Madam Athlete
Madam Athlete
Managing and Mentoring With BMO Director of North American Sponsorships Amy C. Potter
On today’s episode, I’m talking to marketing and sponsorship expert Amy C. Potter about managing and mentoring.
Amy is currently the Director of North American Sponsorships with BMO Financial Group. She teaches us what marketing and sponsorship in business and sports is all about. Amy’s career started on the property side, where she worked at UVA, the University of Maryland, and Northwestern, honing her skills and helping to bring brands to life within the context of college sports. Now at BMO, working on the brand side of marketing, she’s considering proposals from teams in the NBA, NHL, and the NWSL and evaluating how the relationship can benefit both the team and the brand. At work, Amy is committed to managing her team members on an individual basis, allowing each to bring their strengths to the job. She also founded the Chicago chapter of WISE, Women in Sports and Entertainment, as a way of creating a place for women to help one another navigate the historically-male field of business in sports.
We talk about:
- Hiring people who aren’t just bright and talented but are a good fit for team culture.
- Keeping an open dialogue among women in your field about salaries and negotiations.
- Celebrating our wins by keeping a record and using them to write the stories we tell ourselves.
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Welcome to the MetaMathly Podcast. I'm your host, dr Giselle Arnie. I'm a sports medicine physician with a passion for teaching and a mission to support other women with careers in this space. On this show, you'll hear the stories from amazing women in their field of sport and athletics. They'll share their journeys, triumphs and hardships in order to help and inspire you in your own career and life. Thanks for joining us. Let's do this.
Speaker 1:On today's episode, I'm talking to marketing and sponsorship expert Amy C Potter about managing and mentoring. Amy is currently the director of North American sponsorships with BMO Financial Group. She teaches us what marketing and sponsorship in business and sports is all about. Amy's career started on the property side, where she worked at UVA, the University of Maryland and Northwestern, honing her skills and helping to bring brands to life within the context of college sports. Now, at BMO, working on the brand side of marketing, she's considering proposals from teams in the NBA, nhl and the NWSL and evaluating how the relationship can benefit both the team and the brand.
Speaker 1:At work, amy is committed to managing her team members on an individual basis, allowing each to bring their strengths to the job. She also founded the Chicago Chapter of WIES Women in Sports and Entertainment as a way of creating a place for women to help one another navigate the historically male field of business and sports. We talk about hiring people who aren't just bright and talented but are a good fit for team culture, keeping an open dialogue among women in your field about salaries and negotiations, and celebrating our wins by keeping a record and using them to write the stories we tell ourselves. Hi, amy, I'm so excited to talk to you. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast to share your story. I'm really thrilled to hear all about it and get your perspective today.
Speaker 2:So excited to be here and just to meet you. I've heard great things and I know we have many connections, so it's fun to finally be here and share our stories.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love that little kind of connection piece that keeps growing and building and getting to meet so many incredible women working in sports and athletics. And you are on a different I don't know end of the spectrum than I am. You know I'm on the sports med side, you're on the business marketing, sponsorship side, and so there's a ton that I'm like wait, what do you do? What is that? So I'm excited to get into it with you and to learn more and grow myself here today.
Speaker 2:Well, the industry needs both of us, so that's even better that we can support each other and learn from each other, because I don't think anyone wants me in sports medicine.
Speaker 1:And no one wants me on the marketing side of life, oh my gosh. Okay, but let's start. I always started at the beginning with your educational journey and I know you got your undergrad in marketing at George Mason University. And I just curious back in that day, were you thinking I will one day lead this team of, I'll be the director of North American sponsorship for BMO financial group and work for NBA and HLMLS, or like? What were your initial career thoughts when you were going through school?
Speaker 2:Yeah, no, you are spot on. You never know where you're going to go, even if you have the perfect plan. And I think sometimes you look at somebody's LinkedIn and probably mine a little bit and people are like, oh, she had a plan and a vision. Yes, I had a plan to work hard and really had a passion for sports, but had no idea I would have ended up at a bank and supporting and leading the sponsorships. So really, george Mason, I went and just was in the business school and really learned how business worked and how we sit at the table and were the sponsorship marketing expert.
Speaker 2:And then there's a finance expert next to you as well as an advertising expert and we all had to work together to do presentations and plans. And that, to be honest, that's what really helped me in college was understanding that I needed everyone around the table to be bought in for any project to succeed. And I chose marketing because I love the creative side, but then also my brain is very structured, so I enjoyed that numbers and finance and strategy side as well.
Speaker 1:Is really cool. I think that when I think of marketing and probably a lot of other people do this too I'm thinking of maybe more the advertising side and that creative side. And you know, I've been like, quietly, google stocking you and learning about you and what you do and I'm like, oh, I'm completely wrong, this is not what is going down. So for those of us who are more on the sports meds I got a lot of my listeners are on the sports medicine side and this whole marketing sponsorship piece is new what, like? If you were trying to give us the like quick, what is that marketing sponsorship Like? What is that work that you do?
Speaker 2:Yeah. So marketing has such a depth of different areas. There's, you know, advertising, social, and then sponsorship and so on and so on. So when we look at the sponsorship, our role is to really elevate the brand and create consideration for the brand. And how we do that is picking different partnerships that BMO or any brand wants to get into to elevate the brand and then have people consider using them or partnering with them. So, for example, our relationship with the bulls or the bucks or LAFC. Our role is to get BMO as one of those considerations that so when somebody's looking for a bank, they consider BMO.
Speaker 1:Awesome. So that that actually really does help me kind of like figure that out. And I'm curious for you because you talked about or we might have talked before, but at the beginning, when you were first getting out into the world and you were in the college athletic space, were you I mean, I suppose this is a lot of questions were you purposefully trying to get into the athletics piece and wanting to do this work in that realm? Was that a happy accident? Like how did you get into the sort of athletics relationship and sponsorship side of the world as your first getting out? Because that was like your first job from the beginning was working in sports athletics.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I started at a sports network in Washington DC and we basically covered everything from preseason Ravens to they were the bullets at the time, now the wizards to the caps and all the coaches shows across the region and I really got to know how people sold college athletics. So as a coordinator, you're everything. You're helping write copy. You're running literally tapes at that time to the control room. You are doing everything and anything you can to support the sales and marketing process.
Speaker 2:And then my next role was a University of Virginia and I really helped grow and develop their sponsorship program of how we activate, and what I mean by activate is bringing the brand to life.
Speaker 2:So if you're sitting at a lacrosse match or a football game or watching softball and college athletics, you're seeing logos, whether it's on a screen or in the outfield, or you're drinking a beverage, you're seeing those brands. And so my job was to figure out how to bring those brands to life, not intrude in the game, but show that you can have an enjoyable beverage or you can have a side in the outfield and feel good about that brand. So, truly, I started in college athletics and went to some great universities to really hone my skills and then inevitably learn how to sell sponsorships. So I had the opportunity to represent many great universities and learn how to promote and sell and that's my passion is college athletics and the student athlete experience and really that those revenues went to keep the lights on, to buy uniforms, to do all those things. So back in that day it was really a unique opportunity to help grow and help the bottom line to a budget for a university.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is really interesting. And so for and to make sure I'm understanding this right, when you were working for the university's, you are hired by the university to like help with their sponsorships, but now are you on the opposite side with BMO, so you're still working with at, like athletics teams and those Right, like they're the brands, and you're like does that make sense? Did I get the? Right or totally wrong.
Speaker 2:No, you're spot on. So after about 17 years of selling sponsorships you know they called the property side I went over to the brand side. So you know any of the brands like BMO, which I work for now, Motorola, United, McDonald's, any of those. So now I'm on the other side and we get to evaluate and analyze proposals. So you know it could be the bulls are pitching us or the bucks, or you know the Chicago sky Angel city. So they bring proposals to us and we view and evaluate and determine if that's going to help elevate our brand and increase consideration for people to want to bank with BMO.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that is so cool. I imagine that your earlier experience really helps a lot now that you are on that other side of things, that you can really still take a lot from what you learned and what you experienced there to bring into this new role.
Speaker 2:You are spot on and I think that's something that I reflect on is, if I didn't have the experience before I, I'm a better internal marketer and sponsorship person because of the experience that I had before. So I always take of the little nuggets that I get throughout my career and reflect back on how this is helping me now. So it's always nice to see those and it's it's not what you always think. You know what I mean. I'm not always like okay, I'm now a manager and a senior manager and you know it's not always about the title. It truly is about some of the interactions and experiences you have with humans. Yes, I think that's so important.
Speaker 1:I think that sometimes, as you're going through the career, you don't see those connections unless you really stop and really kind of pay attention and notice it.
Speaker 1:And or you're going through it and you you don't know how this one experience is going to help you in the future or down the line.
Speaker 1:But then you know, five, ten years later you're like oh, this is why I'm able to manage these humans, this is like why I'm able to handle this situation, because I learned that in a totally different setting, different job title, different whatever, but it's that skill or experience that really you bringing with you. Yes, so this is really. This is just fascinating to me because it is, like I said, it's very on the other side of things and I am also curious going to the bank, going to the brand side, now you're still working, you still focus on athletics, on sports, whereas I suppose hypothetically you could also, now that you're the brand side for the bank, like you could be going after anything else to try to do the brand work. Did you sort of purposely Go into the sports teams or like connect to the sports side of the world or stay with that because you had all that experience? Was that the role like how did, how did you stay in athletics even though you switched over to brand in the bank?
Speaker 2:Great question. It was more about the portfolio. So we do have festivals summer fest and Calgary stampede so we do have certain festivals. Where we do partner, the sport is the engagement, the fan engagement, and it's so different than other consumers out there and so we love that sport passion, whether it's NBA, nhl, mls as you can see, women's World Cup Is happening and just the passion behind sport and the energy. There's really nothing to compare. So being able to partner with that passion and the passion of the fans, it really allows us a deeper connection. So Obviously, people can partner in any other way.
Speaker 2:But I would say the other thing that we've really been focused on the last several years has been taking our passion for sport and really sharing it with the fans but then Integrating into our community and our purpose. So you know we call that social impact internally, but what it means is really living out your purpose and how the bank can help impact. That is huge. So you know, with our partnership with Angel City FC, it's not just about putting signs up at the matches, it's not just about the branding yes, very important, so I don't want to downplay that but it truly is about our commitment together to the community and what we're doing for Youth and girls soccer and how we're making an impact to drive the sport but also drive the passion for the team.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I, I love that. I think a lot of companies maybe are starting to kind of Dig into that social impact and seeing where they can make a difference, both, like you know, sure, get your brand out there but also really to be making a difference in, you know, women's sports right now, like you said, women's World Cup where, on the come up like it's, we're here, we're ready and having these investments and having folks in at the kind of ground stages to really help build it's gonna have a big impact both on there, like you know, just brand goals, but also the impact of the sport into women in the future. So I just I love to see that.
Speaker 2:I did you, and I think, as you, something you said resonated with me, it's you know, we want to impact the, the women of the sport, we want to impact everybody in sport. But also businesses need to be a part of that process, because the dollars are with the corporation. So how can businesses make that impact? We want all banks to come with us on the journey. We want all corporations to come with us on the journey. And this consumer, the new consumer, reminds me a lot of my grandmother, who was very much. We're going to put our money where our mouth is.
Speaker 2:We don't spend somewhere if it doesn't believe in what we believe it doesn't believe in being a good person, so I always kind of I love that sentiment is that if that store or restaurant doesn't align with my values, I don't need to go there. We have options to go somewhere else, and I'm seeing this next generation of consumers want that. Their bank, their companies where they purchase their cars, whatever it is, they want to make sure it aligns with their purpose. That's how we're going to make impact and change.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I just I love that. I think it's fantastic, all right. So you talked to like we talked about sort of those experiences you have early on in your career and how they've helped you now and even when you don't always think that they will. And I'm curious, you know, I listened to you on another podcast, on Jahan Blake's podcast, and which was fantastic, and her podcast is also wonderful and people should listen to it. But you were talking about managing humans, right, and you brought that up even here, and I have the sense that this is one of your particular skills and strengths of managing humans and I have, I mean, questions about it.
Speaker 1:But I'm like, I think my first one is really you, and a lot of times in our careers, you start with doing the work and then, if you choose to, you progress up along a path, if you're chosen to.
Speaker 1:There's a whole bunch of things that go down, but, right, one of the pathways is getting into that manager side of life and oftentimes we're not trained how to do that. There is no training about here. This is how you manage humans, this is how you figure this out. You just learned how to do the marketing, the sponsorship, like that's what I learned in school was the medicine. And then, all of a sudden, your team position and you are working with all these athletic trainers and training the coaching coaches and coaches and athletes, and all of a sudden, you're managing this team. They're like huh, this is new, let's just figure this out. So I'm curious for you how you learned these skills and what was the transition like for you to go from the person doing the work to being the person managing the people doing the work probably still doing work, but making that transition into managing and like how do you learn those skills?
Speaker 2:Great question and I would say it is not an easy process and probably my first couple of people I managed would chuckle to see my management style. Now, some of it is a test and learn, but there is a difference between a manager, a leader and even let's just call it a coach and, through my career, really being able to coach people and also coach people up and coach people out. I think we also need to be honest with ourselves and so when you hire, you're looking for the best and the brightest and how they can work within the culture, and I think people forget. Hiring is probably more important now because you have so many great options but you need to hire somebody who fits within your culture. So take that little extra time to find the right hire and not just hire because you need to fill the position. I'm seeing that happen a little bit more. So it's okay if you wait an extra week and you find someone who fits your culture.
Speaker 2:Then I would reflect on just my management style in general is finding where your human strengths are, where people lean in and want to lean in, and then help show them how they can grow and impact the goal and whether the goal is best athletic department ever. Or if you have mission statements, as we do, and we have these 10 goals that my leader gives us that we're all tracking towards, but having that clear direction and if you stray off the direction, you can go to your leader and say, hey, this doesn't feel like we're going to hit the goal. But also having open work, dialogue. It is I have hired people who challenge me, and they should. I want that challenge because it makes our team better. So for me, it's about having that right culture, having the right people around you and having people that are smarter and no more, and are willing to have that voice and willing to step up and challenge you in creating a strong culture.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that sometimes we talk about finding people that fit the culture fit as being limiting and meaning that you're not looking outside of who you already have. But I love how you said but one of the ways that you really work as a manager is to find your individual people's individual strengths and lean into those and figure out how they can help contribute and collaborate with that, rather than trying to force them all to be the same person who has the same strengths, the same impact, the same thought processes. So it's like are we all like? The culture is not a. We want to all look the same, be the same, act the same, sound, the same. The culture is we want people with individual, variable strengths that we can support and encourage in those ways to bring different voices to the table. Because we want those voices to the table, we want to be brainstorming and thinking of new ideas and coming together and I I don't know, I that's really. I love that kind of nuance to things. Well, you have to be a strong leader.
Speaker 2:To get it you have to be okay, like everyone says. Oh, we must work on diversity, inclusion, but if you open your mind to different insights, different everything, you will create a diverse team. You will create a team that is energized by conversation. I will say also having a language that you can talk through conflict and not conflict of anything bad, but I always love, like strength finders or colors, or even love languages for work.
Speaker 2:For me, that is, that is an advantage, because I can have the team take, I'll say, strength finders and I can say, oh, you know so and so is in their zone right now, or they're kind of stressed, let's, let's find the best way to communicate. Or, hey, pick up the phone and call this person. That is a better way to communicate than sending them emails. It looks like there's some interpretation challenges. So being able to let the team have a similar language of someone's going through a stressful time or has a big project coming up and emails may be curried, it's allowing people to say, hey, okay, I'm going to ping this person on the side or I'm going to do this, especially now that we're in a mobile environment where many of us are coming back into the office, but there's people that don't come in every day or they're shifting. It's important that you all have a similar language that you can talk or you can say hey, I'm feeling your stress. How can I help you?
Speaker 1:Yeah, All right, that's so important and it's something that that takes its own growth to sort of realize that like out of your own head. Not everybody thinks like me, not everybody communicates like me, not everybody has the same stressors as me, and so when somebody is is acting up or acting out, or like just not doing what you want them to do is is starting and said from, but like how do they operate? Like what is, what is their thing? Like I'm an introvert, somebody else who's an extrovert, like if I'm.
Speaker 1:If I'm shutting down it's cause I've had too much of the people time and I need to not be in the meeting of 20 people trying to get my voice heard and right, like they're you know, and knowing that about your people. And that's like you said, that managing of the humans, not the team, but like the humans.
Speaker 2:The human side of it and I have a and this is a simple thing that I was told leaders is one of my colleagues. He does not like face to face meetings with me, so when we do a status, we go grab our coffee and we walk downtown. You know, we're downtown Chicago. We take our 30 minute walk. He can take notes in his phone and that's how we do our status.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And that to me is more productive than sitting in front of your computer and in typing notes and seeing if they're processing. And so that makes me realize that not everybody needs, you know, not everybody needs that formal text status. It can be a walk and conversation can happen there, so knowing your humans well enough. And then I have others who are like no, no, no, I want paper, I need to write this off, yeah.
Speaker 2:But you need to know. So don't just start having walking statuses and people are like, well, this is weird, we don't do it during the winter, but for us it really is just. But it takes work. I will say it takes work to know your humans. It takes work to understand that everybody is different and that doesn't mean it all needs to be a big production. But I think if you start putting in little things for people, it allows the opportunity for people to grow and then also be leaders on the team.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yes, I mean, I think there's sometimes, when you're a manager, like, okay, I need to meet with everybody once a week, you know, sometimes there's just these weird holdovers of like I think that's what we should do and and going like, oh no, this, this dude wants to walk and talk like let's, let's go, that's going to be our, that's how we do things, and this person needs a quick email update and this person needs to just sit in front of my face for an hour and like you know and it's a little bit of figuring that out and I'm sure what works for you too If you're like, no, absolutely I cannot walk and talk, like I just cannot, then you got to find your balance between. But I think that individualization is that like advanced level, that advanced technique.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it really is.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you know, and I I on the same podcast I was listening to I and talking about the strengths finders and I, you know, have been doing that recently myself and it's sort of fascinating to see and sometimes you're just like, well, oh duh, no shit, like obviously, like clearly. But sometimes when you don't like formally think about it and formally put it down on paper, then you sort of I don't know, you miss it and you don't really you're not able to optimize it as much. And what I think that I love that is conversation you had with her. You're talking about, okay, strengths and weaknesses, and I think you're specifically talking about when you're in a job interview and they're like what is your biggest weakness? And you're like that's whatever question. But here's what I would do and I'm here talking about okay, if empathy isn't your strength, then Like, here is how you manage that. You're saying here, empathy, not my jam, here is how we manage that if something is going down, then I send this person into talk to them first, who has high empathy, strength and skill to go in and do that. And I kind of love that because I think you know, I said being an introvert and so I know, when I start off in a new job, like you, meet a hundred new people, it's a little overwhelming, and so I tend to be like quiet, shy and I'm forcing myself and I'm like right, new job, I've got to force it, I've got to just be that like friendly, meet the people, do the thing, and like set myself up at the start, cuz, like you know, you don't do that at the start.
Speaker 1:That's the first impression. So I felt it was really interesting, cuz my Response to that was here is something I'm not great at, so I have to force it. And yours was like here's something I'm not great at. Here is how I'm getting other people to do that work for me, so that I'm not trying to force the thing that I am not. You're like great, that's not my jam, let's Figure out how we're working around that, not like trying to push it through.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm people know, if you're not authentic like that like she looks really stressed on this you know you hire the people that can be honest and say you know that message was not received well or that didn't go over well, I'm not sure what your goal was there and being able for someone to challenge me in a very respectful way to say, you know, let's, let's make that shift, or maybe you should do this, or this is what I'm hearing, though that is important, yeah, very important feedback. So when you think about you know, empathy is obviously, as I said was a weakness. So I have humans around me that can help me co lead with empathy, so maybe they go in first and kind of listen and and then set them up to have conversations with me as well. As you know when you're really thinking about how a team works, allowing your teammates to guide and empower and lead each other. This is what leadership is about. You don't have to have a see on your chest to actually be a leader.
Speaker 2:I always talk to my friend who played basketball at Valpo. She was never a captain, but everybody came to her about their challenges and when they needed something or I felt like they were not on their A game. They came to her and so she became what I would consider a captain, without ever having that see on her uniform. So for me, there are leaders throughout the organization that may not have direct reports and I think people also need to think about that.
Speaker 2:And when you talk about introvert, yeah, I'm an extrovert, but I need, I need night time, spend myself, so that's why I honor that and love that. But I will say, having a, instead of having you go on one on one coffees, can you have two people so it becomes more of a dialogue, so it's not always a drain on you. I had an amazing boss who was an introvert and we always had a better dialogue when we would have meetings together or add in a couple more people, as long as it wasn't confidential. So that was a great way for us to create more bonds and relationships together across the enterprise is really good, yeah.
Speaker 1:I love it. So I wanted to ask, because you helped found the what the Chicago chapter of why is women in sports entertainment and are a former president of that chapter, and with all the work that you're doing, because you have really done so much, are doing so much why was it important for you to get that started, get that off the ground and, to you know, spend your time there to lead it yourself like talk about what that all means to you?
Speaker 2:Yeah, one of my closest friends, rita, I'm gonna say 15 years ago but it's probably more, she moved from Cleveland where they had a women in sports chapter and she was like we're starting one here. So she got a group of four of us together who kind of knew each other and we sat down and we realized a couple things. One we realized women weren't always comfortable talking about salaries and how to negotiate and so wise was. Founded on that. Kathy, our president today. I just honor her and watch her working with all different women at different levels to keep our chapters moving and going and create, keep creating the dialogue and networking opportunities For women in sport across the board and events to like to understand that we can have those chats, whether it's, you know, it's a little more natural for men because it was either a locker room or, you know, the 19th green.
Speaker 2:Having a beverage, and so we're allowing those same things to happen, just creating them more around events and linking people up. You know, through wise. For me, it was about giving back to that, making sure when someone's pulling you up, my friend Julie always said, if someone's pulling you up, you better have your hand down pulling someone else up with you, and I take that visual as something very important, as I was guided by both men and women and have wonderful male and female mentors and this wise as a way to continue that. But also even pick up the phone and call someone to say, hey, I have a question. I'm, I want to negotiate more for my salary, and I have done these three key things and they've made an impact on my organization. What do I need to do? What else can I ask? How can I do this? So that that to me, is very important to equip the women and men, but especially women, with the information and data they need to be successful and growing their careers, asking for more and advancing them to other women do the same.
Speaker 2:So, very passionate about wise, very passionate about mentoring and networking, but I always lead in with. It's got to be authentic. You know we, if you're not a one that wants to go around and happy hour and I would say that was probably me many, many years ago. I loved a good happy hour. Now I'm happy to have the coffee or I'm happy to get on the phone for 30 minutes just because schedules are busy. But really finding those ways to connect, authentically connect, I will say yeah, I love that I had.
Speaker 1:I was teaching at a conference this past I don't know week or two ago and it's for brand new sports medicine fellows who have finished most of their medical training but they're doing a final year in sports medicine and I got to meet and talk to a bunch of young women who are just getting started and One of them, who I met and talked with for a good long while she sent me an email just that I got like yesterday, last night, this morning, and it was just the most authentic.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for talking to me. It was great to hear experience. Here is like where my head is that going into all of this stuff? It was lovely to hear yours like I hope we can keep in touch and like it was the most perfect, authentically real email, not the just like hi, can I pick your brain? Like I want to go into sports medicine, can we have you know? I think it was just really I don't know is that and really authentic and I was like, yes, I would love to keep working with you, like call me anytime.
Speaker 2:That was my immediate sort of visceral response to that, like authenticity of connection and it doesn't need to be a five hour conversation, it doesn't need to be you know as long connect if you start creating those opportunities and you know I reach out when I see an article about somebody like congrats on winning this award or I saw this awesome thing you're doing with your company or your university.
Speaker 2:So networking and creating those authentic relationships don't need to be long. They don't need to be hours of dinners and meals, they can be a quick call. I have I have a mentee who called me the other day. I was like I just text me and then called me. I was like I need 10 minutes and it was an opportunity for that person to go on to a new role and just wanted to that 10 minutes to talk through. We caught up for five, we talked about the role and opportunity for the next five and then we both said can't wait to see you again. Goodbye. It was not long but it allowed the brainstorm to happen and for that mentee to get where they wanted to go mentally, to be ready to move forward.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I think that is excellent because those little mini touch points can mean so much. And, like you said, if you see an article, if you just thought of somebody and I've heard that advice before it's like if somebody's Name just pass through your brain for whatever reason, you saw something that made them think of you, read an article, perfect time to just shoot them a quick message and like, even just they think about you. And sometimes I think we are afraid that networking or having a mentorship relationship has to be this very formal, like Once a month we're gonna have an hour, like you know a whole thing and you can. And then it like you just don't do it and you forget and you're like shoot, I need something or have a question, but I haven't talked to this person in nine months or a year or a year and a half. And instead if you're just like hey, I thought of you, hope you're well, like I don't know, it keeps it alive a little more easily.
Speaker 2:Agreed, I agree. I do get some nice text and I'm sure they put it on their calendar. You know, every Friday texture, yeah, somebody that you're not great, I'll take it. It's just a nice, a nice reminder.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So with your sort of career having, you know, started on college sports and now with on on the brand side instead of the property side, some learning my terms? Yes, where is your sort of career Headed from here? Do you have any thoughts or things? I mean, you've just really been doing some amazing things and worked with some really incredible teams, but do you have any personal thoughts for your growth at the moment?
Speaker 2:I know someone was asking me that's the other day at dinner and there's a couple things. When you look at, bimo just keeps giving me amazing opportunities, whether it was being part of the Bimo Stadium, lafc Angel City deal, or my leaders, just as we were talking earlier, just completed the women's World Cup deal, so it's so fun to see Bimo's logo on television and just be out there. You know, when I look at the future, there's, there's so many opportunities. Am I able to have an opportunity with the team and really go, whether it's the pro side, and help Chief revenue officer and really help drive revenue, because I love that sale side and binding it into the marketing side, or is it, you know, go to a fancy agency and support their clients? There's just so many unique things.
Speaker 2:But I will say Chicago is one of the greatest cities in the world and my parents also moved out west. So there's that struggle of I want to be with my humans, but I have a great network and I love the city. So I'm gonna continue and to enjoy the adventures that Bimo keeps giving me and I think the next adventure will come. I'm just I'm not there yet, but you know I look out today. It's not gonna lie, it's really hot, but but it really is a great place. So we'll see where it takes me. I think people have to be open yeah, as you look at your career, and people have to be open and and have a goal, of course, and have a drive. But also, I think new challenges come, as we said earlier in our own Day-to-day that we don't even realize. You're gonna help us for our next role or position, whether it's at the company You're at or a new organization.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it's some really incredible opportunities and you know it's sometimes great to just go man, this is awesome, let's see what's next and Enjoy the ride. Yes, now at the end I'm gonna ask you for any advice. This is just my. I'm asking specifically for advice now and you can have separate advice later for careers.
Speaker 1:But I think for a lot of us, for women you know you talked about with the wise, like helping women negotiate salaries how do you have these conversations? How do you say here's what I did, here's what's happening, and I think that sort of Marketing like you're, you're your own Marketer in your career, you have to own that right, because sitting around waiting for somebody else to Notice the good work you're doing and promote you, like that's unlikely to happen. You know, if you have a really great leader, manager, maybe they are seeing that and helping and encourage you, but it's it's really kind of on you to take that ownership and and we're usually like head down so busy doing the work and we've been told just be quiet, just do the work. You know you'll be recognized, it'll be fine. But what sort of advice from your marketer sponsorship brain Do you have for women in their career to try to Market themselves like be their own brand ambassador.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I reflect on this because, as I'm talking to some of People on my network about how they're gonna grow to the next career, I think a lot of us have imposter syndrome. We're like, oh, we just do that day to day and you're like, yes, you do, and it's a special talent. Or, yes, you do because it's good. So we need to remind each other and people of the successes and oh wait, I, you know, when I first started this job, I only knew X. Now I know Z, and I think it's amazing to remind each other that and Write them down, take the time to reflect of like, oh, this was a challenge that I learned from. Oh, this was a really big thing that I do.
Speaker 2:You know, here we have quarterly updates that we do for our leadership team and when I'm working on them and writing them, wow, we've done some really great things and I put them in a folder. So I remember at the end of the year when I'm talking about our performance, I can say I was on a team that did these 18 things that helped impact the banks brand and revenue and consideration. So I think it's good to do that for your own self of how you were Part of that influence and then it allows you to create the stories so that you can sell yourself whether it's in interviews or with your boss of saying this is how I've impacted in the year. But you kind of have to do the work while it's happening to. You know, I have a special folder that's like wins and literally I put emails or anything that it's gonna be something I can talk about at the end of the year. Interview with my leaders on where we've really won this past year.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. I think, doing it contemporaneously, as you're in it, saving that stuff, oh my gosh, it makes such a difference. You're like I'm gonna remember this, obviously, and then you're like I don't remember what I did last weekend, like I don't remember anything. So having that and and having like your own quarterly meeting, like what's your own personal quarterly check-in how?
Speaker 2:am I doing?
Speaker 1:Oh shoot, look at all this awesome stuff I did. It's so easy to get stuck and all the stuff you haven't done yet, like how long is your to-do list? It's infinite. And but having that moment to go back and be like man, you know what this is me learning and growing and kicking ass and I'm actually like I'm getting stuff done.
Speaker 2:We're good, that's like a nice Instagram, the year in review? Yeah, because you know, I just like, oh, we're halfway to whatever. And I'm like, oh gosh, what would I put in my year in review? And I was looking back photos. I'm like, okay, I have done a lot, and personally and professionally so, but it is good to reflect and then Taking those notes so you're not just doing it. Also, if you have a trusted that you know, they called the board room, they called the yeah, I think Michelle Obama calls at the kitchen table. Everyone has a different word for it, but it's your, you know, it's your board of directors, it's your network, it's the people that, if you're, you know, if I've had a day and no one on every one of my team is challenging me, I have a friend that I call and say you, you know, brush my hair and tell me I'm pretty, she's like doing a good job and and you know it's okay and she's there too.
Speaker 2:She knows her role. She's there to rise me up and say, hey, we all have days where you're like, did I Do everything wrong today? But having that network, having that table of women for support, whether it's a text you know we have former wise president text from all the Chicago presidents there haven't been many of us and it's great and it's motivational and it's you know, one of them is moving and just bought a house and we're so proud of her success. Yeah, and it's nice to have those group of people that you can honor their successes and they can help you through your successes but also your challenges. So I challenge it could be one person, it could be three people but finding those people, also asking them.
Speaker 2:You know I haven't done this in a while, so maybe I'll do it. But I used to email a couple, a small network of family and friends, and be like, hey, what have you, what growth have you seen for me this year? You know I'm trying to think about what stories I would tell in an interview and what stories would I I Bring forward, and it's interesting to see, like, what people would Say about you. But they have to tell you.
Speaker 1:So it's really right, right, you got to get that ass. But it is really interesting because there's sometimes things that you think are no big deal and they're just ho hum for you and other people are just like, wow, that's amazing.
Speaker 1:That's incredible that you did that, that's awesome and and it's it's helpful to hear that you know outside perspective from people you like and that like you. Yes, I love it. Oh, my gosh. Okay, amy, I ask everyone but what particular challenges have you faced in your career? What things have been difficult have you had to overcome or that you still struggle with today?
Speaker 2:Oh, there's always, no matter what, there's always going to be challenges, and I think that's something we need to remember in life and at work, and it's really how you deal with them. You know what is it? It's 10% challenge and 90% attitude. I did not quote that right, but it's something like that. So, but it does add up to a hundred. The the point is is knowing how you react to challenges and knowing how you can Take them on and what people are going to help you with them.
Speaker 2:I would say you know, early in my career and that's probably why I believe in why so much I was not paid the dollar amount that was equitable to other Men on the team and we were doing the exact same job and I probably thought I was doing it better than some, and so I got that fixed and it was a great process To get that done and I learned a lot. But I I make sure that I talk to my network and understand how much a job like Something if I were going for a job, or how much do we go for. You Never know exact answers, but you will feel better so that I will never, never, not consult my network when I am asking for Salary and reason whether it's in my company or a new job making sure I'm asking for the Go-to-quote right salary and not downplaying what I deserve. Yeah, I Think it's managing your own career as another one is really.
Speaker 2:You know companies will help, but you need to be in charge of Okay, I want to mentor. Is there a mentor program at work or is there a mentor program with wise or another Group that you work with? You need to be in charge of your career at the companies. Organizations give you guardrails. You can join plenty and employ resource groups, but it is about you know what you put in as what you get out. And some months I am really good and I'm all about all these great things, and then other months I have to take off because work is busy. So I'm not going to be as invested in those extracurricular, but it really is about what you're putting into it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I love that. Um, what particular triumphs have you had in your career? What things you're really proud of?
Speaker 2:Okay, let's see. I'm just proud of the process that I've gone through and all the things that I've learned. But I'll say one of the best was a former colleague and I got to work with the Cubs and sell the first Allstate Riverville Classic and that was pretty cool as a salesperson to really kind of close that deal and work with Allstate to really bring their brand to life. So that was exciting for me. I think the first biggest deal I ever did. It was on a napkin and it was signed. I know I have it somewhere, but it was the leader of the organization put the dollar amount and put, like you know, times seven years and signed it and he just said give this to your boss.
Speaker 2:So you know like as a new sales human, I think that's huge, so very important, and that was exciting. And then, most recently, you know, due to our acquisition, we were looking for that big, big splash in LA and just how we were going to make that impact and to be able to go through that process with my colleague and my boss was absolutely amazing. To be able to do a deal and name a stadium and be able to partner with LAFC and Angel City FC. It was it was probably one of the best recently. So I don't know what's going to happen next and what we're going to do next, but I do know, you know it is about the people and the experiences and it keeps coming.
Speaker 1:That's more triumph to come. Yes, yes, I love that. Oh my gosh, I have such a crush on the LAFC team. Just the whole situation, you know, the women leadership the team having their own stadium, like just all of it, seeing its growth, seeing the excitement, I'm, I'm a fan.
Speaker 2:Amazing people and they, they get it and it really is. It's a dynamic organization and there's a lot of fun to be a part of.
Speaker 1:Yes, I love it. Okay, you have already had infinite advice on this podcast episode, but just in case there's anything left in this tank, I always ask you have any career advice for women who are maybe earlier on in their career figuring things out?
Speaker 2:Be your authentic self and trust your gut. We don't trust our gut as much as we should. My gut has gotten a little bigger throughout life, but we should definitely trust our trust our guts and women, women know, but I think we have that little voice sometimes. Or maybe something on a show says I'm not sure. Yeah, I think it might be my takeaways.
Speaker 1:I think it's great advice. I can think of clear times where I was like, oh yep, gut said this isn't good and I was like let me tough it out anyway.
Speaker 1:Here's the reasons that I need to do this. And did it go well? No, it did not go well. Like you know, there's times where you're just like, oh, my gut is trying to make itself known and, frankly, the faster you get on it and just say, all right, gut, let's, let's do this thing. Yes, it's better. Yes, oh, great advice. Amy, it has been wonderful to talk with you. You have you're such a cool job. It's so interesting to me, so fascinating and done so many amazing things. But also just all of the advice you have for the humans and the humans listening, I think is just wonderful and I really appreciate it so much.
Speaker 2:So honored to be here and I'm happy to come back and interview you, because I know nothing enough to be dangerous. It sounds like your job is so cool, but obviously on the different spectrum, so I'm happy to come back and interview you one time, love it.
Speaker 1:We'll have a trade. Love it. Thank you for joining me for another episode of the Madam Athlete podcast. I am grateful for this conversation with Amy C Potter and the opportunity to learn more about a whole other side of sports I am not personally very knowledgeable about, and it's fun to learn new things and, as always, you can find out more about Amy in the show notes at MadamAthletecom. If you like learning new things, if you like hearing about women doing amazing things, if you like sharing these stories, go ahead and follow this podcast. It is wonderful. Every week you'll have a fun new story and you can share it with a friend. You can like us. You can leave a rating and a review, like a good one, like a great one, not a bad one. Okay, that would be fine. You could just leave great reviews and I would appreciate it. As always, thank you for being here. I appreciate you.