What separates you from the pack? I became motivated to write on this topic after I had a one on one meeting with Chris Massaro MTSU's Athletic Director. The purpose of the meeting was to hear directly from the guy sitting in my desired seat what type of vision I should have if I plan to become an Athletic Director. What is the best approach to moving up in Athletics?
He asked me am I a lantern mover or a road map reader? So this motivated me to write about the differences in the two.
What does it mean to be a lantern mover vs a road map reader. In the old Chicago Fire Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicked over the lantern that burnt the barn that burnt the neighborhood that burnt half the city. If Mrs. O'Leary was the visionary she would've noticed that the lantern was too close to the cow therefore move it out of harms way. College athletics is typically centered around two ideas: Win Championships, Graduate Students. These two basic ideas have transitioned the institution into a multimillion (in some rare cases, billion dollar industry) meaning it is becoming a business. Every business wants employees that "get it" and understand the mission and vision of the company. In athletics it is to win championships and graduate students. Precise marketing, proper exploitation through SID, development etc are all becoming vital aspects in recruiting the right athletes to achieve this goal. The ability to see beyond the present, being able to see beyond the day, and being able to see beyond the current circumstance allows yourself as an employee freedom and latitude to explore your ideas, initiatives, and creative value to the department. There is no need to micro manage a person who visualizes the next step (three steps ahead) unless you have to illustrate the first three steps initially. As a manager and leader I want someone that comes to work, knows the task at hand, anticipates the next move, and brings ideas to the table. If I have lay out steps A, B, C, D everyday every week then what type of value are you adding to me. This is called being a road map reader. Just like in map quest: exit here turn here wave there...its mirco its meticulous and it hinders the growth because you're not thinking forward. Get prepared, visualize efforts to improve situations and start getting creative. In college athletics the trends have been set now for over 100 years...What can you bring to the table that will separate you from all the rest because at the end of the day we all have a diploma, a ten page paper, and an A on our report card but do we all have campaign initiatives, 14 points of fund-raising philosophy, or even the vision to see the multiple untapped audiences and implement a plan to get them involved.
The moral: Look for ways to impress, improve, and implement. Don't let someone map your plan, visualize what the difference maker is and find a way to attach it to your name.
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