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Episode #117
Jen Rizzotti, President
with Jennifer Rizzotti
03 Oct, 2024 · Basketball
Episode #117
Athlete: Jen Rizzotti
“Guide to Becoming President: Jen Rizzotti, President of the Connecticut Sun”
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Welcome to the Voice in Sport podcast and our new exclusive series, Becoming President, where we are bringing you more visibility to the challenges and opportunities the top women in sports face while earning their way to the president's office. This new series will showcase the paths of several presidents across the sports industry and how each one is uniquely different.
In this episode, we speak with Jen Rizzotti. Jen Rizzotti is a Connecticut native and the current president of the Connecticut Sun in the WNBA. She joined the Sun after five seasons as the head women's basketball coach at George Washington University and 17 seasons as the head coach of the University of Hartford Women's Basketball Program, where she was named American East Coach of the Year three times. Inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, Rizzotti is well known in basketball circles around the world, most notably as an assistant coach to the USA Basketball Women's National Team, with whom she won a gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. And then in the 2024 Paris Olympics, she led the women's three the US women's national team to a bronze medal.
As a student of the University of Connecticut, Rizzotti first vaulted into the national spotlight as the starting point guard for the Huskies first national championship team in 1995 with an undefeated 35 to 0 record. A former All-American and the NCAA Regional Most Outstanding Player after her junior and senior seasons. In 1996, Rizzotti virtually swept the postseason awards as Big East Player of the Year, Big East Scholar Athlete of the Year, the Associated Press Player of the Year, and many more accolades. Rizzotti graduated as UConn's career leader in assists with 367 and steals 349 and still ranks third all-time in those categories. Rizzotti played eight seasons of professional basketball following her graduation from UConn in 1996, winning two WNBA championships with the Houston Comets. Also, Rizzotti and her husband, Bill Sullivan, have two sons, Holden and Connor. So, while you may know Jen Rizzotti as the star on the court, her story doesn't stop or end there.
In our first ever Becoming President episode, we're diving deep into a rise to the top as President of the Connecticut Sun. Today's episode is more than an athletic journey, it's a masterclass in leadership and ambition.
I want to be successful and I want to have a seat at that table, and the reason I want to have a seat at that table is so I can provide the seat for the next woman to sit next to me and then sit in my seat when I'm done. So if we don't do it, if we don't decide we're going to work twice as hard and twice as smart. Then nobody has a chance going forward. So I think our goal, right, is to make that leadership circle a better place for the next generation of women to come.
Before we get started, if you love this podcast, please leave us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. And don't forget to sign up at voiceinsport.com. If you're a young woman in sport, you can join for free and get mentored by the pros, including 16 WNBA athletes.
Jen, welcome to the Voice in Sport podcast. I'm so excited to have you here with us today.
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We're excited to be here. Thanks for having me.
Well, you are our first guest and we are really going to have this new series being about breaking down how you have become a president. It's a great year for that because we have a lot going on in politics. But we have a lot going on in sports and specifically in women's sports. So it's exciting time to be in the WNBA and I would love you to start with just your career.
So if you could describe your career in chapters starting with your first chapter at the end of college.
My first chapter was becoming a professional basketball player. So the end of college, I had no idea what the next chapter of my life would be. So I guess I was pretty lucky that they started professional [00:04:00] basketball in the United States and I was drafted into the American basketball league in 1996 and played two and a half seasons with the New England Blizzard before the league folded but was fortunate that there was another basketball league called the WNBA, which everybody's aware of. And so I played five additional seasons with the Houston Comets where I won two world championships. and the Cleveland Rockers for three three summers as well.
So you studied biology in your undergraduate degree. Is that really what you thought you were going to be doing for your first job out of college?
I don't know what I was going to be doing. I guess I feel lucky that they started a professional basketball league. I thought about going to grad school. I actually thought that I could work for Nike and do research on basketball shoes because I had no idea what I wanted to do. I think I got a job offer from Johnson and Johnson out of college. So I was a little bit all over the place and I think biology was probably not the right choice for me because it was also really hard.
That's amazing. I always find it fascinating and I think it's such an important lesson for young women out there is that no matter what you study, that doesn't necessarily translate exactly to the job you're going to get right out of college.
Exactly. Exactly. Exactly. I couldn't be more opposite to have a science degree and become a basketball player, so. But hey, part of the work ethic that it took to be successful I think defined who I was I was an academic All American and that's probably one of the accolades I'm most proud of is that I wasn't just a good basketball player, but I excelled in the classroom.
I think that's where the draw was that is I could do it all right. I could take one of the hardest majors. I could play for one of the best Division One basketball programs in the country and I could be the best at both. So, I'm proud of that.
What do you think your biggest lessons were in that first chapter of your first role out of college being a professional basketball player that helped you to become a president today?
I learned a lot more about leadership. I think that journey started for me in college, but you know, as I get into my second chapter, there's some overlap there with my coaching career. And as a player having experienced being an All-American to being a bench warmer, to being a contributor off the bench, I learned a lot about the perspective of how to treat people, how to navigate like relationships how to make people feel valuable no matter what their role was. And I just think that those leadership lessons along the way I have very much played into this role that I have now where I'm basically running a team of 35 people.
It's so incredible, like the lessons that you learn from sport. And I think leadership is definitely one of the biggest ones. I think how you understand people's strengths and weaknesses and identify those on the court. It translates. It's immediately into when you're then running a company or leading a team on the professional side. So you did it for over eight years. Which set you up for an incredible chapter number two. So tell us about your second chapter in your career and what was really that transition like?
So the second chapter was becoming a head basketball coach at the University of Hartford.
I actually started that chapter in 1999, so I was still playing professionally during the summer in the WNBA and then coaching division one basketball the other seven months out of the year. So, I feel like. The lessons I was learning concurrently in those two roles was really beneficial.
I was very young. I was 25 years old when I took over as like my first real leadership role. I had to learn a lot about patients in terms of like how to grow a successful culture and what it took. I had to learn a lot about that in leadership, you don't no matter how good you are at it, you don't necessarily make everybody happy, especially when you're doling out playing time.
But I, I think at bottom line, I continued to focus on relationships and the networking that I was making throughout my career, even at a young age, I started to really understand that the people that I was meeting, whether it was my players or it was coaches or it was colleagues in the business or coaches that were still coaching me in the WNBA, that network would continue to grow and be the reason that 20 years later, I was able to step into a role like this.
Yeah, and I've seen a lot of WNBA players today including Ariel Atkins, who's also a Voice in Sport mentor, go on and start to do that coaching in between seasons and off seasons. So what advice do you have for those women that are trying to check it out, see how it is, they're still playing ball, but they're interested in becoming a coach.
Yeah. I will say that you learn so much about being a player when you're on the other side of it. I say this all the time to players that get injured is now you're going to think about See what it feels like to be a coach, you know, when you can't control what you're doing or what your teammates doing, you just have to watch.
And ask them and plead them to do something. You're going to feel that frustration. It's only going to make you better when you go back to the playing side. And so I think these players that are doing both like myself, I was able to recognize what I wasn't doing as a player and then be able to carry that over when I went back into my playing season. And so I thought I got smarter. I got better. I got more patient. I understood the game better. And I think all of these players that are doing that now have that advantage for sure.
Did you know right away when you started coaching that it was for you? Or was there a moment where you're like, you know what? I don't know.
Right away. I never really thought about being a coach and a lot of players now think they want to coach. I never thought about it. So I was I was finishing up my second year with the Comets and I got a call from the athletic director at Hartford. She's, she knew me from UConn and she said, Hey, my coach just resigned. I need someone in the interim. Would you be willing to do that for the season? I hemmed and hawed and then realized that like I was 25, someone's offering me a head coaching position. What a great opportunity. Let me go see what it was like. It took about three weeks. Three weeks and I was like hooked.
I said, this is what I was meant to do. As much as I love playing, like the feeling that I had of impacting these young women and trying to motivate them, the challenge of it, it just felt so fitting for who I was. And so 22 years later, I was still doing it. And I love, I loved every minute of it, even with this challenges. I love that part of my career.
That's incredible. Okay. So chapter number two is really about becoming a coach. Bring us on to then chapter number three, which is still within the coaching zone, but a little bit of a pivot.
Yeah. So chapter number three was when I started my coaching career or my career, I should say with USA basketball. In 2006, I got a call and I was asked to be an assistant coach for the U18 National team with Doug Bruno as a head coach and had no idea what it was really all about. I hadn't, I didn't have a huge USA basketball career as a player. I played on one or two teams, but I decided to go out and check it out.
And it's one of those things that I've done in my life that I'm super grateful for because even now, 18 years later, I'm still doing it. I've, it's like my happy place, right? Like I don't, it's not full time. It's not the same. I've been a co assistant coach. I've been a head coach. I've been a committee member. I've been a scout. And then now most recently I'll be the 3 x 3 coach for the Olympics. I've had different roles throughout my 18 years with USA Basketball, but I have met so many incredible humans in every part of the industry that have always made me feel good about myself. And I think about that all the time. If you're successful, if you feel good about what you do, it's because you're around people that make you feel good about you. And USA Basketball has always valued me. It's always challenged me. It's appreciated me. And that's why I can't say no when they call. So here I am, almost 20 years later, still saying yes to USA Basketball. And it's definitely been probably one of the most rewarding chapters of my life.
Well, it's super incredible. I mean, To be at that level, right. With one of the best teams in the world. And also the fact that you got to try all these different jobs, I think is really cool because that's one of the things about discovering what you want to do in your career is trying different things. When I was at Nike, I was there for 14 years, and what I did was always looked at my next job is what can I learn from that job? And what can I give that job? And if there wasn't both, then I wasn't going to go for that job.
Exactly. Exactly. I always felt like I had to come back from every trip better, right? Better as a leader, better as a coach, better as a person, better as a mom, right? All those things were important to me. As I went through that journey and that, that chapter will hopefully continue, but, it's really defined a lot of who I have become in my current role for sure.
Okay, what's the one thing that you did that you were like most proud of during that time with USA Basketball?
I think, so for the, 2016 and 2020 Olympics, I got to prepare the gold medal scout. So, when you're like sitting in your hotel room, typing up the scout and editing the film, and then, especially this last time it was in Tokyo and we were playing Japan and it was a really hard scout and just being able to present it the next day to the team in a way that I felt like. They get it right. Like I was able in 15 minutes to prepare them to win a help win a gold medal, right? There was just a lot, like when I finished that session, I was sweating, I was talking fast because Cheryl always told me, and Don Hold told me I had 15 minutes. But when I finished it was like, okay, like I got everything I needed to get in.
Like I've done my job, right this was my job to come here and help, prepare them to win basketball games. And I walked out of that room and as we went and, got on the bus to go over to play the gold medal game, I felt like I had done my job to the best of my ability. And so winning that, gold medal was all of us.
Obviously I was a very tiny, small part of it, but I know what I did and the preparation that I put in to getting us to that moment and making the team feel proud and when the players come to you after and tell you, you did a great job, that they felt prepared and they knew the scout, they knew that their job. Then, there's a lot of like satisfaction that comes with that.
Well, that's incredible because you had 15 minutes to be on. But, how much time did you work to get to that 15 minutes?
It depends. Like it's over the course of weeks, right? Like leading up to the Olympics, it's multiple teams. We had played Japan prior to the gold medal game. So you're just watching hours of film. You're typing up your notes. You're going over the scout in your head and watching it and talking, saying it out loud. So, hours, at least a lot of hours that went into it to be ready, to be on and be perfect for 15 minutes. And, it's like they go out there with all this pressure on them as the most decorated team sport in the history of Olympics. Right. And they're going for their seventh consecutive gold medal with all of this expectation and all of this pressure. So the least I can do is be at my very best for those 15 minutes.
Well, I think it teaches, it showcases a really important lesson as you get higher up in corporate world is being able to articulate your point of view in a short little stints. And usually you don't even have 15 minutes in a corporate boardroom. So you know, but that preparation, right? And we know that as athletes because we're out there training for that like short game. It's the same thing that translates over to the business world. Like you're getting ready. Pitch a deck or get a key point across in a meeting. And you might have 30 seconds to do that. Yes. So it's a huge lesson you learn.
Yes.
Okay. So chapter number four, bring us to that next point in your career where it was a big moment in your journey to becoming president.
Yeah. So chapter number four was me finally leaving the state of Connecticut and taking a job outside of Connecticut and becoming the head coach at George Washington University.
So that was in 2016. I had been at Hartford for 17 years coaching, a really hard decision to leave, but I was ready for a different challenge. And felt like this was the time of my life with my kids at the age they were. And. Where I was in my career and what I had accomplished and feeling like I was hitting a wall that I needed to move on.
And so I took a leap of faith and took this job at George Washington and it didn't end good for me. I got fired actually in 2021. And I'm very open about that because I think people, there's a lot of shame that comes with getting fired. And I need people to know that it has nothing to do with how successful you are. And it was a really hard job and it burned me out a lot from coaching, but I was there at a time that was really important for my players because it was not just during COVID, but I was in the nation's Capitol during the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Movement birth, coaching a team of 50 percent black women. So my last year there became very much about player mental health and emotional health and teaching these women how to use their voices and their platform for things bigger than basketball.
And so I was very much less focused on winning, which is why I got fired and much more focused on treating these women the way that they needed to be treated at a time that was really hard and challenging for them. So, Even though I got let go, I don't regret it. I wouldn't change it. I would not go back and do anything differently than I did because I know that I coached them the way that they needed to be coached that year. And it was much less about basketball and much more about keeping them together, keeping them sane, keeping them safe at a time where they couldn't even be with their families, where we were getting tested every day, where we were. Struggling emotionally because we had no outside connection and then being expected to play basketball. So, very defining moment for me to hit some adversity and not have the success that I wanted, but still come out of there with a perspective about how that part of my journey and how that chapter in my life really could impact who I became going forward.
Well, thank you so much for sharing that. I think that is, you're so right. Like people always talk about and celebrate when they, when they get promoted, but not necessarily when they get fired or even when they get let go. And I think that's a hard moment for anyone to go through.
So what would be your advice to any of the young women out there that have gone through that? Like, how do you pick yourself back up after a fire?
Yeah. I think for me I felt. Like I didn't second guess my decisions. I think if you act the way that is you true to who you are as a person and you align your values to your actions all the time.
Like you can't ever regret things that happened to you. If I had done something that I thought deserved to get me fired, I might feel very differently, but winning and losing basketball games You know, like we, we had our adversity for a lot of different reasons. Like you win games for a lot of different reasons. And to me in that moment, it wasn't really about the basketball wins. It was about the people wins. It was about the relationship wins. And so I felt like I was unsupported in the decisions that I was making that I thought were right.
And so I didn't really want to work for an organization or an athletic department that didn't believe in what I was doing. Cause I believed in my players believed that what I was doing was right, which is why most of them left when I got fired. So I had no regrets about it. My actions and who I was as a human, right, and so therefore, it was hard, it was like a, it was definitely a shot to my ego. But there was no regrets right to, if I had to go back and do it differently, what would I do differently? There was either, there's some things that you would, you learn from, but overall the way that I operated and my standard for excellence and what I was expecting from my leadership and what I was not getting that wasn't going to change for me. And so I needed to move to a place and an organization where I was going to be supported. And those expectations of excellence on and off the floor were going to be valued and celebrated.
It's such an important lesson, I think for any of the women that are listening to this podcast. It's you want to know the values of the organization that you're working for, and know your values.
And sometimes that alignment is there, and then it splits. And then you have to ask yourself, what are you going to do in that moment? And that's super important, right? What is, what does success look like inside of the organization that you're at is on the metric list? Is there something around the value of people and humanity or not?
Yeah, we, we coached my husband and I coached together at Hartford for 16 of the 17 years I was there. And well, when you're younger, you're like, okay, success is winning, right? It's getting to the NCAA tournament. It's, winning a championship and not that those things don't feel good, but. When we finally got invited to our first player wedding, right? We realized at that moment, we said, this is success that we're sitting in a ballroom and there's two full tables of University of Hartford people at. Kate's wedding, right? So like that's the definition of success when you can fill two tables at somebody's wedding, because you're that important in their life and their teammate, you made sure that their teammates were that important in their life, that they wanted everybody to be there. And so I think 17 weddings later, I still remind myself, right?
Are you like the 20 dresses like movie? Do you open your closet and you see all of the
It's not bridesmaids, but it's it reminds us that this is why we were good at what we did is that these people are still in our life and they want us there at the most important moment of their life at the time.
That's amazing. I feel like we should make a little movie about that, like a little here's all your different outfits at every wedding. It's amazing. Oh, God. Okay, so that brings us then to a really important next chapter for you to become president, which was in 2021. So, what ended up happening after that job?
Yeah, well, I went home, called everybody in my life and I got this random phone call that I didn't answer. And then they called again. And, I was feeling sorry for myself a little bit. I'm not gonna lie. And then I finally answered the call and it was somebody on the other line that was like, Hey this timing might not be great, but it actually might be good. We were just wondering if you'd be interested in the job being the president of the Connecticut Sun. And I was like, what? Like crazy. I, yeah, maybe, I'll call you tomorrow. I hung up and a couple of my friends were over and I told them and they were like, of course of course you get fired and get offered another job on the same day and
Oh, wait, it was the same day.
It was the same day that I got fired. Yeah.
Wow. That's the universe right there working in some interesting ways.
Yeah, I think a lot about this because I'm like, I was the president of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association. I served on their board for 12 years. I said yes to every USA basketball assignment they asked for. I've said yes to so many different community engagements and speaking engagements and leadership opportunities. And I've tried to live my life, treating people the way that I want to be treated like players, colleagues. I wanted to be a mentor in this game. Like I, invited people to my practices.
I answered emails. I answered phone calls when young coaches wanted to interview me about success. And so I felt you know what, like I deserve this, like I deserve at my lowest moment in my professional career to have someone recognize. the value that I would bring to their organization. And it happened, it helped that it was Connecticut and I'm, a pseudo celebrity here still having played for the Huskies.
But I think it was more that, like the value of the leadership that I had shown throughout my career and that somebody thought without any experience working in a front office, that I would still bring a lot of value to this role. And so what was I supposed to say? Right. It was like when I asked, I thought back like 25 years earlier, when someone asked me to be a head coach for the first time, and I was like, I don't have any experience coaching.
I said, you know what? It's probably a sign that maybe it's time to pivot. I'm a little burnout here. I've had a bad experience in this job and I'm like really not feeling great about jumping right back into coaching. And maybe this is the change that I need. And so I don't know that it was three weeks. Like coaching was, but it wasn't long before I realized that this was a job that I was going to love. So I just, I'm very grateful for the people here for taking a chance on me. I'm grateful that I've, tried to live my life and treat people the right way throughout my career. And I've built my network and I've built my reputation to be one that people want me to work for them. And so that, that made me feel really good on a day that wasn't so hot for me.
It's such also an important lesson, I think, for the young women that are listening, is that you didn't, in either of those moments, the coaching moment when you got asked to coach as a head coach, and then the moment you got asked to be, become president, you didn't hesitate and say, well, I haven't, I don't have X, Y, Z, which is what the majority of women do.
is they think that they're not yet qualified for a job because they haven't, checked off every single thing on the list. So how did you build that mindset and what advice would you have to the girls out there that are sitting there thinking about their next job? But they're saying, yeah, but I don't have X, Y, Z yet, cause men don't do that.
No, they do not. I think you have to decide what your strengths are and if they translate. And I think for me, both instances, I, the more I thought about it, the more I thought I can do this. Like, leadership Translates, right? I've been a head coach for 22 years on every level, including the Olympic level. I've led teams of 12 to 15 women and 10, staff members. I've led organizations, right? I've been on executive boards. I've been on charity boards. I've done this. I've been in this position and. I wasn't going to focus on the things that I didn't know about the job. I just came in focused on the things that I knew I could do well.
And that was build teams, build relationships and lead people. And so if I didn't know how to do the business stuff, I could hire people to do that for me. I could hire people to teach me that. I could pick up the phone and call 11 other WNBA presidents and ask questions. And so that's the other thing I'll say is you can't be, you can't be afraid to not know.
You can't be afraid to take a job because you don't know, but then once you get that job, be afraid to ask for help. And so you have to be vulnerable and you have to be authentic and you have to be confident. Hey, this is what I'm good at. I'm going to do this really well for you. Here's what I'm not good at. So I need your help. Right? And I think I did that from day one with my staff and I earned their respect, and I just worked hard to hire people that knew the things that I didn't. And then I had an open mind. I had a growth mindset about this role and I was determined. to be good at it. I was determined to get the experience that I didn't have.
It's incredible. Okay. So I love your five chapters. It's really inspiring to see your journey as a professional athlete, a coach, and now the president of the Connecticut Sun.
When you reflect back on your journey what are the top three challenges that you have experienced in building your career to become a president?
Sure. I think, for me My family was always really important to me, right. I think learning early, the challenges of trying to balance, well, first it was playing and then coaching. Then I decided to retire from playing cause I wanted to be a mom. So then it was coaching and. being a mom and a wife. Then it was, okay, now I'm coaching and I'm doing USA basketball and WBCA.
Right. So, there's a lot going on in my life and I'm also a mom. And so I think that kind of challenge of making sure that I had enough balance, that I had a supportive like network around me and that I was happy enough doing everything that I was doing, that I never felt guilty about what I was missing.
And I just feel like you have to, that's a challenge that you have to overcome, right? As a mother, like if you are going to be guilty, every time you leave on a road trip, it's not going to work. Right. I knew that I wanted my kids to be proud that I could do it all. I wanted my female athletes to look at me as a role model that could do it all.
And so I felt like I want my kids to see that I'm happy and coaching makes me happy and going to USA basketball makes me happy. And then I'm leaving them with my parents. Who also make them happy. So that's a challenge, right? I think another challenge for me was I'm like really intense and impatient.
And so when I was younger I'm not really good with incompetence. So I probably was like a little too harsh on people around me that I didn't think were good at their job. And I think as I've gotten older, I've just tried to be more reflective on the fact that some people just, Are good at other things. And finding out what their strengths are and utilizing their strengths instead of honing in on like where they're incompetent. I think if you kind of walk around like, no one's good enough for me. It's tough to feel supported. And I think when I was younger at Hartford, I had that mentality like, well, he's not doing this and she's not doing this and nobody's marketing for me and nobody's raising money. And it makes people not want to help you because you're just complaining about what. And so I had to learn how to overcome that part of me.
And then I would say like the biggest challenge for me as I got older was like the fact that like a female in sport has this intensity right on the sideline or in the locker room and it's not okay. And then a man will do the same thing. Like a male coach will do the same thing and it's okay. They'll say the same thing or maybe worse to our official and it gets interpreted differently or in a practice will yell at their team. And it's, so it's almost like you, you have to tone down. Your intensity as a female sometimes, and I wasn't really good at that.
And at the same time, I had to like, make sure that I stayed true to who I was. And my intensity is part of who I am, but also like, how is that messaging getting interpreted to the players or the officials or the staff that I'm working with. So even though it might feel like a double standard to me, it was still important for me to understand how it was being received. And I do think that you don't want to change who you are, but you do want to be cognizant of how you're being received to the people around you based on how you treat them. Right. And so it goes back to like me being lucky because I've treated people well, but it's definitely something that I've had to learn in my career.
Yeah. I can really relate to that. It's I have similar traits as you, similar challenges, the impatience and also a lot of passion, which comes across sometimes as like aggressive or in the meetings with mostly men that can be intimidating and maybe not necessarily considered. Quote, unquote feminine. And that was a challenge I had myself too. And I think my biggest learning was like, understand the context in the room and understand the power dynamics always. And as a woman leader, you just, you gotta be able to pay attention to those things and stand back and read the room, know the context and know the power dynamics because you're, unfortunately, today, still, there are not enough women in leadership positions.
So we're going to be in rooms where it's mostly men. still. And this is, this is a fact by looking at the number of CEOs, the number of presidents there are out there. And so how you read the context and understand that power dynamic, not change who you are, just have the context is really important lesson.
Absolutely. I think it's like, you know, when they say sometimes women have to work twice as hard, right? That's kind of what it's referring to. And you can be pissed about that, right? Or, and you can feel like it's not fair, or you can just say, be smarter, right? Okay, well, if I have to be twice as smart and work twice as hard, and that's what it's going to take, I'm going to do it.
Cause I want to be successful and I want to have a seat at that table. And the reason I want to have a seat at that table is so I can provide the seat for the next woman to sit next to me and then sit in my seat when I'm done. So if we don't do it, if we don't decide we're going to work twice as hard and twice as smart. Then nobody has a chance going forward. So I think our goal, right, is to make that leadership circle a better place for the next generation of women to come.
Absolutely. Okay, well, let's talk about that incredible journey that you have here that you described with us with those five chapters, and then there's a lot of ups and downs, right?
Along that journey, would you describe your leadership style as something that you were born with or you developed over time?
I mean, it's hard to not say both because I have siblings, right, that grew up in the same house and they couldn't be more different than me in terms of how they are, their leadership, all of it.
So I, I think there was an innate like gene or something that I had that made me look at things a certain way and made me want to take the reins, right. Of every situation, even in my family at times. But, there's no way that I wouldn't also have to say that I've developed that, I've taken that innate ability to lead and developed it over time through all of my experiences and all of the people that I've been led by and interacted with. So it's definitely a combination, at least for me, but I think it can be learned. I think you can teach people leadership, but I think it helps when you already have that inside of you and you want it right. And I've always wanted it.
One of the most important things to know is to how to describe your leadership style. It's something you get asked in every single, promoted, promoting role within the corporate world. So I want to ask you and then talk about why it's important to be able to describe your style.
So how would you describe yourself as a leader?
Yeah, I think that I'm a motivating leader. I'm passionate and I'm real, right? I think I'm not afraid to own up to my mistakes and being vulnerable and ask for help. I think that goes a long way, but I'm also very confident like in my strengths and passionate about. Our team being successful. And so I'm going to always be thinking and strategizing around how I'm going to motivate my team to be their best. And all of those things are relational things, right? Like how do I motivate them? How do I, am I authentic with them? How am I vulnerable, but I'm also confident and demanding, right? The ability to do all of those things is because you have relationships with the people that you lead. And so, The foundation of how I lead is to make sure that I feel good about my relationships with the people I lead. So I can be all those things for them.
Amazing. And a big part of becoming a leader is also thinking about what lessons have you learned along the way from the other people in the room or the other people that have been your managers or your, coworkers. So, this year we launched a partnership with the WNBA Change makers to introduce Voice in Sport mentors across the league. And we have Brionna Jones as the Connecticut Sun mentor. She's amazing.
Yes.
Love her. And big part of that work by the change makers, which include AT&T, CarMax, Deloitte, Google, Nike, and U.S. Bank really led by Kathy and Coley at the WNBA is to bring role models to life, right? They make sure that these younger women have access to these incredible women to keep them in the game. And so as part of that and part of your journey, did you have somebody that provided you guidance or inspiration or support along the way? And who is that person? And what was the biggest lesson that you learned from them?
You know, I always talk about Gino as like my mentor in like leadership, but I think the person that I refer back to a lot about impacting my journey in my career is Pat Meiser, who was athletic director at the University of Hartford when I was hired in 1999. And the reason for that is I don't know that I valued her as much as I should have. While she was my boss. Right. It was like more, that happens a lot where you, after the fact you realize how important that person was in your development. But one, she gave me a chance, right? She saw something in me and believed in me.
And I think that's really important as a leader to like, let people know that you believe in them. Two she, she allowed me to grow as a leader, she allowed me to make mistakes. She gave me space to become who I was going to be. She, Let me be a mom in the workspace, right? She let me include my family in this journey. And she had my back. Like I'll never forget this moment where I had, it was my first couple of years, I was still really young and I had a player, a couple of players that were recruited by the old coach that were giving me a hard time and their parents were coming out after me after a game about not playing their daughter and I was walking up the stairs and Pat was standing at the top of it and she like walked right past me and stop them right stop them and told them that they needed to stop the conversation. And then she came upstairs and she said, I don't care what happens, I will always have your back. I'd rather get fired before I let anything happen to you. Like she just gave me this like sense of security about the fact that I was doing things the right way.
Like I'll never forget that because it's I want to be that kind of leader that people feel like Jen's going to have my back. Like she believes in me. She's going to let me grow. She's going to let me make a mistake. And when I make a mistake, she's going to make sure she has my back in that mistake so I can grow from it. And so that's who Pat was for me. And I was lucky to have her for 16 years at Hartford. I think just my last year I didn't have her. And I'll always be grateful that she saw that quality inside of me and gave me this opportunity to grow because that position as a head coach at 25 has defined me more than anything else has in my career.
That's amazing. Well, I think that mentorship is so important. I wish I had more of it along the way. Often, as you said, it's sometimes hard to ask for help, especially when you get in the corporate world and you get in some of these big positions like there can be this perception that you need to know everything but that's not really actually how you succeed in those roles. So this is your chance to mentor all of the women out there.
We say hindsight's 2020 and VIS is all about bringing more VIS to the things that we've learned in the past. So I would like you to share a mentorship tip. And it can be short and sweet to the following sort of situations and there is five of them. So, first, what's your one piece of advice to women athletes in college?
Anything that you can do to build a network as early as you can is so important because so much of post college career opportunity is about who you know, right. And having a connection to somebody in a role that you want, right. That's hiring for a role that you want. So whether it's your coaches or your athletic directors or administrators or people at other colleges or being a part of leadership groups and clubs on campus, but anywhere that you can make a connection that will introduce you to another chapter in your career, I think is really valuable.
Amazing, okay, what about advice to women athletes when they take their first internship?
Be indispensible, right. Be the person that they can't live without, like willing to do whatever it takes, not just role that you were hired for, but above and beyond always ask what you can do to help more. I am always impressed with interns that come in and ask me if there's anything that they can do for me before they leave for the day. I think it's really important that you just make yourself really valuable and indispensable. And you're just willing to take on whatever job or role that is asked or even not asked of you.
Agree. Okay. Advice for the women athletes out there for their first job after they finished playing pro or in college.
Just be great at the job you're in. I think so many young people are already thinking about how do I get promoted? How do I get another job? And part of that is being really good at what you're doing and being patient, mastering what it takes because promotions don't always set you up for success if you're not ready for what that role is going to entail. And leadership takes time. And so if you want to be in a leadership role, you don't want to rush it because if you're unprepared, then you'll fail. So be great at the role you're in, be patient because what you're trying to accomplish and the goal that you're trying to reach will always be there.
Okay. First time managing a team.
I would say that you have to be real. I think when leaders try to be all I know everything. I'm going to tell you what to do. I don't need help. I think it's, you set yourself up for failure. So be yourself, be real. Ask what, how your team needs to be led by you. And then express to them, where you are at your best and how they can best manage up to you. I think it's really important for teams to know how to manage up to their boss. And so if you don't tell them, they don't know, but if you make a mistake, own it. When they succeed, celebrate it, right? Give credit out as much as you can. And then just be real and be who you are.
Okay. Last one. Advice for day one when they become president.
Again it takes time, right? Success takes time. And setting your vision, like clearly being able to verbalize. your vision for the culture of your organization. And what you want it to look like, even if you don't know how to do it yet, even though you don't know how you're going to get there. If your team knows, who you are and what you want the organization to be and the vision for its culture. I think that's a great way to set a terrific foundation on day one.
Agree. I think a vision is important. What's the stake in the ground? Where are we all going? It's super important. Well, thank you for all of that advice. So part of the series at Voice in Sport when we wanted to shine light on the incredible women like yourself that have made it to becoming a president is really shine light on the fact that it's not linear and that everyone's path is a little bit different. So reflecting back on your own path to becoming president, how would you describe your path to becoming president?
Well, it was filled with a lot of joy, I will say a lot of challenges a lot of great people that I have built relationships along the way. Certainly some ups and some downs, but I feel like I ended up where I was meant to be right through all of it. It wasn't something that I asked for or I expected, but it was definitely something that I've been growing into and be, and getting ready for even probably without my knowledge. So I feel very lucky that I've had the opportunity to sit in the seat.
What would be the three words that you would use to describe your path?
Rewarding, challenging and fortunate.
Amazing. Well, you have a lot of incredible players there at the WNBA Connecticut Sun.
They're all current pros. They're going to probably think, at some point, when are they going to transition into the world of sport or into some other world where they're going into a different direction with their career? What would be your advice to them as they're looking to start now to plan their transition into the business world of sport, if sport is what they want to do?
Well, I would say, similar to my path and also Morgan Tuck who works for me is we didn't have experience in this business side before we took it on, but there's again, so many lessons that we learned through being a professional athlete. So much that we know about teamwork and resiliency and work ethic that translates. And so if you have an open mind about learning the business portion and you have a work ethic that's going to allow you to show up every day for your teammates and have a growth mindset, then you can be successful. And we need more former athletes in these roles. And so I will definitely be encouraging them all to take jobs in my front office when they're done.
Love it. We need more women for sure across the sports industry in these roles. Unfortunately, there still is just not enough. The WNBA though is a great example of how many incredible leaders, women leaders we have in the top dog position there as president. So, It's pretty incredible. And it's amazing to hear your story.
What would be one final piece of advice you have to all the young women out there that are aspiring to be in your position one day?
I would say, there's no dream that's too big, right? If this is what your goal is to be a president of an organization, then, put the work in build the relationships, just be a somebody who wants to learn all the time. But don't put a timeline on. the path, right? Don't set a deadline that you have to accomplish this goal by a certain date. Like it will come at the time it's supposed to. And if you don't force it and you just allow yourself to have the lengthy journey that you need to have the life experiences to be ready for this role, then, and the ups and downs the promotions and the firings, like it, it's all part of who you become to be ready for that moment.
Amazing. Well, thank you, Jennifer, for joining me at the Voice in Sport podcast
Great. Thanks so much for having me.
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This week's episode was produced and edited by VIS creator Elizabeth Martin. This week, Jen emphasizes the importance of building relationships and networking throughout one's career, highlighting how these connections can open doors to new opportunities. She discusses the significance of seizing opportunities. unexpected opportunities, like when she got the call to coach the University of Hartford and later in her career to become the president of the Connecticut Sun. Jen also shares her personal journey of resilience, candidly discussing the lessons learned from experiences like being fired and the value of being authentic and transparent as a leader. Jen's insights inspire future leaders, particularly women, to embrace their ambitions, work hard, and trust that their unique past will lead them to success.
Please click on the share button in this episode and send it to another athlete that you think might enjoy this conversation. And if you liked our conversation with Jen, please leave us a rating and review on Apple and Spotify. If you're logged into the Voice in Sport platform, head over to Sessions and Filter by Topics, including the WNBA. Check out the Connecticut Sun Voice in Sport mentor, Brionna Jones, and sign up for one of her free sessions sponsored by the WNBA Changemakers. And if you're interested in more content related to the WNBA, head to our feed filtered by the WNBA and check out incredible articles like ‘Staying Calm When It Counts’ featuring VIS Mentor and Connecticut Sun player Brionna Jones.
See you next week on the Voice in Sport Podcast.
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Host: Stef Strack
Producer: VIS Creator™ Elizabeth Martin
