Industry Confidential, PUSH Magazine, Volume 4, Issue 1

Check in every issue for the unfiltered thoughts of our guest writers and contributors as they discuss the hottest topics in sports tourism.

In this issue, our guest writer discusses the subject of toxic work environments.

If you’ve been in the industry long enough, you’ve likely heard the saying, “Well, we don’t do it for the money.” Sports is a fun industry. Those of us who have spent time in this space have often had the opportunity to experience things that the average person doesn’t. Our industry is high energy, it’s sexy, we are the conversations people want to hear when new people ask “So what do you do?”

While our industry is considered more fun than most, that can not disguise that it can fall into the trap of a toxic workplace. We’ve all seen it, hell, many of us have been wrapped up in it. All the free tickets in the world won’t make up for being undervalued. Traveling to new places loses its magic when you don’t see an opportunity to grow. And no amount of swag can offset being surrounded by negative people. Whoa…. Way to be a downer right?

This actually isn’t that kind of note. This is instead an opportunity to take a brief minute and do a quick evaluation. What are we doing here?

As a leader, you must know what the hell is going on in your organization. Are people leaving? Why? Do people look happy? Have you designed a workplace where people can learn and be mentored? Does the environment feel like one team on a mission or many small silos just focused on their own success? At the end of the day, the goal of leadership is to craft strategy and equip the team with everything they need to deliver the company mission. If the workplace under your leadership is turning toxic, the first place you need to look is in the mirror.

As an employee, you have to know what you want out of your career and what role you want work to play in your life as a whole. Are you tired because you’re passionately chasing a goal, or are you just burnt out? Can you see a path of growth and a chance to challenge yourself, or are you just cranking out To Dos? Do the people that swing by to say hello bring ideas, or just office gossip?

Have you identified a few things that may be toxic? Great, now rather than wade in the waters of woe is me, what can we do about them? What conversations or actions need to be taken to back on track? An honest conversation with your boss about your goals, asking for support to get you out of the weeds, or finding a way to politely tell Karen you’ve got better things to do than talk about others, are simple actions that can have a major impact if approached with the proper attitude. While it’s on leadership to create a strong foundation, everyone in an organization must do their part to build and keep a positive and enjoyable workplace.

Hopefully, you have read the words above as an upbeat plan on how we can help detoxify our places of work. The sports industry is fun, hard, and gratifying work, we all just have to do our part to keep it there.