Key Insight #2
I learned how important it is to be able to work with different people. You are not always going to be around people you know or people who work the same way you do. My two experiences working with the PGA of America really showed me that.
I worked two different tournaments with the PGA, and the people I worked with at each one were completely different. The first tournament was in Florida, and most of the people I worked with were from Florida or other parts of the Southeast. The second tournament was in Minnesota, and most of the people I worked with were from the Midwest. The difference between the two groups was something I noticed pretty quickly. I had to get used to working with a completely new group of people and figuring out how everyone worked together. I could not just assume that the second tournament would be like the first one because it was a completely different group and a completely different environment.
Minnesota was also a much bigger adjustment for me personally. I was about 14 hours away from the closest person I knew outside of work. I did not have friends or family around me, so the people I worked with became the people I spent most of my time around. We were working long hours together, dealing with problems together, and spending a lot of time around each other every day.
At first, it was definitely different being around people I did not know. You have to figure out people’s personalities, how they communicate, and how they like to work. I learned pretty quickly that you cannot treat every person the exact same way. Some people want you to take the lead, some people want you to listen, and some people just want you to get your job done and let them do theirs.
I learned how to adjust to that. I did not have to change who I was, but I had to understand the people around me and figure out how we could work together. I think that is something that will be important for me throughout my career because I am never going to work with the exact same people at every job or event. This was something I had learned about in my Sport and Entertainment Management classes, especially when it came to teamwork and communication, but actually working in the industry made it much more real. In class, you usually know the people you are working with and you have a set amount of time to finish a project. At a major sporting event, you could be working with someone you met that same day, working a long shift, and still have to figure out how to get everything done together.
The biggest difference I noticed between the two tournaments was how quickly I had to become comfortable with new people. At the first tournament, I was learning the job and getting to know the people around me. By the time I got to Minnesota, I already had more confidence in my ability to do the work, but I still had to build completely new relationships.
Being in Minnesota also taught me that getting out of your comfort zone can be a good thing. I was far away from home, surrounded by people I had never met before, and working extremely long hours. It would have been easy to just keep to myself. Instead, I got to know the people around me and became part of the group. Looking back, I think that was one of the most valuable parts of the experience. I went from barely knowing anyone to working alongside these people every day and becoming comfortable with them. It showed me that you can walk into a completely new environment and eventually make it feel normal. These experiences also taught me that being a good teammate is not just about doing your own job. You have to be aware of what is going on around you and be willing to help other people when they need it. At the PGA, there were constantly things that needed to be done, and sometimes the person who was supposed to handle something was busy with something else. Being willing to step in and help made the entire team better. I also learned that different people can bring different strengths to a team. The people I worked with in Florida and Minnesota had different experiences, personalities, and ways of doing things. Instead of seeing those differences as a problem, I learned that they can actually make a team stronger. My two PGA experiences changed how I look at working with people. I am now much more comfortable walking into a situation where I do not know anyone. I know that I can figure out how people work, build relationships with them, and become part of the team. Going forward, I know I am going to work with a lot of different people throughout my career. I may move somewhere new, work for a new organization, or show up to an event where I do not know a single person. I am not going to be able to control who I work with, but I can control how I approach those people. The biggest thing I took away from these two tournaments is that you have to be able to adapt. Florida and Minnesota were completely different experiences, and the people I worked with were completely different, but I was able to adjust to both. Being able to work with different people, communicate with them, and become part of a team is something I know I will continue to use throughout my career.