have newspaper editors rubbing their hands with glee.
So what should athletes and managers do in this situation? Firstly, don’t shoot back. Its good see Mitchell and his partner have not resorted to a Jana Pittman verse Tamsyn Lewis debate in the media. Second of all, you need to silence the speaker. This can be achieved peacefully or by legal action in extreme cases.
That’s it. What seems complex is really not. The media will continue to dig this up until either its resolved or the offending party stops talking. Choose a path, stick to it and watch the issue go away.
If someone burns you badly in business, chances are you’re not going to do business with them in future, right?
Well, most people wouldn’t, but unfortunately it’s not always that black and white, particularly when it comes to athletes and journalists.
Journalists burn athletes in the media all the time. But it flows both ways. It’s a mix of good, bad and downright ugly.
Often bad press is warranted. When that happens, athletes have to be honest, take it on the chin and move on.
Other times, a journalist may have misinterpreted or over-exaggerated the facts. This usually leaves a bitter taste in the athlete’s mouth and they’ll jump up and down vowing to never speak with that journalist again.
In this situation, you have three options:
The first option is an easy one to take (if you want to create an enemy for life). You see, often journalists are not personal, they’ll write what they believe will sell newspapers, bring in ad dollars or please the boss. So when you banish a journo, what you’re doing is making things personal. Suddenly they’ll only see your athlete through grey coloured glasses (and report on it). Not good.
The second option is best if the issue is small fry or the journalist has a history of backing your athlete with positive press. Sometimes you gotta take the good with the bad, particularly when there is more good than bad or the bad just aint that bad.
The third option. If you have a strong case and your athlete is really upset, then you have to discuss it with the journalist (in a constructive, calm manner). It’s not going to change what’s happened. But it lets the journo know you’re watching them and that they are accountable in some respects for what they report. Build respect here and let them know your door is always open. Encourage them to come to you first when reporting on future negative press.
Now let’s turn our attention to the athlete. Educate them on the points above. Lay everything on the table. They need to understand how the media works. There is more long term benefit for the athlete in keeping the peace than to shoot off over something people will soon forget.
What skills do athlete managers need to be successful? I’m not going to burden you with a long list. In my experience, the six skills below are crucial.
Communication / Sales
I’ve grouped these two together because sales IS communication. Managing athletes is all about relationships. The better your communication, the better your relationships. This includes strong reading and writing skills and brilliant face to face contact.
Negotiation
Time management
If you can’t manage your own time, how do you expect to manage someone else? A simple strategy I use is Big Rocks. Use this when managing your own time and the athletes you are responsible for.
Legal Eye
You don’t have to be a Supreme Court Justice but you do need to able to read and understand a contract. You should get the best legal advice but at the same you should be able to cross their T’s and dot their I’s?
Leadership
Leaders ask great questions, have a yearn to learn, are ethical, decisive, calm under pressure, and lead by their actions.
Candid
I’ve dedicated a blog to this. This is a trait that doesn’t come naturally to a lot of people. So if you have it, you’ll stand out from the rest and find that people respect you lot more. Famous CEO of General Electric Jack Welch built his company on this attribute so trust it.
If you’re a manager with multiple clients, chances are you have a few green eyed monsters in your closet.
Athletes are naturally competitive. And believe me, they keep an eye on the other athletes you manage. For example, they know when someone else you manage signs an endorsement.
The thing is athletes rarely confront you about it. They prefer to internally rationalise the reasons why they missed out on a particular deal but deep down they question whether you’re playing favourites.
Sport managers don’t play favourites, for the simple reason that sponsors don’t give us a chance to play favourites. Sponsors are very picky and choosy. If they come to us, they come with one athlete in mind for very specific reasons.
Likewise, we carefully select athletes when pitching for sponsorship. A lot of research goes into presenting to a brand. It’s not a hit and hope strategy. We don’t compromise our chances of doing business with a sponsor by recommending an athlete with no synergy or fit for that brand.
Whilst I can’t speak for every manager, this is how I operate and athletes need to understand this.
I would urge green eyed monsters to talk to their managers about their concerns. “Why did I miss out on that deal?” “Was my hat in the ring?” If not, why?
Athletes will soon understand the complexities of how sponsors make their decisions and they’ll begin to realise it’s never personal. It’s business. And business is tough.
Established sport management agencies get lots of interest from athletes wanting representation.
Nothing wrong with that. However, 99% do not tick enough boxes to be seriously considered for management.
In a nutshell, agencies only take on athletes who are well established or have great earning potential.
What does ‘well established’ mean? It means that from day one, the agency should be able to take you to market. You already possess a solid media profile, maybe you compete in a mainstream sport with significant media attention, the thing is, you already have a bankable brand the agency can sell.
The other option is to have ‘great earning potential’. Maybe not now, but definitely in the mid to long term. It’s risk for reward. If the agency are to invest a lot of time and energy in you, then they need to see significant upside down the track.
If you’re not sure what boxes to tick before approaching management agencies, then refer to “10 Things That Make an Australian Athlete Marketable”.
Be realistic. The last thing an agency wants to do is waste your time and give you false expectations. Add to that, most agencies have an obligation to their well established clients who demand attention and servicing. It’s a workload thing as much as a risk verse reward proposition.
Having a camera shoved in your face post match can be an awkward situation for even the most experienced sportspeople.
Often your mind is somewhere else. You’re not only exhausted but you’re probably self conscious about how you look having just stepped out of the heat of the battle. On top of that you might be angry, upset or crazy excited depending on the sporting result.
All these elements make for interesting TV viewing. Some interviews run smoothly, while others resemble deer in the headlights stuff. Let’s look at the do’s and don’ts when you next find yourself in the limelight post match.
Do
Don’t
There is nothing more to it really. You have 30 seconds, maybe more to be at your best in front of camera. Make it count.
Just like products, athletes have target markets. A group of people or demographic they appeal to.
This is the first thing sponsors look at when deciding on sponsorship. So it would make sense that the broader appeal you have, or the more market segments you can cross, the easier it is to pick up sponsorship? Yep. Hold that thought.
Now, most athletes can only accommodate up to half a dozen big blue chip sponsors and maybe a few extra lower level sponsors or equipment sponsors. Anymore than that, is pushing it. There is only so much time for work, rest and play in the world of an athlete.
So if a high profile athlete is limited to six major sponsors, it would make sense that those sponsors have differing target markets right? This gives the athlete exposure in more markets. Broader appeal = more powerful brand = longevity in the sponsorship game.
If we look at Tiger Woods’ major sponsors, you will notice they broaden his appeal in different market segments. Guys like Accenture, AT&T, EA Sports, Gatorade, Gillette, Upper Deck, Laser Eye Centres, Nike and TAG Heuer cross many markets. Golfers, gamers, kids, middle age, high income earners, families, etc etc.
Before you run off and sign 10 sponsors in different industries. Know that you can’t be everything to everyone. Although Tiger’s appeal is broad, his management haven’t steered away from his own brand. They realise there is little reward in appealing to a big female audience. This would be a waste of time when they already have a pot of gold with Tiger’s core demographic of kids and white collar middle age males.
The trick is to work on your athlete’s brand first and then look at the different markets you can penetrate for maximum exposure with that brand.
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