From Sports Management to Association Management: There’s No I in Team
By: Jenna Jones, Program Coordinator
December 21st marked the first day of Winter, which means Fall – my favorite time of year – is officially over. There are many reasons to love this season. The smell of fresh cut grass, the leaves changing colors and beginning to fall from the trees, and the almost abrupt change in weather. However, my love for this time of year is for a totally different reason than most. Yep, you might have guessed it, the beginning of yet another football season, or better yet, the beginning of another year of sports. But not everyone feels that way.
With a vast background in athletics and a master’s in Sport Management, joining an association management company was a little unnerving to me. Would leaving the sports industry to join the rest of the world be a challenge for me? I wondered how I would fit in with my colleagues and I remember thinking to myself, “How on earth will I be able to apply my background in sports to this company?” Will I be able to be successful here? It didn’t take long for me to realize that although these are two completely different industries, they do share one common thread: teamwork.
Everyone has heard the saying ‘There’s no I in team’ and the same goes for an association management company. We are all on the same team here, routing for each other on a daily basis. We pitch in to help each other achieve overall company goals. When one person wins, we all win; when one person fails, we crowd around them with encouraging words. This takes me back to sports. It seems the same applies to both industries. It’s a great feeling to know I can revert back to things I learned from athletics and apply them to my new position. The overall goal is to be successful as an organization, which would be the same for a team.
It looks like we all share the same aspirations. I finally realized I didn’t retire from the sports industry; I was just traded to another team. I still have the opportunity to play the game, which is what’s most important and rewarding overall.
