Successful people pique my curiosity. I always wonder, “What makes them tick? How did they find their path? How did they set their goals? What makes them so different than people who don’t succeed. And what makes them special? Is it intelligence? Is it organizational ability? Is it talent?” On my radio show, I interviewed Ross Bjork, the new athletic director for the Ole Miss Rebels. At 39, he is the youngest AD among the NCAA’s FBS schools. Does that qualify him as successful? I’d say, “Um, yes. ”
As he walked into the studio, I could see what Mike Glenn (Executive vice president of Market Development and Corporate Communications for FedEx Corp) was talking about — Bjork makes a strong first impression. But I was curious how he got from being a fullback at Emporia State University to here, head of an S.E.C. athletic program. My first question was, “Looking at your career and education, you obviously wanted to be an athletic director early on. What made you decide you wanted to be one and how did you go about finding your career path?” I’m an editorial cartoonist — a pretty tough career path — and I’m always interested to learn why people pursue tough-to-land jobs.
Bjork said that when he was in college, he thought about becoming a coach. But he noticed the guy in the suit and tie in the really nice office and learned about the duties of the school’s athletic director. He realized that was for him. Then he took what I think is a crucial step: He studied the athletic director’s bio. And then he studied other athletic directors’ bios. I immediately thought of talented writer/speaker Andy Andrews. Andy was homeless, living under a pier in Orange Beach, and began going to the library to read the biographies of successful people. His personal success soon followed. It makes sense: Learn from others’ mistakes. And learn from their successes as well.
He then tailored his education to career in sports management. He took internships and entry-level positions. And then he took another crucial step: He told his bosses that he wanted to become an athletic director. He asked to take on more responsibility and to be able to learn on the job. He asked to be able to handle the day-in and day-out duties that an AD would do. He worked his way up from the bottom. Like Malcolm Gladwell talks about in his book Outliers, he put in his 10,000 hours of hard work before he became overnight success. When he was at Western Kentucky, UCLA and Miami, he learned how to deal with contracts with corporations. He learned the art of fundraising. He handled branding. He managed people. And he did another key step: He built relationships.
Honestly, sometimes it really is who you know. Bjork said he created a network of relationships that kept him plugged into the business. While I was listening to him talk about how important it is to create a network, I thought about the game, “six degrees of separation with Kevin Bacon.” In Mississippi, there are two. So if you know one person, he or she may know another who knows of an opportunity you’d be perfect for. I’d imagine Bjork’s Rolodex (an old paper way of keeping contacts, btw) is impressive.
And I bet I could have a similar discussion with Mississippi State’s Scott Stricklin. Or any other successful person in their field. Successful people have talent. They have energy. But they also have a plan and execute it.
So here’s what I learned from Ross Bjork yesterday:
1. If you want to do something, find other people in your field and learn all you can about them. Read their biographies. Learn how they got to where they are.
2. Tailor your education and jobs to your chosen field. Take the internships and small jobs to get your foot in the door.
3. Once in the door, tell your boss what you want to be when you grow up and then ask for the duties that are required to do that job. Work your butt off and do those duties well. Put in your time. Make it count.
4. And last, but not least, build relationships. It truly is who you know.
