ISSUE 027: From Sales Coordinator to Club President in 5 years

Jessica O'Neill's rapid rise

IN THIS ISSUE

  • 👋 Introduction: A rapid, rapid rise

  • 👨‍🎓 Soccer Thought Leader: Jessica O’Neill, Houston Dynamo & Dash

  • ⚽️ Soccer Jobs: New gigs for your review

  • 🕵️ Do This now: The intersection of soccer & technology

INTRODUCTION

There are fast tracks and then there is Jessica O’Neill’s fast track. 🤯

In mid-2018 - less than six years ago! - Jessica was a Sales Coordinator for the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. Two years later, she became the Director of Ticket Sales before making the move over to Charlotte FC as Director of Marketing & Communications. After helping lead the expansion club to a wildly successful first season, the Houston Dynamo and Dash came calling.

And now, she’s President of both the MLS and NWSL clubs in Houston.

How’d she do it? We dig into Jessica’s pathway in today’s conversation. And she shares some of the most helpful and applicable learnings we’ve heard for those that aspire to grow their career quickly.

Additionally, in today’s ‘Do This Now’ section, we’ve put together what we believe is a pretty sweet (and useful) resource. Be sure to check it out.

-Kyle Sheldon, Co-Founder & CEO

Did you spot a job that we need to include or have feedback on the newsletter? Drop us an email!

SOCCER THOUGHT LEADER: JESSICA O’NEILL, HOUSTON DYNAMO & DASH PRESIDENT

“Bloom where you are planted…if you focus on where you are, watch what happens.”

As you read today’s Soccer Thought Leader interview with Jessica O’Neill, we’re confident you’ll be struck, as we were, by Jessica’s palpable positivity and clarity, not only as it relates to her own approach, but also to her philosophy on leadership.

Jessica goes into detail on her approach about how she has advocated for herself during her career - both how she does it and when she does it. This is a must-read.

Rooted in her childhood upbringing, Jessica maintains a self-confidence that is unwavering - her positivity, energy, and perspective has allowed her to find value and lessons in each step of her journey, both in the positive, celebratory moments and the difficult, challenging moments.

If you’re someone that is driven and has big dreams and big ambitions for your career, I’m confident today’s conversation will be helpful to you.

-Kyle Sheldon, Co-Founder & CEO

Questions and answers below have been lightly edited for length and clarity (and any emphasis below is ours).

PATHWAY: How did you first get connected to the game?

JESSICA: Like many people, I played starting at four, five, six years old. I played club in middle school and in my first couple years of high school. And then I had a moment where I was simultaneously playing volleyball and I was much better at volleyball. And I felt like I could only do one really well, relatively speaking. And I chose volleyball. 

So, I sort of quit my soccer career at 14. I don't know if I peaked then or if I peaked before that [laughs]. But, what's interesting is I played and I was simultaneously following the game, but admittedly not as much of a fan of soccer as I was of American college football. I was there for the formative years around the ‘99 World Cup and what that meant for the women's game. The U.S. women shaped how I think about basically what women can be, period - not even from an athletic standpoint, just period. That was amazing. And that was happening while I was still playing. 

So, that's how it started and then it paused for a while. It was American football for a long time. That was something that I loved as a fan and wanted to work in - and I did in the NFL for eight seasons with the Carolina Panthers. And the latter of those years, we hired Tom Glick to be president of the Panthers and a light bulb goes off. You see Tom's background and you say, “hold on a second, we’ve got a new owner in town and MLS is expanding and they put together a group of people to work on what it could look like to bring an MLS expansion team to Charlotte.”

One story I haven't told is that we had this small working group that went to an Atlanta United playoff game - it would have been the end of 2018 - on a recon mission. Because we couldn't say we were from Charlotte, but we wanted to go experience, especially at an NFL Stadium, which is absolutely what we were looking to do in Charlotte.

And I might have worn a red scarf [laughs]. I think that was my first MLS game since I was a kid and saw the old Tampa Bay Mutiny. So, that experience - 70,000 packed stadium for playoffs and me being there knowing we were hoping to do that in Charlotte, it was really, really cool. 

So, that's how it started for me - in a couple of phases. The playing phase, the pause phase, and then the professional pivot to soccer phase.

PATHWAY: You’ve ascended to a prominent role very, very quickly. As you reflect on your personal journey, are there one or two things that you’ve done that have helped you get to this point in your career?

JESSICA: For sure. There were two things. First and foremost, it was to bloom where I was planted - to do a really, really, really good job with whatever was in front of me at the time and try to push those boundaries of where I could be impactful, but first to focus on approaching the job I had rather than thinking about the next job I wanted. 

And I say that because I see people sometimes get caught up in thinking about the next job, and if you focus on where you are, watch what happens. 

Looking back now, the second one is that I selected the right moments to advocate for myself about the right opportunities and, most importantly, to the right people, to the people that could do something about it. And then behind the scenes, I had built a reputation for myself that meant when those people I advocated to for myself asked about me with others that there was something to say that was meaningful. 

It's only been, I would say, two or three times in a very pivotal way that I advocated for myself. And I made sure I was doing it at the right time to the person that ultimately was going to make the decision. 

PATHWAY: How did you assess when it was the right time to have that conversation to advocate for yourself? 

JESSICA: In each moment it was clear because of all of the times that I thought about doing it - and I told myself it wasn't the right time for one reason or the other. I'm driven by my gut instinct in a way that I'm not sure how to track where that started or how, but it has been very clear to me that it was the right time. And that tells me to trust and be patient about the process. And that if I'm not sure, it means it's not the right time and to just wait until it is. Or wait until it sorts itself out, which it usually does.

PATHWAY: To go even a bit deeper - is it knowing in those moments that you're getting good feedback from your manager and from your colleagues such that you have a confidence level in the work that you're already doing to know they’re going to say “she’s crushing it and can take on more?”

JESSICA: There is for sure. That's the piece that I wish I could inject into people that I work with. Just generally, for people in the industry is to have confidence. I know directly where I can personally attribute that to and it's my mother. I think that's just been a part of who I am for a long time. So, I have had the confidence that I can backup my work product and my history and who I am, I can backup whatever's in front of me. 

I like to refer to, in some cases, the depth of the experiences that I've had rather than the years of experience. I have a lot of things when I reflect that when I specify what I was doing and what I was responsible for, what I personally was trying to overcome at the time, you do realize the depth of that experience, regardless of if that was for six months or six years. It happened and you had to get through it.

And some of those have been very unfortunate experiences, however, they shaped who I am. I do think the confidence to know whatever is thrown my way, I can face because I feel like I've been able to get through it.

PATHWAY: You had said in another interview, “I wouldn't trade any hard moment that I've had” and I wonder how you would advise others to learn from those moments and turn them into positives. How do you think about those moments and how they shape you? 

JESSICA: I am relentlessly and unapologetically a positive person. Every challenge thrown my way, I do see as an opportunity. Every challenge, professionally and collectively that we faced, I know will make us better. I'm in an environment where the challenges are consistent in turning around two established franchises - and that is not something that there's a quick fix for. But the ability to do this will make all of us better. So, I do think it is the lens through which you view the hard times.

Dawn Staley, who is a proud reflection of my alma mater, was talking the other day about how everyone gets tired and everyone gets fatigued. What do you do when you feel that way? What happens next? And that resonated with me because that is my philosophy. What's your response to anything negative? 

PATHWAY: You've had different leadership positions and are now in a very prominent role overseeing two clubs and a whole bunch of people. How do you articulate what makes a good leader? How has your perspective changed from earlier in your career, if at all? 

JESSICA: Yeah, my perspective is interesting given the ascension that you mentioned. I'm of the perspective that whatever the person on the other side of the table is experiencing is the reality and that has shaped every decision and conversation that I've been in.

So, the way that I summarize that is how empathetic are we going to be as leaders? We have to listen first and talk less. So, I look for that. I look for how curious somebody is or what drives them. Are you a sort of people-first person, which is what drives me learning about people, understanding their stories, the nuances of all of our backgrounds and how we're all interconnected and what brought us to where we are today, like that genuinely is of interest to me. And I think if people have the curiosity and the empathy, partnered obviously with skill and drive and the ability to meet people where they are, then it's a pretty, pretty lethal combination. 

PATHWAY: What are those qualities that you keep an eye out for? What are the couple of things you're looking for in potential hires that you know this person is going to come in and be successful? 

JESSICA: I think it's energy first and foremost, and it's been interesting to have all different types of interviews. We have all spoken to people that have an energy about them that is so captivating and so contagious. And what I've had to challenge myself to understand is that is not everyone's natural inherent state - they could be a great contributor to an organization and not be type A. 

When I don't see or sense that part - because sometimes you can sense that in 30 seconds on the phone - it's digging deeper into what drives them, what motivates somebody to get up every day. And if the energy is there, I’m pretty much sold for better or worse, because that's what I respond to. And those are the kind of people I want around me, just because these jobs are a grind, right? And you want positivity and you want passion.

You can fake those in an interview occasionally, but what you can't fake is energy that you either have it or you don't, and you can't fake your drive. So energy and drive are really the two intangibles that you can't teach. And if the natural bubbly positivity isn't a part of someone's personality, that's okay, but what level of drive do they have day to day? 

PATHWAY: I’m interested in hearing you speak about leadership in a two-club model - having two teams that both represent the same city and the challenge of making those two things work together, leveraging resources in the right way, trying to be efficient, but also then giving each team in a particular moment, their moment. How do you balance two teams under one owner to ensure it all comes together in the right way?

JESSICA: Yeah, I actually think about them as like two children. One is a 10 year old female and the other is a 20 year old male and what they need at that point, their personalities, at the point in their growth cycle, I would say they are separate but equal.

So, the equality piece is important to make sure that we're delivering the same support for both teams, the same experience, the same dedicated energy, the same thoughtful and intentional planning, but separate in that those plans have to be very different. They can't be copy and paste because you're serving two different leagues, two different types of fan bases. We have right now about 18% cross-over in fan bases between the two. So we are talking to different people and what's going to resonate is likely different.

What we've done in the last year or so is start to really separate the plans and the focus between the two teams. But at the end of the day, the economies of scale are always going to make this more of a positive than not. So the stadium we play on, the training facility, the administrative function, every single sort of back of the house role that supports both teams from the grounds crew to the security to the finance and legal. That is where that's our superpower and delivering that across both teams, but we have to be intentional in our planning. 

PATHWAY: With the Gold Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, and the World Cup coming, how do you capture the moment? How do you take advantage of this attention on the sport to grow the fan base? 

JESSICA: It is a great question because the opportunities for soccer fans in Houston are endless. What we're doing is using each of these mega moments to introduce the game to a larger audience, to the business community, to the casual sports fans that aren't following soccer right now. Football and baseball, are traditionally very popular sports here in Houston - and basketball, too. So we're trying to bridge the gap between soccer purists, whether that's MLS, NWSL, or globally, for their country's national team and then NFL fans, NBA fans, MLB fans who might not have ever experienced a soccer game for whatever reason. 

What can we do to connect them to the game? In some cases, it's food. In some cases, it's entertainment. In some cases, it's the storytelling of our players and our stars that will give them a reason to come. In other cases, it is these mega events that they can't possibly miss because it’s the World Cup and the sheer size of it is massive in the city and the business community and the media are talking about it nonstop.

So, we are focused on two things - converting soccer fans, the purists that love the game that aren't following the Dash or the Dynamo - and maybe not even converting, but introducing our teams to them in a way that resonates. And then simultaneously, converting casual sports fans into soccer fans, ultimately to become Dash or Dynamo fans, and we'll make sure they're curious enough to want to come once and then deliver an experience that's so unique that they can't help but come back.

PATHWAY: What is your favorite thing about working in soccer, Jessica?

JESSICA: I would say the tribal nature of the live experience. The fact that you can show up off the street, having never been to a soccer game and be pulled into it. And that's what I felt my first time at an MLS playoff game. It was unique in that it was on a large scale with 70 ,000 people, but it is tribal. And there's nothing like that. There's no other sport that has the same tribal nature, so it is my favorite part. And once I experienced it, I wanted to create it. And I wanted to make sure that I was always on the inside versus the outside. 

Ed. note: You can connect with Jessica on LinkedIn.

And if you really like what you read today, you can join Jessica in Houston - the club has three open roles:

SOCCER JOBS: THE MOST INTERESTING NEW JOBS IN SOCCER

Here are a few other new jobs we spotted for your review and consideration! 🙂

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DO THIS NOW: RESEARCH THE INTERSECTION OF SOCCER & TECHNOLOGY

If you’re someone who wants to work in soccer - or even if you already are! - it is critical that you’re plugged into the entire soccer ecosystem and understand it. Luckily for you, we’ve put together the first of several spreadsheets we’ll share listing the companies in North America that are making their mark on the beautiful game.

For the next few issues of the newsletter, we’re going to share informatoin about soccer-specific companies within the industry, both domestic and international, that will ensure you’re staying up to speed.

Today’s ‘Do This Now’ call to action is the following: research and become familiar with these (behind the scenes, but massively influential) soccer-focused companies.

Today, the focus is on companies that work at the intersection of soccer and technology.

We hope it’s helpful to opening a broader view for a potential career path.

-John Bello, Co-Founder & COO

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