ELEVATE BEYOND
The Blog of Jake Kelfer
5 Key Ways to Maximize Productivity When Working Remotely... Especially If It's New To You3/12/2020  Photo Credit: Getty Images More and more companies are starting to have their employees work from home.
Even under crazy circumstances like now, working from home has the potential to be extremely productive to all parties involved… but everyone needs to be on the same page for this to work. For some people, working from home seems like an impossible task. People see it as a way to slack off or avoid putting in the same amount of effort as they would in the office. For people that rely on seeing their superiors or who struggle to self motivate, there is no one watching you to make sure you’re on task. There isn’t the motivation of seeing everyone working at their desks. Oh, and there’s all the distractions in the world at your fingertips. For other people, working from home is a dream come true. It’s finally the time where you can show your team that you can get your work done from wherever and still deliver the results that people expect. Here’s the thing… coronavirus is trending towards having everyone work from home to stop the spread. So here are 5 things you can do to be productive when working at home:
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 You guys have really been enjoying the articles when I get quotes or stories from various people across different areas of expertise, so today we’re featuring educators from across the country.
As I speak more and more, I’m realizing it’s not enough to just teach students how to get by or to teach just the traditional curriculum. Instead, we should be teaching and encouraging the next generation how to thrive and create incredible lives for themselves in and out of the classroom! I asked a handful of Student Council Executive Directors, teachers, and coaches who I think do a fantastic job the following question to see what we can do across the globe to help our youth THRIVE! What characteristic or skill set should we be encouraging our youth to develop to thrive in and out of the classroom?  I recently posted a survey for a new online networking course called the Sports Networking Playbook that I am creating with one of my mentors and good friends, Sergio Millas.
Something that kept coming up in the responses was getting nervous before a big interview or networking meeting. Knowing from experience, this is definitely a real concern, especially when you are looking for a job, when you are trying to find your next client or when you are putting yourself out there for the first time. If there is anything you need to remember it's that they agreed to interview you or take your meeting. That means they want to talk with you and hear what you have to offer! Don't ever forget that. When dealing with people it’s important to know that no matter who you are meeting with or interviewing with, they are human just like you and me. CEOs, executives, professors, recruiters, decision makers, or whomever you are meeting with, all still want to feel good. 
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been interviewing candidates to work for the Professional Basketball Combine.
I originally announced the opportunity to join the PBC on a LinkedIn post, where I asked for people to comment their email addresses if they were interested. From there, we sent them an email discussing the opportunities and how to apply. As the author of a career and life motivation book, it was only fitting that I viewed the process through the lens of someone who works in the career space. Throughout the process, I decided to keep track of the way people sent in their application, how they communicated with me, and if/how they followed up. What I found was fascinating.  Tim Ferriss recently wrote a book called Tribe of Mentors, and after listening to him talk about it on 5 or so podcasts, I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of mentorship. More than that, I’ve been thinking about what makes a great mentor and what impact they can have on someone’s life. Finding a mentor is one thing, but finding a great mentor can be life changing. They can help you grow as a professional. They can encourage you to take or pass on a certain job. They can introduce you to new contacts. They can give you confidence and push you to achieve your definition of success. Click here to read the whole article on Front Office Sports.
 Image via cleverpm.com Get your mind right and your game tight. To succeed in sports sales, you have to have the right mentality. I’m not talking about a sales only mentality and a numbers quota. I’m talking about a mentality focused on relationships and growth. The interesting thing about sales is even when you aren’t in sales, you’re in sales. Sales is a way of life and for everything you do, you are selling yourself. You can’t ever forget that. You are a brand as much as the experience you are selling, so the minute you compromise your integrity, you compromise your ability to sell. There are a few qualities that stand out to me when I think of a great salesperson. I asked several veterans and young professionals in the sales world about their thoughts on what it takes to be a great salesperson and this is what they had to say. Read the full article here.
 We’ve all heard of someone getting a job that wasn’t posted or that we didn’t even know existed. What we don’t always hear is how. Sports is a unique industry in the sense that jobs are posted year round with an influx at the start of every big season. Teams need seasonal interns and associates. Brands and other companies need summer, winter and spring interns. There are plenty of opportunities out there; you just need to find them. Once you know that all of these jobs exist, you can start searching. Even if you don’t know exactly what roles are available, you can still begin your job search. You don’t have to wait till you see a job on Teamwork Online, Front Office Sports, or Jobs in Sports to start being proactive. Read how this strategy to create new job opportunities on Front Office Sports here.
Last Friday, I attended the Michigan Sports Business Conference for the first time, and it was AWESOME! Somehow the stars aligned and the conference just happened to take place during the time I’m in Michigan for Elevate America.
Once I found that out, I knew I had no choice but to attend. To make it even more exciting, my colleague and teammate at the Professional Basketball Combine, Chris Henderson, was named a winner of the Big Initiative Award. Better yet, he was the Valedictorian and I wanted to be there for him to share this amazing accomplishment. Conferences can be tricky to master, but I always like to have a goal or two when I go. Since this conference had a lot to do with career advice for students and young professionals, one of my goals was to get as much advice for aspiring sports business professionals. Below is some of the advice the featured experts shared at the conference.  Human beings have an internal desire to help other humans. While we may not always act on this desire, we all have it. We all know how great it feels to help someone, so the question is why aren’t we always doing it? Well, one of the main reasons is… people don’t ask for help. Why? Because, they are scared they’ll be bothering someone, scared to be vulnerable and open to receiving help, scared to be rejected, and the list goes on. What I’ve found, and experienced, is that people want to help other people succeed. You just have to ask!!!! Read about the three groups I recommend asking for help from on Front Office Sports here.
In part one we broke down how internships are an incredible opportunity to learn. In part two we talked about how internships are a place for personal and professional growth. For the final part of this three part article series, I am going to share how internships can be great for improving your resume and making you stand out.
It’s no surprise that internships are a building block for your career. In today’s world, you need internship experience to be able to differentiate yourself from the hundreds of other candidates applying for the exact same job. You might have perfect grades and be the greatest person ever, but if you lack experience the road to securing your dream job is much harder. Notice, I didn’t say impossible, but I did say harder. I don’t think I am sharing revolutionary information here. I am, however, reiterating an important fact that internship experience helps build a full candidate profile. Having internship experience can diversify your resume, improve your chances of getting hired and give you the added confidence to apply for jobs. Read the rest on Front Office Sports here.
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Hey, I'M JAKE!I am on a mission to help ambitious entrepreneurs and freedom seekers start their dream business, build a world-class network, and scale to 6 figures!
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