Arkeem Byrd - From Student-Athlete to NFL Player Engagement in 5 YEARS!
These 5 steps can help you get the player development job you want.
I have so much to say about Arkeem Byrd.
I am super proud of him and the work he has done to get in the position he is in now.
We will break this down in today’s newsletter.
But before we do breakdown Arkeem’s story.
I want to share 5 steps I know can help you get in a player development role if you seek it.
FIVE STEPS
Understand the player development role
Have a plan
Know your value
Network intentionally
Follow up
I break down these steps in detail in this week’s podcast episode which you can find below and wherever you listen to podcast.
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Arkeem Byrd
So let’s get back to Arkeem.
I will tell Arkeem’s story through the messages and consistency he had before getting into the role.
Arkeem’s story was a path in the 5 steps I shared earlier:
He understood the role
He had a plan for who to reach out to
He knew the value he could provide the role'
He networked intentionally
He followed up
Even in the five steps he followed, there are also some lessons you can learn from the pictures of messages below.
Side note: I am embarrassed to see these messages because my response time is so bad, but it is an honest reflection of how busy the role can be.
LESSON: REACH OUT AND FOLLOW UP
I met Arkeem in 2019 when he reached out to me on LinkedIn.
He mentioned his interest in player development but because he was a student-athlete at another university, I couldn’t jump on a call with him because it could’ve been a recruiting violation. I let him know and he followed up when he was done player you can find this message pic below.
I think this is important because it shows he: LISTENED AND FOLLOWED UP.
This let me know this you man was serious about this role.
LESSON: BE FLEXIBLE
After his eligibility was expired an we could talk then came the struggle to lock down a meeting. You may notice in this message Arkeem is allowing for me to pic the time.
This is important because it shows he had an understanding of the role and the way it can control the calendar.
LESSON: ASK QUESTIONS
Arkeem, asked me questions and not just questions like.
What is player development? or What does your schedule look like?
He came with two valid questions:
The first about the use of social media and how it benefited me
My role and the specifics of my role
This was important because it showed me he noticed my presence on social media and wanted to know how it benefited to me in the role. He also noticed my career change and wanted to learn more details in regards to my title change.
LESSON: UPDATE
I was so excited when I got the below message letting me know he earned the Director of Player Development position at Temple.
It was awesome to see the actualization of a role he was actively pursuing.
This was important because he thanked me. let me know what was new in his career, and kept the lines of communication open.
I don’t know where you are in your player development journey, but I believe if you are looking to get in the role the 5 steps podcast and the 4 lessons from Arkeem will provide you immense value.
If you liked those tips to get into player development, then YOU WILL LOVE the 100 Tips of Player Development you can download for FREE today.
Click here: 100 Player Development Tips
