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.
