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COSIDA CONFERENCE CALL

January 11, 2017

CLARK TEUSCHER: My name is Clark Teuscher. I'm the sports information director at North Central College and the chair of CoSIDA's continuing education committee. In recognition of national mentoring month, we are joined by mentors of the CoSIDA mentorship program who will each share some of the most important lessons they've learned that have helped them in their careers.

Members will take turns answering a common set of questions today, and attendees on today's webinar are also welcome to submit their questions in the chat window during the presentation. We'll address as many of these as time allows.

We invite all attendees to continue the discussion after the webinar concludes in the forum dedicated to today's topic at CoSIDA Connect. The webinar is being recorded and will be made available along with a full FastScript from CoSIDA's official transcript provider, ASAP Sports, for on-demand use exclusively at CoSIDA Connect.

Our presenters today include Brian Fremund, associate athletic director for media relations at the University of South Alabama; Chevonne Mansfield, director of communications for the American Athletic Conference; Pete Moore, director of athletic communications at Syracuse University; and Diane Nordstrom, associate director of athletic communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an at-large representative to the CoSIDA board of directors.

For each of the questions that will be covered today, we'll follow the same order of speakers. Brian will answer first, followed by Chevonne, then Pete, then Diane. Our first question for the group, what is one piece of career advice you've never forgotten? Brian?

BRIAN FREMUND: I think the biggest thing that I've always taken is that there is no job that we're too big for, regardless of title or status within the athletic department. I mean, it could be as simple as even when you see a little piece of trash on the floor and you know that you've got janitorial service, custodians in the building, you pick it up anyway, you don't just leave it there because someone else does it.

And I think as it relates to our office specifically, what I try and do with my guys and girls always is when they need me, I'm there. And if that means that I've got to fill a student position and front stats at the basketball game, I am willing to do that for them so that they understand that I've been there, I've done what they're doing, and that I'm not ever just dumping responsibilities on them because I think that I'm too big for that.

CLARK TEUSCHER: And Chevonne?

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: Well, I learned this a long time, and it's stuck with me ever since. Never forget that your reputation is your most valuable possession, and never forget that people are always watching you and your work, and that's a verbatim quote from peer professional Terry Williams.

The moral of the story is it's important to put your best foot forward, regardless of what you're doing, even menial tasks, or if you're just getting started in your career, you're an intern, you may have to answer some phones or do other work like that. You just never know who's watching for better or for worse.

Personally, for me, some of my leads in the past for jobs came from people outside of my circle based on my reputation, and I think that extends to your social reputation in the online space, too. Just always remember that how you're perceived is very important in this world.

CLARK TEUSCHER: And Pete?

PETE MOORE: Best career advice I've gotten also, like Chevonne said, was early in my career, and it basically was don't stop, and by that I mean don't stop aspiring to be as good as you can be or to be where you want to be. When I decided that sports information was what I really wanted as a career, I attended a couple CoSIDA conventions, and I had applied for a number of jobs and was frustrated that I was not getting a lot of interest, and so following a CoSIDA convention, I picked three people that I considered at the time to be legends in the profession, and I wrote them a letter explaining what I wanted to do and also trying to share a little bit that I was concerned that the fact that I was at a very small school, that I was having trouble advancing in my career.

All three of them replied promptly. All three of them were Division I SIDs, even though I was at the time at an NAI school. And all three of them said the same thing: Keep working, keep trying, get involved in the convention, meet as many people as you can, and don't ever give up. I'll never forget that, especially the kindness that they showed to someone that they'd never met at the time, and it's certainly proved to work out for me.

CLARK TEUSCHER: And Diane?

DIANE NORDSTROM: The best advice that I've received is the pick your battles. Know when to fight for something that you really believe in, and know when to let something go because it's not that important. Just decide what you really want to fight for, whether it's covering of your sport or something for your sports or your coaches. If it's really important, then really fight for it, because you're not always going to win those battles, so you need to kind of pick which ones you really believe in.

BRIAN FREMUND: I mean, I like that, Diane, and I think the way I approach that is that works both in administration and with your coaching staffs. I mean, that's a two-way street there because those are different situations, but it applies to both.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Our next question, what is the best thing that you've done to better yourself. Once again, Brian?

BRIAN FREMUND: You know, I think for me, it happened at my previous job at Western Kentucky, and I just realized there came a point in time after I got promoted that you have to be willing to kind of step away from the office, from the desk, from the computer for a little time each day. Something for you personally, because without that, I think you start getting into your personal well-being, potentially health. Because when I got promoted, my thought was always, like, well, if they don't see me here working during business hours, they're going to think I'm slacking, not realizing as I was doing it that I was blowing up by about 40 pounds. You know, I got sick more frequently, I had a horrible diet, and I think that you've got to be true to yourself and have interests in activities away from it because it keeps you fresh when you are in the office.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Chevonne?

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: That's great. For me personally, I think it's taking advantage of professional and personal development opportunities, whether it's attending a convention or volunteering for a committee. And sometimes you can't do that, you have limited resources, but I think you can do what you can. As an example, if you'd like to attend the CoSIDA convention but your employer doesn't have the resources or you can't afford it, there's grants offered by CoSIDA to help offset that cost. So don't let the cost stop you from advancing yourself professionally if that's what you want to do.

And the other thing, like Brian said, that's really important, is don't forget to nurture your personal side. Away from the office, spend time with friends and family. I'm a firm believer in using vacation days. Working nonstop won't do you any good or your employer any good.

DIANE NORDSTROM: Way to put the grant plug in there, Chevonne.

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: That's right.

CLARK TEUSCHER: And Pete?

PETE MOORE: I think Chevonne and Brian both hit on it. I think self-evaluation is really important, and paying attention to what your body is telling you. I also think it's difficult. It takes time, but it's something that's important the more time you spend in the profession to do a self-evaluation and do it frequently, not only in your professional life but in your personal life and make sure you have a good balance. In my experience when I was younger, I could plow through a lot of things and put in monster hours, and that was great, but you get to a point where suddenly you notice things like headaches or not sleeping well or -- and if you don't pay attention to those, it's going to really derail you professionally and personally.

I think paying attention to your body and yourself and doing self-evaluations is really important.

CLARK TEUSCHER: And Diane?

DIANE NORDSTROM: The one thing that I've gotten done is just don't go by the saying that we've always done it this way. How many times do you hear that if you're starting a new job, or even just trying to learn the new things that are out there, whether it's personally or professionally, social media, anything like that that you're trying to do to better yourself, and in conjunction, then you better the profession, as well. But the focus can pertain to something personally you're doing, it's traveling, it's a new workout, it's finding friends to anything out with, something like that. So anything you can do and that's new, go for it.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Switching gears a little bit, our next question, what's one thing you wish you had done to grow professionally that you didn't do? We'll start with Brian once again.

BRIAN FREMUND: I guess on the plus side, there's still a chance to change this and do it, but as we've gotten more into layout, design, graphics within the office instead of getting help elsewhere, I wish I'd done a better job teaching myself, using tutorials available, even finding some kind of class to sign up for for PhotoShop, Illustrator, those types of programs, because I'm just -- as we've gotten more technical and better, my work in that area doesn't even come close to some of the guys in my office, and I can be jealous at times to be honest with you.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Okay, Chevonne?

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: I wish I was more risky in my career early on when I was getting started. I didn't start taking risks, considerable risks until I was in my late 20s, and part of that is because I grew up shy and reserved, and I have to work at being social and networking. But the personal and professional development helped a lot with that because you're kind of forced to be social and be out in front, and that's what we have to do in our jobs as communicators, as well. So not only did the professional development help me with that end, but it also gave me great experience on my rÃ©sumÃ©. I would say if you're just starting out, don't be afraid to take risks because that's where the opportunity is. Even though it may look scary in the beginning.

CLARK TEUSCHER: And Pete?

PETE MOORE: I've been lucky, I can't say I have a lot of regrets, and I've been very fortunate in my career the way things have worked out for me, so I feel blessed in that respect.

I think one thing, though, is I think you can always ask more questions. I think we're surrounded by so many people that have so much knowledge, and we have so many questions, and what better way to get those answered than by asking someone who maybe has gone through it, and maybe that's a goal that you never give up, and that is just to ask questions and learn from the other people that are around us that might have had an experience.

CLARK TEUSCHER: And Diane?

DIANE NORDSTROM: One thing I wish I would have done earlier is get more involved in some of the national associations like NACUA or just making those contacts of people like in administration. You know, at this point it's too late for me to want to go up into administration, but I think if I would have known about that stuff earlier, then it would have been someplace I would have liked to have gone. Getting involved in those national organizations, and even especially CoSIDA, being on the board right now has been a real learning experience for me.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Our next question up, who is someone in particular who has helped you along the way in your career? Once again, we'll start with Brian.

BRIAN FREMUND: I want to give recognition to Richard Page. He's no longer technically in the industry with CoSIDA. He moved a couple years ago to Indianapolis when his wife got a job in the NCAA office, and now he works on the University or college side in marketing and communications at Wabash, about an hour outside of Indianapolis. But I only had a year of experience as a student when I got hired as an intern at Jacksonville, and he was the assistant there. And he kind of took me under his wing, showed me a lot of the rights and wrongs, wasn't afraid to call me out when they did something wrong, so I was always learning from him, and then on top of that, when he got promoted, it was his option whether he kept me as a full-time assistant or sent me on my way, and so he was the person who gave me my first full-time job, and I'll always be thankful for that because I'd like to think it's worked out as my career has progressed.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Chevonne?

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: This is a hard one because so many people have helped me over the years. But I think I'd like to give a shout-out to Ed Hill at Howard University, former board member. He's retiring this summer. But I started working at Howard, first full-time job out of grad school, so I had some graduate assistant experience, but going to Howard was great because Ed gives you the creative space to essentially run your own office, and I got experience with hiring people in terms of vendors and student workers. I got experience on the internal side managing the athletic communication budget at Howard, and that opened up the -- that helped me look at athletics from a different point of view. It helped me see how everything fit together.

I think, yeah, besides him, Sam Bradley at Maryland, who took a chance on me out of undergrad and kind of where I learned the nuts and bolts of the industry, learned stat crew, learned how to write, learned what it means to be a media liaison.

CLARK TEUSCHER: And Pete?

PETE MOORE: I'm with Chevonne; you can't pick one. There's so many. There's so many, especially when you've been in the field for a while. There's so many that you meet along the way that help you. But I am going to single out two if I could. One is Doug Vance. When Doug was at Kansas and I was working at a very small school in Kansas, again, early in my career, kind of similar to the letter with the legends, I approached him at a convention. He and I had not met, and to explain to him a little bit that I really wanted to get involved in the profession and I was having trouble finding a full-time job. He sat down with me privately and listened and answered, and it was remarkable, and it really helped me gear up again and then move forward. I'll always appreciate that.

The other person I want to single out is someone who's no longer in the SID profession. His name is Pete Carisno (ph). He was the sports information director at Cortland while I was at Ithaca. The two schools are heated rivals, but as SIDs there was no rivalry. There was nothing but great friendship, respect, appreciation, and he was a guy that I could always call, and he'd have good answers. He was a good listener, always made me laugh, and I thought that was really something special with our schools at each other's throats on the fields, that he and I got to be great pals, and he was always somebody I could count on.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Diane?

DIANE NORDSTROM: I of course have to give credit to Tam Flarup. She was the person that got me first started in the profession. I was an athlete at Wisconsin and I graduated in four and a half years and I was looking for a job after I was done with my track eligibility, and Tam hired me right away, even though just because she wanted to give an athlete an opportunity, and she taught me everything and I stayed on after that as an intern here at Wisconsin, and Tam is really the one that got me involved in CoSIDA, as well.

Just everything that she taught me about the profession and everything she's passed on to be active with CoSIDA and give back to the profession, because all of a sudden it's like -- I don't know when and what happened, but I became one of those people that, you know, okay, I can ask Diane this question, instead of me having to go to somebody else.

It can happen to everybody.

CLARK TEUSCHER: We've talked a little bit about the best advice that you've received. We're going to flip the coin a little bit and talk about the best advice that you've given to someone that you've mentored. Brian, we'll go with the same order so we'll start with you.

BRIAN FREMUND: I think as I thought about that, you know, the best thing that I think I've been able to help with is to give them direction in prioritizing. When an intern, when a mentee, someone is looking for guidance in terms of putting -- they feel overwhelmed because of what's on their plate because they're not used to the balancing act that we've gotten accustomed to, okay, what's the most important thing, let me put this in an order so I can knock these out, and in a way that's going to be best professionally and for the office and the department and so that you have an idea of what you're doing and how and when you want to accomplish it by.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Chevonne?

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: I think the best I've given is just you've got to be flexible and open to change and the unknown because sometimes -- sometimes we have it all planned and mapped out. It's good to have a plan. You've got to have a plan, but keeping things just not so tied down to your plan that you miss an opportunity I should say. I never -- and I'll give you an example of myself. I'm from the Northeast, but I never would have imagined back then that I'd be living in Birmingham, Alabama. I lived in Birmingham for four years working at the SWAC Conference office and the SEC, so I never had that in my plans, but it happened. It came up and I was open to change.

I think it's good to have a plan, but sometimes just keep room open for the unknown, and that's what I tell a lot of people.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Pete?

PETE MOORE: Before I answer, and if I could speak on behalf of Brian, I don't want people to think that he and I don't read just because we don't have books in the background like Chevonne and Diane do.

BRIAN FREMUND: You have to take a picture of my bookcase at home. I promise I do. It's not all media guides.

PETE MOORE: The books I have have a lot of pictures in them, but I do have books.

In answering the question, I think the best advice, at least that I've tried to provide, is that it's important to meet as many people as you can and to build up a support group, a team, if you will, as you progress in your field, even if you're not looking to move to another position. But the more support people you can have in your group, the stronger you're going to be and the more effective you're going to be. I always encourage the kids that work for us, the students, and the interns, as well, if you're at a game, introduce yourself to the SID from the other school. Just meet as many people as you can. You never know when one of them might be a difference maker for you.

BRIAN FREMUND: To follow up, Pete, that applies to full-timers, too. I mean, I've been in the Sun Belt for all of these years in this business, so obviously there's been a lot of turnover, and now guys come in with basketball and I'm not the basketball SID anymore, but I'm there on game day at home, and I don't know who these people are, and I don't hear from them, and I'm asking my guys, who did you work with, what did you get out of them. I have no idea.

DIANE NORDSTROM: I would agree with Pete, too, in the fact that, who knows, that might lead to a new job for somebody if you introduce yourself at an event. That's a great thing to do.

I especially would agree, especially if you're going to CoSIDA, do that, as well. Don't just hang around with the people that you're always with. Go out and meet one new person a day at least when you're there, and I think that's the best advice that I could give anybody is be willing to go out there, volunteer at another school's event if they need help, and don't be afraid to ask for help, because there are a lot of times when you think, oh, I have to do this all by myself, but no, there's nobody there who can help you do something.

PETE MOORE: Those that are looking to advance at some point in the profession, using Syracuse as an example, each year we hire two 11-month positions that our folks have earned their undergraduate degree and want to get in the profession, and the field is very competitive and very crowded. We could get up to 90 applicants for those positions. And as the person that usually chairs the search, I'll tell you what I do, I go through the rÃ©sumÃ©s, I look at their references, and if I know somebody who's a reference, I contact that person.

If you look at it from the point of the potential employer who has a stack of 90 rÃ©sumÃ©s, what's going to make your rÃ©sumÃ© move out of that pile into the pile of people to be considered? And I'm just telling you how we do it here; we look at people on the reference list, and if we know them and can contact them directly, that's going to help. So I think that gives a good example.

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: Really quick, I'm in the same position as Pete. You know, you get lots of rÃ©sumÃ©s for positions. We have two full time internships here, also, at The American, and a lot of these rÃ©sumÃ©s look the same, so how do you stand out. But sometimes even on the reference list, if we know one at a place they worked at, I'll call them sometimes even if they're not listed as a reference. That's why it's important to meet as many people as possible, and just find a way to separate yourself from the stack because it is competitive out there.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Our next question is directed specifically for Pete surrounding your move from Division III to Division I after an extended period of time. Talk a little bit about that process, and do you think it was a benefit that you were at smaller schools for so long before you made that move?

PETE MOORE: Again, I've been very fortunate and blessed. I have to start by saying that, because I have worked at two places for a very long time, two very different places, loved being at both. When I was at Ithaca, I got there at a really good time. It was a very strong Division III program, great support from the administration, wonderful coaches and student-athletes, and I loved it there. I really never thought I would leave.

Fortunately while I was there, I got involved with CoSIDA. I went to the conventions, and I approached the conventions not as a Division III SID but as an SID. I tried to meet as many people as I could and not restrict myself to the small college world, even though I adored where I was.

After being at Ithaca for about 11 years, an opportunity came at Syracuse that I didn't really necessarily seek out. They sort of contacted me. Now, I was fortunate because they knew me already. So I looked at the opportunity. The more I looked at it, the more I went through the process, the more it became intriguing, and it really gave me quite a boost professionally. It really recharged my batteries because the job was going to be different. I went from doing all the sports to doing a few specific. Obviously the interaction with the media would be a little bit different. And although I didn't plan it this way, the way it worked out has been just perfect for me because I've been at two places, two different places, and have really enjoyed both.

When I hear people say, well, I'm a small college person, they'll never look at me, that's not true. All the more important to meet people through CoSIDA or however.

I also hear people say that people who might lament that they're at a small school and think that the larger school situation is better. Don't make that generalization. Find out what's important for you, and you might find that the place you're at, at a small school, is exactly what you want. The jobs are different, but I can't say that one is better than the other. I've loved them both.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Next up is for those who are looking to establish a mentor relationship, how do you approach a person who is higher up in the profession and ask him or her to be a mentor? We'll go with the same order, so we'll start with Brian.

BRIAN FREMUND: You know, I don't know that you necessarily ask. I think maybe -- I mean, I'm just picturing this without really having thought it out, but I think you just -- you connect with that person, and maybe up front be like, hey, I know this is why I'm contacting you and I realize you're good at what you do and respected in this profession, and I'd like to get some help and guidance. I think it's supposed to be very conversational. I mean, it's open on both ends.

You know, as long as you can respectfully let that person know why you've reached out to them out of the blue, but I think for the most part you would find that once you establish that and you can go on a two-way street and connect with each other and ask questions and get help.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Chevonne?

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: Well, first I'd like to say, I don't think you should limit yourself to seeking mentors in senior positions because there's a lot to learn from everyone, even your own peers, and sometimes your mentor can be someone just a few years older than you and not necessarily in a senior role.

But if you have someone that you like to connect with, I think maybe do some research on them first and find some kind of common thread. And don't get discouraged if you don't hear from them the first time because we get a lot of emails, or people in senior positions get a lot of emails. So it may take some time for them to respond and they may not respond the first time. But that's why I like social media, because a lot of people -- most people now have some type of social presence online, so it's easier to find out information about people and find a common thread.

So unless you can bridge an introduction, someone that can connect you with the person you're trying to reach out to, I think you should try to find a commonality and then start off with that.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Pete?

PETE MOORE: It's interesting that that can be intimidating when you're early in your career. If you flip it around and look at the person that you're contacting -- I'll use the four of us. If anyone on this call is looking for a mentor, contact one of us that's on this panel. I think to a person, we would say that we actually get a kick out of being contacted with those types of questions or people looking for a mentor. It's flattering, but it's also exciting, and it's something that we love to do. We all love our profession, and we love the opportunity if we're presented with it to give back by helping someone else. The fact of the matter is we've probably been through frustrating situations that you may encounter. We've already been through it, and our perspective might help you in some way.

Should not be intimidating because the person you're approaching will be very flattered, and I would assume would be most enthusiastic about helping you out.

In the times when I was asking for advice and help, no one ever said no.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Diane?

DIANE NORDSTROM: Yeah, I would agree with everyone else in the fact that I would be very happy to give anyone advice. I don't know when it happened, but sometime in my career, all of a sudden it's like I became old enough to ask advice to.

But yeah, just ask a question to somebody. If you know -- for example, for me I work volleyball and women's basketball. If you have a volleyball question, please ask me, or if you had a board question you could actually ask Peter or Chevonne, as well. Don't be afraid just to start the conversation with somebody with a work-related question, and then who knows where it can go from there.

CLARK TEUSCHER: The next question for the group, earlier we talked about mistakes being made and not taking good advice. Have you had opportunities or noticed opportunities to rectify that, or what options might you have to revisit situations like those and do better the next time? Brian, we'll start with you.

BRIAN FREMUND: Well, I mean, there are some instances where when I've figured it out or someone has kind of taken me aside and pointed it out, I'll go as soon as I can back to the person or people involved, and I guess what I'd say is more than anything keep the personal touch in that. I more frequently -- the worse I think something might be or has happened, I am more likely to be in your office in person so that we can discuss it and understand where both sides are coming from. Get out of the phone, get out of the email, make it as personable as possible to make that connection and try and fix things.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Chevonne?

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: That's a tough question. I think it's important to take ownership of the situation and don't skirt the issue, first of all. Whatever it is, it could be minor or a big thing, but the personal touch is important, I think, like Brian said, and face-to-face interactions goes a long way versus email or a phone call, which would be second best, I think.

But mistakes happen all the time and you can get over them. It's how you respond to mistakes going forward.

CLARK TEUSCHER: And Pete?

PETE MOORE: I'd say, first of all, don't beat yourself up about it. Dealing with it promptly is important, but then letting it go might be even more important. And some of those situations can be avoided just by preparation and by reaching out to the right people. I think of one situation in particular in my career where the first time Syracuse basketball went to the Final Four when I was on the staff, that's just an incredible and new experience that you can't really totally prepare for, and it's tough to explain until you've done it. But it sure helped me to call a couple people while it was going on who had been there and just say, what, what, what. What do I do with this, because it can be very overwhelming. So either that, or then after the fact, reaching out and saying, how would you have handled this situation. As long as we're always trying to gather information and better ourselves, I think that's the best way to handle mistakes we might have made.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Diane?

DIANE NORDSTROM: The one thing that came to my mind is everybody knows what assume means. So never do that. And then the big thing to me is communication. We just hired a new women's basketball coach this past summer, and we sat down before the season started, and I went through all sorts of questions and like what do you do here, what do you want here, but we still ran into some communications issues.

You know, we basically met them head on and basically it's not going to happen again because I talked to the coach and figured out what he wants, and it's the same thing whether you're dealing with media, people in your office, administration. Find out ahead of time what they want, and that way you'll hopefully avoid those mistakes.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Up next is a question of balance. For those who are concerned that they're eating up too much of a mentor's time, how do mentees kind of manage the right balance of interaction within a mentor-mentee relationship? Brian?

BRIAN FREMUND: You know, I think at least specifically in what we're doing with CoSIDA here the last couple years starting this program, I wish I had more contact with my mentees. I mean, I do the best I can to reach out to them, but sometimes when everything piles up and emails are on top of each other, I'll look and be like, man, what is the last time I've talked. I don't ever feel like in our roles, there's too much. Maybe if I'm pressed for time, I'll tell you that, hey, I need to get back with you on this later type of situation, but for the most part, I feel like, at least myself, and I'd like to think most of us serving this role were open books and that that's what we're here for.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Chevonne?

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: Yeah, you know, everyone is busy, especially when you're in season. I think trying to schedule a time to chat or get in touch ahead of time, even if it's just once a month -- I'm in the CoSIDA mentorship program, and my mentee and I have a chat this afternoon at 2:00, and it's probably been a few weeks since we've talked. Understand that everyone's schedules are busy, but find some way to keep in touch, even if it's been a few weeks or so since you've talked to them. Sometimes it's off peak hours. Maybe it's a Sunday night call or a Saturday afternoon call. But I think it is important to stay in touch with your mentee and mentor, just to keep updated on what's going on in each other's lives.

CLARK TEUSCHER: And Pete?

PETE MOORE: I've never been aware of a situation where a mentor felt like the mentee was asking too much. So go for it, and at some point, I might say or someone might say, right now this second isn't a very good time, but let's schedule a time promptly where we can get to this. But ask away. I don't think there is any kind of a line.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Diane?

DIANE NORDSTROM: I would agree with Pete. Don't be afraid to initiate that contact, because we'll either take that time right away or we'll set up a time.

The other thing I would say, if it's something that's really urgent, just drop an email and say, hey, I really have this problem that I need to deal with now, and I would make the time for you if that was the case.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Our next question is another question of balance in terms of how to properly thank a mentor for their help. What is too much and what is appropriate? Brian?

BRIAN FREMUND: I went into this, and signing up for CoSIDA's program, not expecting anything other than meeting and potentially helping as best I can other people. In my eyes, any gift is too much if you really think about it. A nice note, and to know that you're contributing something and that it's meaningful to them is very good.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Okay, Chevonne?

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: Absolutely. Most people, I think all of us as mentors just enjoy giving back, and just seeing the person advance or just -- that's enough there. Email or note is okay, too, but we just enjoy giving back and helping people advance. Definitely not looking for anything else besides that, but whatever comes in terms of thank yous is nice, but we just enjoy the act of mentoring.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Pete?

PETE MOORE: We get the gift. We get the gift. You really are interested in what I might have to say about this? I mean, we're the one who ends up getting the gift.

CLARK TEUSCHER: And Diane?

DIANE NORDSTROM: Yeah, I would agree with everybody else. The advice that we give is free, and it's just what we want to do to help people in the profession. Seeing somebody succeed in a job or move on to another job, that is really thanks enough.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Our final question, once again, we'll go through the whole group, for someone who is considering getting involved with CoSIDA mentorship program, whether it's on the mentor side or the mentee side, what's one thing that you can tell them about the experience to recommend that for them? Brian?

BRIAN FREMUND: Oh, I think it's important in professional growth, and I think both ways. Just because we're more experienced and older doesn't mean we know everything, and especially with the way the business is changing, it can help both people involved in the relationship to be able to have that exchange of ideas, thoughts. So I can't encourage it enough.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Chevonne?

CHEVONNE MANSFIELD: I agree. I think the program is still in the beginning stages, I think only second year or third year. So you have an immediate impact on shaping the way this goes moving forward. What I enjoy the most is that you can be paired up with anyone regardless of your division, regardless of your experience. So my mentees actually saw, and I knew incidentally from a mid-major Division I school, but if you aspire as a mentee, if you're a person wanting to work in Division I one day, then when you apply, you put that on your application and then CoSIDA will do their best to pair you with someone who fits that qualification.

CLARK TEUSCHER: Pete?

PETE MOORE: I've been a member of CoSIDA for, I don't know, 35 years maybe, and I'd have to say that there's always been a mentorship program. But people need to take advantage of that. Now here recently, there's been a formalized program developed, which is awesome, fantastic. For those who maybe need a more formal introduction, it's a great way to go. Please don't limit yourself to one mentor. Again, you want to build a support group. You want to build a team that's going to help you personally and professionally, and don't limit it to one person. So sign up for the mentorship program but reach out to other people, as well. The more you can get in your corner, the better off you're going to be.

DIANE NORDSTROM: Yeah, being a mentor is very rewarding. It's a great way to give back to younger members of the profession, and I would agree with Pete. What we talked about earlier, don't be afraid to go talk to somebody at an event. If you go to the CoSIDA convention, try to meet at least one new person a day and get yourself out there. You're going to find it's going to be helpful for both sides.

CLARK TEUSCHER: We want to thank all of our presenters today for their time. We continue to appreciate Capital One's sponsorship of this year's continuing education series. The recording of today's webinar and the ASAP Sports FastScript will be available for on-demand exclusively in CoSIDA's online community, CoSIDA Connect, later today. Once again, we invite all of attendees to continue today's discussion on mentorship and share your own experiences with colleagues at CoSIDA Connect. All continuing education and resource library materials are available solely on CoSIDA Connect. Mobile users can download the CoSIDA Connect app on iTunes or Google play. More information on the mobile app can be found CoSIDA Connect and CoSIDA.com. Make sure to check back in at CoSIDA.com or follow in on Twitter at CoSIDA News for dates, times and topics for upcoming webinars. Thanks to everyone for participating. Have a great day.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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