Manager Interview Paper: Tiy Reed - Manager of Intramural Sports

Mason Gudger

Leadership

Professor Balascuta

Apr 7, 2024
 On March 23, 2024 I had the pleasure of interviewing Tiy Reed. He is the Manager of

Intramural Sports at Yates Field House right here at Georgetown University. During this

interview I aimed to get the inside scoop of what it is like being an intramural sports manager at

a private university. I wanted to get to the bottom of what it is like managing employees in

particular. I asked him questions regarding his strategies for leading employees, motivating

employees, and keeping employees satisfied. I asked a couple of general background questions

then proceeded to ask four questions each regarding the three topics listed in the above

sentence.

General Background and Responsibilities

Tiy was hired by the university at the beginning of the fall semester of this academic

year. He has held the position of intramural sports manager since he was hired in early August.

Before being hired by Georgetown, Tiy worked as an intramural sports manager for another

university called Maryville College. During the introductory portion of the interview, Tiy
explained to me how his current position at Georgetown and his previous position at Maryville

were very similar. Both jobs had the same core responsibilities with added responsibilities

specific to the universities. He explained that the three most important tasks of being an

Intramural Sports Manager are organizing intramural events, recruiting players for these events,

and managing the budget and resources. Tiy explained that these three tasks are the most

important for an intramural sports manager regardless of where you are employed. Among these

three tasks, Tiy explained that managing the budget and resources is the most difficult. He

explained how there is a constant need of equipment among various sports with limited resources

and money available. It can be difficult to pick and choose what sports get new equipment and

which ones do not. You must consider the popularity of the sport and the current conditions of all

sports equipment when determining which sports will get new and improved equipment. On the

other hand, giving people an outlet to decompress and enjoy themselves is Tiy’s favorite aspect

of the job. Tiy is an athlete here at Georgetown so he knows first hand how helpful having an

active lifestyle can be when dealing with stress and anxiety. He strives to provide the best

possible intramural experience for students here at Georgetown and the happiness that he

witnessed first hand while supervising intramural sports is the most rewarding aspect of the job.

Managing Employees

Creating Satisfied Employees

When looking over Tiy’s responses to the questions regarding creating satisfied

employees, there was a common theme that continuously popped up. All four of Tiy’s answers

circled back to the conclusion that the best way to ensure satisfied employees is by fostering a

relationship and environment built on trust and communication. He explained how he actively
listens to the needs and concerns of his team members, thus ensuring that they feel valued and

respected. In the article Managing Overworked Employees Laura Hills(2021) explains:

A time of chronic overwork is not the time to skip meetings to save time. In fact, you will

usually need more opportunities for quality face-to-face communication with your team during

times of chronic overwork than you will at other times. That’s because not meeting often will

make overworked team members feel isolated or that you don’t care about them or their

situation. (p. 78)

Tiy ensures that he is present in his workplace and that his employees get to engage with

him in person. In fact, Tiy despises how phones have affected the way that Gen Z communicates.

He encourages his employees to address their concerns in person during the regularly scheduled

staff meetings and training. One meeting, his employees expressed how they felt overwhelmed

with their overlapping responsibilities that were not work related such as school and athletics.

This led Tiy to hire more workers so that he could break the usual 5-6 hour shifts into 2.5-3 hour

shifts. This allowed employees more flexibility in their scheduling and gave them more time to

dedicate to non-work related activities. The next meeting, his employees reported that they were

happy with the shift changes and it allowed them to keep their jobs while maintaining a social

life. Tiy’s strong workplace presence allowed him to find out about a problem through open

communication and by solving the problem, he was able to build more trust with his workers.

Motivating Employees

When it comes to keeping employees motivated, Tiy explained how it usually was a

piece of cake. Majority of the employees Tiy is responsible for are student-athletes and enjoy

being around sports environments. To play into this, Tiy instilled a system where referees can

prefer to ref certain sports. He then schedules shifts keeping the preferences in mind. Giving
employees shifts of their preferred sport ensures that they will stay engaged in the game while

also enjoying their reffing experience. Reffing a sport that you play or love to watch makes work

feel less like work and more like recess.

Tiy says he has more trouble motivating employees who do not come from a sports

background. He explains how student workers who solely work for intramural sports for money

are tricky because sometimes they have no interest in sports. To combat this, Tiy has

implemented several reward systems. There is an attendance reward system that rewards

employees who work 15 consecutive shifts without calling in or having a time infraction. There

is also an employee of the month award. Every month a new employee will be rewarded with a

gift basket of their favorite snacks and candy. The reward is small but the psychological effect is

massive. Doyle(2005) explains:

It is very important for managers to understand that reward is a key tool in establishing a

motivating environment. As Mark Twain once said, “I can live for two months on a good

compliment.” Compliments have an amazing impact on employees. If we consider rewards,

almost all rewards are an expression of a compliment. Rewards say to an employee “You did a

good job” or “I appreciate your contributions.” (p. 128)

The reward systems that Tiy implemented are ways for him to show thanks to employees.

Obviously the employees who are rewarded feel appreciated, but the employees who do not get

rewarded know that if they work hard, they will be seen. When dealing with uninterested

employees, a system of reward can play a vital role in improving motivation.

Leading Employees

Surprisingly to me, Tiy takes a hands off approach when it comes to leading his

employees. During the beginning of each semester there is a training course for each sport that
employees must complete. After the course is completed, employees are given the opportunity to

get in-game reffing experience with preseason scrimmages. When the season starts, Tiy monitors

the games to ensure that they are being run correctly. After the first week or so Tiy no longer

feels that he needs to hover around his employees as he trusts them to do their jobs correctly.

The biggest difficulty Tiy found when it comes to his hands-off approach in leadership is

his ability to manage the employees who have bad attitudes. He must rely on his supervisors to

report back to him to explain how an employee may be negatively affecting the workplace. He

explains how all of his employees try to be at their best when they are around him because he is

the boss. When he is not there, his employees can be totally different people. He must trust in his

supervisors to maintain an environment of positivity and inclusivity while he is not around. One

employee with a bad attitude can be cancerous to the whole staff. If a staff member is reported

for fostering a hostile work environment there are several actions that can be done before firing

them. You can stop in unexpectedly to monitor, you can provide extra supervision, and you can

implement a strike system. (Scott, p. 11-12) Tiy has found that the best way to handle

misconduct and bad attitudes is through the strike system. After the period of training, if an

employee receives three strikes, they will be fired. The first two strikes result in a temporary

reduction in hours. The biggest flaw in Tiy’s hand-off leadership style is combated by

implementing yet another system of control.

Conclusion

When analyzing Tiy’s overall management style, it is clear to see that he prefers to keep a

series of systems and schedules in place. His scheduling of meetings ensures that his employees

are heard and their concerns are brought forth. His reward systems ensure that employees feel

appreciated and loved. His strike system allows employee misconduct to be dealt with fairly and
effectively. These series of systems and schedules ensure that employees remain satisfied as well

as alleviating stress for Tiy as well.

I tend to be a sporadic and unorganized person in general and can get caught up in a lot of

things all at once. This affects my management skills as I try to be hands on with too many

things at once. I like the idea of using systems to automate some of the less important tasks so

that I can give more attention to the tasks that require a more hands on approach. Not only can

systems play a crucial role in managing employees, but I feel as though I could implement them

in my personal life as well. After interviewing Tiy, I couldn't help but think of all the things I

could systemize.
 Bibliography

Hills, L., D.A. (2021). MANAGING OVERWORKED EMPLOYEES. Physician

Leadership Journal, 8(2), 77-81. Retrieved from

https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/managing-overworked-employees/docview/

2504559003/se-2

Doyle, S., (2005). THE MANAGER'S POCKET GUIDE TO MOTIVATING

EMPLOYEES. 128. Retrieved from

https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/the-managers-pocket/9780874258462/xhtml/cover.html

Scott, G., (2006). SURVIVAL GUIDE TO MANAGING EMPLOYEES FROM HELL:

HANDLING IDIOTS, WHINERS, SLACKERS, AND OTHER WORKPLACE DEMONS. 11-

12. retrieved from

https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy.library.georgetown.edu/lib/georgetown/reader.action?

docID=3001872&ppg=11