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Shane often unwinds by spending time with his
wife and twin sons |
Name: Mike Shane
Position: Exec Dir of Business Strategy & Analytics
Age: 33
Where I’m from: Louisville
Where I call home: DC
Focusing on right now: Building our data warehouse.
Best advice: The one thing you can always control is how hard you work at something. You’re not always going to be the smartest and the best, and there’s nothing you can do about that. But the one thing you can control is that no one’s going to outwork you and you’re going to give more of yourself to a project than anyone else. That’s something I’ve applied from when I was in college playing baseball up to today.
Must for a new hire: Professional maturity. The willingness to take complete ownership of your responsibilities. It’s about understanding the big-picture goals behind your work, not just punching the time clock. Thinking through all aspects of the project, not just the part you’re responsible for. It’s really wanting to own what you’re doing. That’s a question I ask in every interview I’ve ever conducted.
Exec I admire most: Mavericks Owner MARK CUBAN. I’ve heard him speak half a dozen times and he always comes across as very genuine. You can tell he’s very smart, but he doesn’t go out of his way to show it off. People who work for him or work with him all come back to his willingness to work harder than anyone else. I also like that he seems to have found a way to have fun along the way, which is important.
Best book I’ve read this year: I’ve read it probably more than a dozen times in my life. It’s called the “Way of the Peaceful Warrior,” by DAN MILLMAN. The subtitle is “A book that changes lives.” It lives up to that. If you know a young man between the ages of 15 and 30, send it to them as an anonymous gift. It’s a big picture, life advice, how to live and be happy book. It’s a special one.
First thing in the morning: I look at the calendar for the day, then I read ESPN.com and CNN.com. Then I'm counting down the minutes of silence until my 1-year-old twin boys -- BEN and RYAN -- wake up. My wife SARAH works and she’s gone early, so mornings with the boys are all mine. As soon as they wake up, the juggling act begins -- changing diapers, getting them dressed, feeding them and getting them in the car to daycare.
Talking tech: I’m a follower on Twitter. To me, it’s a news source. Where I think it’s great is once we start looking at these data sources, the amount that people are willing to volunteer and tell you through Twitter. In the past, companies spent a lot of money on getting surveys done and learning about the daily habits of people. Now all you have to do is open Twitter, and people will tell you everything you need to know.
Must have music: I like music that makes you feel good. I like happy, upbeat, I don’t need the tortured artist soul type stuff. Give me JIMMY BUFFETT, the early BEATLES stuff. You can’t help but listen to "MARGARITAVILLE" and feel like you’re laying on a beach somewhere.
How I unwind: The work-life balance is sometimes difficult in this industry, so every chance I get, it’s about spending time with my wife and kids. Also, I can’t get out of my glory days, so I still need competitive sports. I play in a men’s baseball league, pickup basketball, golf, you name it.
Food for thought: DC has restaurants from all over the world and some of the best chefs around. I’ve really enjoyed that -- all the foods, cultures, things that I had never even heard of now. But I’m still in my heart a steak and potatoes guy. A ribeye, medium rare, hot off the grill is perfect.
Day in the life: This past November, I transitioned over to head up our business strategy and analytics department, which was created at the same time. I'm helping to drive the business in our six main revenue streams -- ticket sales, corporate partnerships, concessions, retail, parking and non-gameday events -- working almost as an internal consultant to those groups, identifying ways we can help, identifying opportunities, figuring out where we can grow. One day I'm working with our ticket folks on everything from pricing to target demos to some of our packages and plans. Then the next day I’m elbow deep in our concessions looking at placement and trying to evaluate per caps and things along those lines.
