Shelter From the Rain

Wondering how to stop the downpour of work you walk through every day? Consider the following umbrella approach.

by Dr. Elizabeth Alden
Originally printed in Athletic Management, 12.1 December/January 2000



Imagine taking an hour of your work day to simply relax. Or maybe to read a professional newspaper or magazine. How about just looking out of your window and pondering the next project or challenge on the horizon. For one whole hour, no one disturbs you. There is peace, quiet, and no telephone.

Can't imagine this scene?

That is because it has become almost extinct in this world of work we live in. Having served as an athletics administrator for 15 years (each year of which became busier), I understand the rarity of this precious hour. And this phenomenon is widespread--it is as common in high school athletic administration as it is in NCAA Division I. Managing an athletic program has become about acceleration, pace, unending meetings, business, and wondering if you can find time to watch at least one practice or a few games a week.

Judy Sweet, former Director of Athletics at the University of California-San Diego, comments, "One of the greatest challenges for administrators is balancing professional responsibilities with personal time. The desire to support all teams and department activities, which could be endless, often wins out over reading a good book, taking a vacation, family time, or hobbies. Yet, making personal time a priority is essential for maintaining health, enthusiasm, and vigor."

This article will delve into the constant state of being busy that has crept up on athletic administrators over the past two decades. This is not to say that former athletic administrators were not busy; however, today's level of technology and communication has contributed to the frenzied level of professional existence that we are now experiencing. This article will also suggest some solutions to the problem by focusing on the notion of control.

Our Changing Role

Athletic administrators oversee all aspects of what have become mini-kingdoms within an institutional setting. When you have 25 sports, complete with head and assistant coaches, athletic trainers, sports information directors, and everyone else associated with the program, directly reporting to you, what happens? You try very hard to see your coaches and student-athletes on a proactive basis, but, due to the constraints of your position and schedule, you become reactive in your approach. In other words, "call me if you need me, but otherwise I am too busy to work with you."

Dave O'Brien, Director of Athletics at Temple University, sums up his experience as a Division I athletic administrator this way: "Since becoming an athletic director in 1991, I have seen a tremendous increase in both the complexity and pace of the job. The scope of responsibilities, the conflicting demands, and the breakneck pace challenge the most energetic person. Whatever I am doing, I feel I should be doing something else. Wherever I am, I feel I should be somewhere else. More often than not, the workday is simply a blur."

Why has this happened in such a people-focused profession? One suggested reason is intercollegiate athletics has become all things to all people. There are multiple, and evolving, expectations of an athletics program; for example, the specialized focus we must now take on issues such as drugs, sexual harassment, and violence. It is critical that we address these issues with students, but it seems the expectations keep growing.

"In the 22 years that I have been involved in Division III Athletics, I have witnessed a marked change in the quantity and quality of services provided to coaches and athletes alike," says Trude Wolfarth, Assistant Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator at Montclair State University. "Collegiate athletics, at all levels, has become a 12-month operation. Due to budget constraints in Division III, the number of people in administrative positions has not kept up with this demand for services."

This changing nature of athletics administration has both positive and negative consequences. Intercollegiate and interscholastic athletics are providing positive experiences for the majority of student-athletes placed in our care. We work hard to ensure that these students are educated both on and off the playing field. But, at what expense? Are we wearing ourselves out in the process? Can we continue at this pace, perhaps for an entire career?

Solutions

Yes, this is about you. You need to slow down and take care of yourself. While I do not pretend to be the guru of relaxation, I will make a few suggestions for you to contemplate--because it matters.

There is a time and place both for being busy and for relaxing in your life. What I fear has happened, however, is that we have become addicted to a state of being busy.

We have "forced" relaxation that we carefully plan: vacations, occasional weekend trips, maybe an evening out every once in awhile. But I am not talking about this type of relaxation; my reference is to your day-to-day life. The working minutes that never seem to contain a moment of ease, deep breaths, or feet up on the desk. They are the minutes that you should take control over. What does it take to make this happen?

First, it takes a commitment to change. Most of us develop patterns--we like our cup of coffee at 10:00 and our Diet Coke at 2:00. But, just as we follow these patterns, we can also develop new ones. It takes wanting to change and knowing it is necessary for one's personal and professional health.

Second, it takes a willingness to control one's workload. How do you actually cut down on the quantity of work that contributes to making you so busy? I found as an athletics administrator that my schedule was determined for me. Appointments were made and meetings were planned without my knowledge. To some extent, that is the nature of the beast. However, as I began to experience the frustration of always being busy, I realized that I had to do something to help myself. I was drowning in meetings!

I went back to my job description. I assessed what it said my responsibilities were. I met with my administrative assistant and designed a new way of being in my work. We agreed to set aside at least four hours during each workday that were mine--to schedule, plan, read, watch practices, write, or simply gaze out the window.

Again, the primary point here is control--who has it? You do. You must constantly assess what you have control over, including your daily schedule, and then let the rest go or delegate it to someone else.

Here are some possible how-to's to make your busy day not feel so busy:

• Make rules for yourself. Like no cell phones at lunchtime. Or close your door for a half-hour each day with only you in your office. Let the phone go unanswered and resist the temptation to check your e-mail. If you have room, get a couch and sit on it. Just getting out from behind your desk and reading on a couch can feel incredibly relaxing.
  
  

• No more than four meetings a day. Can you do it? Can you afford not to do it? This means reviewing your schedule and deciding what is necessary and what is superfluous. Also, consider having half-hour meetings. Many of us have gotten into a mind-set that meetings should last one hour. Not so. Many chief executive officers know how to do this--they schedule half-hour meetings and still get all the work accomplished.
  
  

• Use group e-mails. Put all of your coaches on a group e-mail system and give them the information they need to know on a regular basis.
  
  

• Break up your day. Take a walk at lunchtime or a swim. Something that will take you away from it all. No communication with anyone but yourself. It can be incredibly refreshing and only you can make the time.

Make a Plan

Finally, create short-term and long-term plans complete with a timeline for your entire program. This allows you to clearly know what you are supposed to be working on now and what you will be working on six months from now. It will help you put some perspective on your work and know that things are being accomplished.

As administrators, we must take control of many situations in any given day. We are very good at taking control. It's what they pay us to do. However, taking control of our schedule is something we don't allow ourselves to do. Staying busy seems to be such an adrenaline rush for some of us.

The question is, how long can you keep it up? Is it time for change in your life? Can you create a new pattern of work for yourself? Remember, working hard does not equate with working well. Quantity does not mean quality in this new millennium--which is a good time for change in your life.

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