Hello friends! 👋

Welcome to the SportsGrad Newsletter. Each week we take a deep dive into how people are growing their careers in sport.

Here you’ll find insights, tactics and tools to help you win jobs, get promoted, work around the world, make an impact, and still get paid fairly in sport.

Plus the latest on what’s happening in the SportsGrad Community - a private group of legends lifting each other toward the careers of their dreams.

Did you know that only 7% of people will achieve their New Year Resolutions?

Maybe you’re in a bit a mid-year slump and those goals that you set for yourself seem a like a lifetime ago.

However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t reset and reevaluate, and begin to tackle these goals head on.

Today we’re diving into the goal-setting habits of 4x Elite Operators working in sport, who we’ve interviewed previously.

They range from an Olympian to a General Manager, and have a variety of tips suited to different styles of goals.

If you’re in need of a mid-year pick-me-up and a kick of motivation, save this email for later and revisit their career journeys. Let’s go 👇

What makes this dual sprinter & media talent an elite operator 🏃‍♀️‍➡️

Meet Nana Owusu-Afriyie, an Australian sprinter and sports media talent, who is also a Nutrition Graduate from Deakin University.

“Having been injured over the past couple of years, I have changed my approach to goal setting. I used to believe that I needed to write down one big goal and that would be the be-all and end-all. However, over the past couple of years, I have learned to set small goals month-to-month with my big goal in mind. I know that I cannot achieve that without ticking off the small things first.

I used to keep my goals to myself, but I now understand that in sport and in life, it takes a village to provide help and support. Sharing those goals with others can help you navigate the best route forward.

I have goals for both on and off the track, I think it’s always good to have a balance.

Having goals just for the athletics season and training wasn't healthy for me. If I didn't achieve these goals, it made the tough times in sports even more challenging because I didn't have anything else in life to look forward to on and off the track.

Having a career in presenting and speaking has given me another avenue and outlet, providing more to look forward to. Thus, I've tried to set goals in all aspects of my life. Overall, I believe it has made me a better athlete.”

Read more on how Nana juggles a dual-career whilst pushing high standards for herself.

Goals, routines, influences & career decisions with Antonia Beggs ⛳️

Meet Anti Beggs, previously the General Manager of Partnerships at TGI Sport, now the Head of the Australian Open at Golf Australia.

“I have always tried to keep my goals as simple as possible. And a mixture of personal and professional – luckily working in an industry that I genuinely care about they do sort of merge together. Early on in my career my goals were pretty simple – work hard, say yes to everything, learn and be curious and make a difference.

Once you get to management level, things change and become a lot more focussed on your team and enabling them to be at their best. At Cricket Australia I was lucky enough to work with two amazing people – Chris Rubick and Ben Crowe. Chris gave me such great insight on establishing a platform to enable those around you to thrive – and then I was lucky enough to work with Ben Crowe on The Connection Project.

Part of our reading was a book called True North by Bill George. It seemed to verbalise the ad hoc way I’d been setting goals in the past – and now the book itself is something I turn to time and time again. The entire focus is really around goal setting i.e. finding your True North. And he helps you divide up our life into 4 buckets – and you look at how you keep those buckets nearer full than empty.

My goals are focussed all around these 4 buckets and every quarter I review how they are looking – when one is looking empty I work at ways to redress this. I would recommend anyone looking for guidance and purpose then True North is the book for you – thanks Chris, Bill & Ben”

Read more about how Anti leads a purpose-driven life and how technically she is to thank for the creation of SportsGrad!

How this 2x Olympian is tackling a career in sport in London 🏅

Meet Genevieve Horton OLY, a 2x Olympic rower, and previously the Ticketing Executive at SailGP, and now the Marketing & Sustainability Executive at Extreme E!

“I like to consider the byproducts of reaching for a goal, especially if I am setting myself a stretch goal that I may not necessarily hit. If that’s been the case, considering what I may have got out of the process of trying to reach that mark can bring some great awareness of self. I consider if there was any growth along the way, if there were any challenges I overcame, or what I learned along that way that I can take forward. If I can answer any of these questions, then falling short of that goal can still give you something to take away from it and make the time and effort put in worthwhile.” 

Read more on how Gen Horton applies her athlete mindset to her career.

What makes the Head of Customer Experience at Cricket Australia an Elite Operator? 🏏

Meet Kieran McMillan, the elite operator with over 20 years of experience in cricket.

“I know it has its critics, but I quite like the process of New Year resolutions. Mine are more like 4-5 themes that would contribute to a great year that cover me, my family, my friends, my work – although they are specific enough to drive action.

I then break them down into quarterly chunks. And then spend about two hours at the end of each month reflecting on the previous month – what went well, not so well, what do I need to concentrate on next month.

I also have an accountability buddy – we meet for breakfast on the first Tuesday of every month, exchange our monthly reflections and discuss over breakfast.

I would not have kept the discipline of these monthly reflections if not for these breakfasts. And the 12 x reflections documents are great to read back through at the end of the year as you re-set for another 12 months!”

Read more on Kieran’s habits, health goals, book recommendations and weekly designs.

What will you take away from these goal setting techniques?

Maybe it’s time to find your ‘True North’ or set up a breakfast with your accountability buddy.

As the old saying goes:

“the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the second best time is now.”

Go and smash those New Years goals!

What’s happening in the Community?

Community Wins ⭐️

Here’s what SportsGrad Members got up to last week...

Brody Burrows received an offer to work with QMS Media as one of the lead Social Media Producers for the Olympics

Megan Harris completed her internship with UniSport Australia as a Sport Event & Athlete Coordinator

SportsGrad Members have landed over 630+ jobs in sport.

If you've had a win, share it with us in the #wins channel on Discord!

Upcoming Member Events 💛

Members, to join an event, RSVP via Discord.

Pro Member Events:

💰 Budgeting and Finance Masterclass with Sheila Magoye (Cricket Australia) - June 26th 12:30pm AEST

🤝 Pro Speed Networking - July 1st 7pm AEST

🎙️ Presenting Masterclass with Ankita Karungalekar - July 10th 12:30pm AEST

Do you work in sport? Apply to become a SportsGrad Pro Member

Rookie Member Events:

🤝 Rookie Speed Networking - June 24th 7pm AEST

💡 Career Q&A with Will Roberts (New Zealand Olympic Committee) - June 27th 12:30pm AEST

🤝 Rookie Speed Networking - July 8th 7pm AEST

🎙️ Presenting Masterclass with Ankita Karungalekar - July 10th 12:30pm AEST

Do you want to work in sport? Join the list to become a SportsGrad Rookie Member

Job Opportunities 💼

Looking for a new gig? Here’s a few organisations who want to hire SportsGrad Members (see which org in Discord!):

🤝 Front of House/Production Assistant - Adelaide (Full-time)

🏏 Club Development Officer x2 - Sydney (Full-time)

💰 Account Executive - Melbourne (Full-time)

🏟️ Event Workforce Coordinator - Melbourne (Full-time)

🏏 Blast Specialist - Coffs Harbour (Full-time)

🥇 Digital Media Executive - Sydney (Full-time)

🏉 Participation & Fan Acquisition Officer - Sydney (Casual)

Need help hiring sports industry talent? Get in touch with Ryan.

Go get ‘em!

Catch you soon,

Acacia 💛

Accelerate your career in sport

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