Biggest Challenges Faced by a Sport Business Development Director at Exos
Mariah's biggest challenge as Director of Business Development is stepping outside her comfort zone, transitioning from a career solely in operations to a role "completely outta [her] own comfort zone," a shift that initially sparked imposter syndrome. However, the rewarding nature of embracing this uncomfortable challenge, including accepting inevitable failures as learning opportunities, is driving growth.
Overcoming Challenges, Career Development, Leadership, Resilience, Imposter Syndrome
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Mariah Martin
Director of Business Development, Sport
Exos
University of Arizona, 2014
N/A
Business Management & Admin
Sports & Fitness
Business Strategy
Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Stepping outside your comfort zone and embracing new challenges can lead to significant professional growth. Mariah's transition from operations to business development highlights the importance of adaptability and a willingness to learn new skills.
2. Overcoming imposter syndrome is crucial for career advancement. Mariah's experience showcases that self-doubt is normal when facing unfamiliar tasks, but trusting in your abilities and seeking mentorship can help overcome these feelings.
3. Learning from failures is essential for success. Mariah's approach of embracing failures as learning opportunities demonstrates a crucial mindset for navigating challenges and continuous improvement in a dynamic professional environment.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your current role?
I am completely out of my comfort zone right now in my role. I came from operations, so everything I did was operations-focused. When I worked in football, I was in charge of the operations of recruiting events, on-campus visits, and player personnel events.
Even throughout my journey at Exos, I was always on the operations team. Now that I'm on the business development team, I'm no longer responsible for the day-to-day operations. I'm in charge of something else, and this is something that I never saw myself doing.
I've experienced imposter syndrome in this role. You think, "Wait, I don't know how to do this." But then you look at your managers and leaders who trusted you. They wanted you in this role, so there must be skills or something in you that they're seeing that you're not yet.
I'm struggling with this right now. As much as I'm loving the challenge, you feel like a poser for a bit until you have a win. It's human nature to question yourself when something new is in front of you.
Instead of running away from it, I'm trying really hard to lean into the uncomfortable and see how I grow. I know there will be things I do wrong. My boss might say, "No, that won't work." But at least I'll know that that route is not something we will move forward with. I'm very uncomfortable, but it's also been very rewarding.
Advizer Personal Links
https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinmariah/, @exossports