I won a job as the new VP, Brand Experience for the LA Rams. I say won, because there was definitely luck involved. I was at the right place at the right time ... and happened to be qualified. It was kind of like poker - I worked hard to build the right hand, know how to play it correctly and was patient. But there was definitely luck involved. As there always is in life.
There were 1,900+ applicants for the job to lead the Brand Experience team for the LA Rams. A good football team. One of the biggest markets on the planet. The opportunity to contribute to a brand that impacts culture. Check. Check. Check.
My chances of my application being seen - nonetheless pass through screening - were slim to none.
So I took my own advice. I called out to my network looking for an in. I reached out to the hiring manager directly. I got a phone call. I built a PDF designed to tell the story of who I am (because people would rather click on an attachment than a link), I did my research and came prepared.
And then I waited.
Then I met with some more people. Then I waited again.
Then I got asked to meet the team president. Shit. Amazing news! The best advice that I got before meeting with him? Just be you. Cool. That's helpful, so I did. I knew that there were other extremely qualified candidates gunning for the role. So even if I didn't get the job, I wanted to walk away with some knowledge. I mean, how often does anyone get to sit down 1-on-1 with an NFL team president?
So I thought ... what would Shane Parrish do? Or Adam Grant? Or Jordan Harbinger? Ask a bunch of questions and try to suss out the systems he uses to make decisions. Try to figure out how he structures his thinking. How he thinks about building culture for both the team and the business side. How he measures value and on what timeline.
He probably just thought that he was drinking coffee and having a conversation with someone. I was on the other side of the table desperately trying to balance retaining the information he just shared and continue the conversation down an interesting path.
And I was fortunate enough that the CMO placed her faith in me and I got the job.
I will need everything that I learned from my time in advertising and the client side. How to articulate strategies. How to build buy-in. How to get shit done. And I will need to keep learning.
And now I'm on a plane to LA to start this off. To work with a great marketing and brand experience team. To tackle challenges I don't even know exist. To get a crash course on the different cultures in LA. To wrestle with insane fanaticism of NFL fans. And figure out how to create a couple million more. This time, for the LA Rams.
Wish me luck!
- Christian