Would You Hire This Guy?

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I have a diverse background that includes working in sports, coaching and training and technology. Names like Intel, The University of Connecticut (UCONN) athletics, SXSW and Social Media Examiner are all part of my bio.

I help companies bridge the gap between people (soft skills) and digital media. In other words, I understand people, I understand all forms of digital media and I know how to get both to play nice together to achieve business results.

My main focus at the moment is finding a position which allows me to work on changing the world of work with my management (people, projects, programs) and digital media skills. 

That may show up as an:

• Internal change agent for a company
• A customer success manager for a software company focused on employee engagement / retention or employee advocacy
• A digital content manager.

Below is my career journey (formal full-time work and personal projects) and how I became the hybrid, multi-faceted person I am.

Michael Bruny According to Assessments:

Myers Briggs: 

ENTJ

DISC:

I,S

Clifton StrengthFinder: 

1. Restorative (problem solver)
2. Woo (make quick connections)
3. Belief (good and helping find the meaning in work)
4. Connectedness (I connect the dots from disparate ideas)
5. Relator (I build deep relationships).

Fascinate: 

Prestige + Innovation = Avante Garde (I'm innovative)

Kolbe A: 

4-4-7-4

Factfinder: 4 | Follow Through: 4 | Quick Start: 7 | Implementor: 4

MY FIRST JOB AFTER COLLEGE

My career after college began in Syracuse University's athletic department. I worked in operations and facility management and as a former collegiate athlete (football and track), I felt at home. 

During my time at Syracuse I learned that I was affable, cool under pressure and people wanted to work for me. I didn't know that information because I was self-aware but because I asked those who worked with me, "how would you describe me?" 

My next step was to study for a year, take the GMAT and go to graduate school for management with an emphasis in sports. My boss at the time said in all her wisdom, "You are not going to wait a year. You are going to study, take the test and apply to graduate school right away." I did just that. 

GRADUATE SCHOOL

When I decided to go to graduate school, I looked up the top graduate schools in the Sports Business Journal publication and noticed that one of the top schools, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMASS) had a contact with a New York City phone number. This was around Thanksgiving and I was on my way home (Brooklyn, NY) from Syracuse for a short break. I called the number in the magazine and set up a face-to-face meeting with the UMASS representative, Bill Sutton. It was a great meeting and the rest is history....kind of. I was still in research mode and applied to the University of Massachusetts and one other top program, Ohio University. 

I interviewed at Ohio University first. I was interviewed by a committee of five people at the same time. I sat on one side of the table with a spotlight on me and they sat on the other side. It felt more like an interrogation than an interview. It was a tough interview where I was expected to know what I wanted to do for the rest of my career. What I learned from that interview is to go into the next interview with the University of Massachusetts, with a clear statement about what I was looking to do next.

My interview with the University of Massachusetts had a totally different feel to it. I met with people in one-on-one interviews and it felt more conversational. Before I left their campus I met with the chair of the department of sports management and was offered a scholarship and a fellowship. 

I was accepted into both the Ohio University and University of Massachusetts program. I decided to attend the University of Massachusetts.

One of the highlights of attending the University of Massachusetts was the opportunity to create a ticket marketing plan for the WBNA and present it to their president and senior management . It was when I began to understand presenting was one of my strengths.

After graduate school I applied for an opportunity at a sports conference but did not get the position. Actually, I applied for several different positions over a six month period and didn't get any of them. What I did get was a connection there who I decided to stay in touch with. 

MANAGER OF MARKETING AND CORPORATE RELATIONS - UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT (UCONN)

What I Did at UCONN

Thanks to networking and staying in touch with a gentlemen who I met a few months earlier I was offered my first full-time job after graduate school. It was as the Manager of Marketing and Corporate Relations for the University of Connecticut (UCONN) Athletic Department.

UCONN is where I learned about delegation and trusting others so more can be accomplished. When I first started we were having a big event and I was overwhelmed. I was saved by my graduate assistants who said, "We have done this before and we got you."

UCONN also taught me more about my ability to connect with people at different levels within an organization. Working in corporate relations, I handled contract re-negotiations and worked with CEOs, Attorneys and Marketing Executives. 

Some corporate sponsors where tougher than others but I learned to get to know them as people first and business executives second. I learned what was important to them so I could help resolve issues and exceed expectations whenever possible. 

Problem solving is one of my strengths, especially when it involves people relations. I had a situation where we were looking for space on campus to hold a discount clothing sale for one of our sponsors, Aeropostale. The person who could give us access to the space we wanted had concerns and said, "No." All the communication took place via email. I decided to set up a meeting with the person, who could say, "yes," so I could see and better understand their concern. It's a method called, "direct observation."

I met with the administrator, we walked the area I wanted to use, I listened to their concerns, put them at ease and the deal moved forward. We had a happy sponsor, a happy school administrator and a group of happy college students who got discount items from a brand they liked. 

From a marketing perspective I was responsible for everything that took place on the court / field except for the actual game itself. 

What the announcer read? I wrote that. That promotion you saw during a timeout or halftime? I created that. Those people tossing t-shirts into the crowd? I trained them.

I helped to open a new 40,000 seat football stadium which means that first game in the stadium was filled with unexpected challenges. I'll never forget being up in a control booth for the first game. I couldn't run around and put out fires like I did in the previous, much smaller stadium. All I could do is provide direction and support via radio. Talk about learning on the go and focusing on what you could control. Each game got better and we learned to balance things like, when the band played versus when we used house music on the speakers.

Experiences like that helped to build my resiliency and ability to focus on what is really important when things get hectic. 

Why I Left UCONN

I left UCONN for two reasons:

1. I really couldn't see the meaning behind what I was working on. The marketing, the sponsorship work felt a little bit empty for me (I would later find out that meaning / belief is one of my strengths). I did ask a few people why we do what we do and there really wasn't a good answer. A few did say, "it's for the student-athlete." The only problem was we never spoke about the student-athlete when we did our work. I felt a disconnect. 
2. I was given an opportunity at another company thanks to a graduate school classmate. 

MARKETING MANAGER FOR TEAM SPORTS -

NEW BALANCE

What I Did at New Balance

Welcome to Massachusetts or should I say welcome back to Massachusetts.

My next stop was a position as a marketing manager for New Balance's new Team Sport division.

I learned a lot in this role as it was a huge shift from the work I was doing at UCONN. I was in charge of marketing the new team sports shoes for basketball, baseball, football, cheerleading, etc. I worked with product managers, sales people and finance. I put on different events and also worked to provide product to different schools and professional athletes to spread the word about our brand. 

I struggled in this role. 

I also had my first experience with a work bully. I recall being in a meeting with this guy and he said,"If we don't make this work, Mike is going to be working in the cafeteria."  He also asked me if I had an inferiority complex in front of my manager once. I was a bit surprised my manager did not say anything.

I was also told that some people thought that I was intimidating when I didn't speak at meetings. In all honesty, I was trying to get my bearings and take everything in so I could contribute. Later on I found out that I'm a bit of a processor and it takes time for me take things in. 

Why I Left New Balance

Needless to say this relationship did not last very long. I was there for nearly a year before we decided to mutually part ways. In my heart I felt like I was fired.

Post New Balance lead to a bit of soul searching where I discovered the following formula for myself: 

Purpose, Passion x Meaning, Mentor, Money + Networking = Success

SALES - CALKINS ADVISORS

What I Did at Calkins Advisors

After New Balance I had the opportunity to work for a one-person small business that put on professional development events. Their business model was to buy books in bulk from authors and invite them to come and speak in the Boston area. They would charge people to come and hear the author speak and get a "free" book. It was my job to call on companies and business people to invite them to purchase tickets to the event. I have never been to so many different BNI and Chamber of Commerce meetings in a three month time span.

Why I Left Calkins Advisors

There wasn't much money there so I only lasted there for a short time before having to move on to my next opportunity. 

OPERATIONS MANAGER - INTEL

What I Did at Intel

There are a million reasons why we end up in our jobs. Becoming an Operations Manager wasn't something I even knew existed until a friend of mine told me about an opportunity to be one at Intel. I said, "yes." They said, "yes," and we began an eight year relationship.

As an Operations Manager I had a to learn a ton about how operations works and how people work. It was my first job as a full-time people manager. 

That being said, one of the things that makes me appreciate the opportunity I had as an Operations Manager is facing many challenges that forced me to grow. Let me be clear; it's one of the things I appreciate in hindsight.

I know what it feels like to be a disengaged disgruntled employee. What's even more troubling is that I was a disengaged manager. I was struggling with my team and just didn't feel like I belonged in this role. 

What changed things was working with someone from the Organizational Development (OD) department. I was able to leverage their support to create a program called Geese Leadership and re-establish team norms (basically allowing teams to define how they do things, instead of just dictating it to them). Not only did I use it for my team but I was commissioned to use it with several other teams as well. That served as a turning point. 

 I embraced the place I was and started to build better relationships with my peers and quickly became the go-to-guy for anything that was people related.

Human Resources (HR) used me as their primary contact for the night shift. I conducted several investigations on their behalf. I spent six months on a rotation where I worked in Business Group Human Resources (BGHR). This allowed me to work on change management, coaching managers and a national veterans program. My time there really changed my perspective of HR as just a policing function. 

Three key things I learned while on my HR rotation that impacted how I worked moving forward:

1. Who is the "D."  There can only be one decision maker. We have to be clear on who that is and empower them to make decisions.
2. Consensus vs. Consultative Decision Making:  Consensus calls for everyone to agree but most of the time you'll be using consultative decision making. You take in information from everyone but at the end of the day YOU have to make a decision. It probably won't look like any one thing someone suggested but you know their input had an impact on your decision making process.
3. Manager Discretion: Managers have more power than know. As managers we spent a lot of time blaming HR, but in fact we could make decisions and own the results. HR is here to serve as a sounding board, not a dictating body...all of the time. 

My time at Intel has me well versed in management both from my formal training (Managing Through People) and also from my practical experience.

Intel is where I learned that I am a processor and may need extra time to make a decision. I learned that sometimes I have to do work ahead of time to make sure I'm prepared and can allow things to keep moving without others waiting for me to process (i.e. read the material and generate thoughts before the meeting and not during the meeting so folks aren't waiting on me).

Lean Manufacturing / processing was a big part of my experience at Intel as well. But not only learning Lean, also implementing Lean. When I became a manager the program was just getting started so I had the opportunity to work through all of the change management aspects of implementing a new program. Lean is so valuable because learning how to look at any process and eliminate waste is a great way to save money and time. 

I learned empathy and when to say, "I was wrong," at Intel as well as when to stand my ground and conduct progressive discipline in employee relations cases.

Overall I learned a lot about managing a big company and can step into that role if that is what is next for me. 

EMPLOYEE BRAND AMBASSADOR - INTEL 

What I Did as a Brand Ambassador

This was one of my favorite roles for many reasons. I was first nominated to be an employee brand ambassador by someone who served as a temporary manager to me while I was working in HR. 

This position allowed me to bring all of the skills I had developed outside of Intel into the fold. I was creating content to help promote new products. I was promoting content on social media and I even had an opportunity to speak at a conference as an Brand Ambassador. This was all while still having my day job as an Operations Manager (more on that in a minute). 

I went from being an employee brand ambassador to working on the actual ambassador program itself and created the internal community management strategy for the program. 

I created the strategy after noticing that we had brand ambassadors across the country but we weren't well connected and communication wasn't always clear. My plan included regularly scheduled communications that would go out and regularly scheduled opportunities to connect and support each other as ambassadors. 

The way I went from being an employee brand ambassador to working on the program was through networking and building relationships. I knew the role was what I wanted, so I planned a trip from Massachusetts to Portland, OR while on my sabbatical so I could meet with the person who ran the ambassador program. 

Meeting face-to-face allowed them to get a feel for my energy and passion for impactful work. 

One thing I learned as an employee brand ambassador was the importance of meaningful work to me. Things were different once I was in a position where I got behind the mission of the company instead of just going to work everyday to make widgets.  

Instead of making widgets I was now on a mission to have Intel's technology touch the lives of everyone on the planet. I don't know about you, but I could get out of bed in the morning for that. 

I really loved that the work I got to do wasn't based on being an Operations Manager, it was based on being a curious soul who kept learning on his own. Things like participating in Start-up Weekend actually became relevant to my everyday work and the perspective I could bring to the table. 

I was able to run a pilot for a content sharing platform (Dynamic Signal) Intel was considering using across the company. I taught a group of 30 employees how to leverage social medium to amplify the company message and also build their personal brand. 

The perspective I shared with them wasn't a theoretical one. It was based on being a practitioner and experiencing what works and what doesn't. I was able to conduct hands-on training by sharing my screen during a Twitter Chat and talking through the finer points of what was going on. That's a little bit different than saying, "You should join a Twitter Chat to gain followers." 

I was with them every step of the way and I could answer their questions in real time. 

It's the difference between getting a golf lesson at a driving range and actually playing a round with a golf professional who is coaching you while you are on the course.

Why I Left Intel

I didn't! The Hudson, Massachusetts location closed and I was part of a layoff.

 

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING AFTER INTEL?

I have been working as a consultant and freelancer while raising my son, Emerson. 

VERY FEW PATHS ARE LINEAR AND THAT IS WHAT MAKES THEM RICH 

During my working career I have always dedicated my time-off to personal and professional development. I am a curious soul and one who likes to solve problems. It takes skills that aren't always taught on the job, but can be leveraged on the job, to make an impact. 

Below are what I like to call my side hustles or personal projects that have helped me to be a dynamic soul with a unique perspective. I'll share how each of my outside of work experiences adds to what I can bring to a company. 

• Writing a Book: being able to have an idea, formulate thoughts and put them into a coherent and packaged format. It also taught me about the difference between creation and sales / marketing. This points to my ability to communicate and create content. 
• Being a Professional Speaker: understanding an audience and being able to adapt in the moment. Confidence and the ability to create change with words and pictures. I was able to use my speaking skills to train others in public speaking and presentation delivery at Intel.
• Creating Presentations: this ties to the one above. Speaking is the delivery, but the presentation creation is about preparation and being able to balance data and connecting with an audience through stories. So often I have sat through presentations where the presenter was just there to read slides. Slides should augment what is being said. Books like, "Slideology," by Nancy Duarte gave me insight into how to use visual images to capture an audiences attention. It also taught me when to just give people information to read on their own instead of giving a presentation. I can captivate audiences from the C-suite to the janitorial staff.
• Becoming a Certified Life Coach: This is where I learned to ask good questions and also hone my listening skills. It's also where I learned to be present. My skills as a coach has allowed me to really get to know my employees and what they really want. My skills here will help to increase employee engagement and reduce retention. 
• Leadership Development: Coaches Training Institute (CTI) Leadership, The Partnership Inc.; I was part of a year long leadership program for professionals of color in Boston called, "The Partnership." I learned things and mental frameworks that I still use today. One I remember most is the phrase, "It's not the stimulus, it's the response." Meaning, how we respond to what happens to us is more important that what happens to us in many cases.
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• The CTI Leadership program is a transformational one that took place in the San Francisco area. It was a 10 month program where every few months I would travel to the West Coast to be with my cohort of about 12 people from all around the world. Working with this group reminded me how much I loved working with a team and gave me clarity on the strengths I bring to a situation. Creating a project with a partner was part of the program. I worked with someone from the Netherlands. We created and co-led a workshop in Holland. This leadership program allowed me to go through theory (we read books like, "The Anatomy of Peace," and "Tribes," and also practice leadership. It changed the stereotypes I have around leadership, such as, "leadership is a solo effort," and " a leader always has to be right." I step into any role prepared to lead and support leadership in being more effective. 
• Designing Bow Ties: I designed and sold a sustainable line of self-tie bow ties. All of the bow ties were made from clothing me or my wife have owned and part of the proceeds go to charity. I understand collaboration, branding and sales.
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• Designing Websites:  I've been creating websites and blogging since 2007. I've worked with platforms like Blogger, Wordpress and Wix to share stories and generate revenue. I don't consider myself a developer but I'm not afraid of the process or working with someone I've hired to create my vision (I've done that as well). 
• 
  
• The process of learning to create websites has taught me about humility. Everything could be going well and when you try to complete one last task, you run into a roadblock or you hit the wrong button and everything disappears. You have to recreate it from scratch. "Yes," that's happened to me. Working with websites has given me technical confidence to get things done. 
• Raising Money For Charity: I was inspired after going to a conference and hearing the charity: water story. I decided to pull together a team and create a fundraising campaign to raise $10,000. The idea was to use Google Hangouts to have different speakers and entrepreneurs speak during a 24-hour period as the main fundraising effort. We hit our goal. This was about project management, teamwork and content creation and marketing through social media and personal outreach. 
• Hashtags to Handshakes: I went to a conference I never attended before in Portland, OR called, WDS. I decided to connect with people before the conference in their Facebook group. I went in there with the spirit of being helpful. When I arrived at the conference I had people introducing themselves to me because they remember me from the online group. It was the beginning of an experiment in social dynamics. What happens if we leverage online tools before we go to a conference so we make better connections at the actual conference? It has worked really well and I've been able to help conference attendees have a much better experience. I created an online course and presentation that I could share with people as they get ready for conferences. This demonstrates my ability to identify and problem, test a solution and then implement it. 
• 
  
• Writing For an Online Magazine: I tell a story about never wanting to write again after I left college. Interestingly enough I ended up writing for an online magazine. It wasn't about writing as much as it was about getting a message out there. This opportunity came about because I applied to an ad and I persistently followed up. 
• Creating a Podcast: This is part of my problem solving strength. I noticed students of color were leaving college without the soft skills employers were looking for. I conducted research with employers, with students and with administrators and eventually created a podcast radio show called, "No More Reasonable Doubt," where I interviewed professionals of color to capture information about their careers and career path so I could share it with young professionals and students of color about to graduate college.

• 
  
• Building Community: I started the Seth Godin Book Club (now Blog Club) so people could read all of Seth's books together and share insights. We used Facebook Groups as our platform of choice to stay connected and shared notes on the books. 

That is the long form of my career journey. I am actively looking for my next full-time opportunity. 

My main focus now...

is finding a position which allows me to work on changing the world of work with my management (people, projects, programs) and digital media skills. 

That may show up as an:

• Internal change agent for a company
• A customer success manager for a software company focused on employee engagement / retention or employee advocacy
• A digital content manager.

You can see my online resume website (Yes, I built it myself) HERE. There you will find videos answering common interview questions. 

LET'S CONNECT

I invite you to connect with me for a 15 minute informational interview if you are seeking someone who is dynamic, people centric and has a track record of getting things started and finished send me a note via Linkedin and we'll coordinate calendars.