Celebrating 1 Year With Libero Sports India – Heart Dominates Mind


The other night my colleagues and I went out to celebrate my completion of 1 year working with Libero Sports India.  The night was full of the usual: good food, drinks, banter, gossip, reminiscing and emotional speeches. However, this was no ordinary anniversary for me; it was the celebration of my heart’s victory over my mind. 

I look back to a little over a year ago and what was going through my mind when deciding life after Dentsu.  My heart wanted to join Libero Sports India, but my head was pulling me in a whole different direction.  Since I spent my entire 20s with Major League Soccer and Dentsu, 2 globally renowned organizations within the sports marketing industry, I encountered much fear and angst at the thought of joining an organization which wasn’t a household industry name.  My ego wanted me to attach myself to another big name and my insecurity wanted to hide myself inside the comforts of its corporate blanket. Mainly I was too worried about what people would think of me back in the US if I joined a relatively unknown organization. 

However each time I evaluated Libero Sports India all I could see was a dream combination: excellent partners who believe in India, a young, passionate and intelligent team, a Managing Director who I consider a brother and mentor and a clear corporate vision to pioneer and professionalize football in India.  Thankfully, at times, my heart speaks very loudly and this was one of those times.  My heart literally shut my ego and insecurities up and signed the agreement to work with Libero Sports India…and it was one of the best choices I have ever made in my life.

I've learned one major life lesson from this experience. If you are the type of person who lives to work (rather than work to live) then go with the organization which will be able to support you in achieving your dreams.  Don’t get too caught up in the brand, NYSE ranking or salaries of the top management, just answer the following questions:

1.       Are the company’s vision, mission & values in line with yours?
2.       Is the company actually practicing what it preaches?
3.       Is the business model of the company financially sustainable?
4.       Can the company provide you with growth opportunities?

I promise you that if you make your career choices based on the above, you will be doing yourself and your future employer a huge favor. 

In the end, it doesn’t make a difference to my family and friends whether I’m the President of FIFA, Director of Libero Sports India or working for an NGO.  As long as I’m happy and working hard to make a difference in an area which is important to me, then my inner circle will always respect and champion me along the way. I’m blessed to have the opportunity to work with a company like Libero Sports India and am looking forward to a bright future with this organization.

Here is a link to a video of some of the work we have done over the past year http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCkkN3KXiGo





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