SHREVEPORT – When Matthew Hammock walked into his first IEG World Conference in 2019 just one month after gaining full-time employment status with the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission, he admits he had no clue what he was doing.
But he had an eagerness to learn and a willingness to shake hands that’s served him well in his eight years at the Shreveport-Bossier Sports Commission, where he’s now a Senior Sponsorship Manager.
That conference netted him relationships, and eventually mentorships, with folks connected to companies like Amazon and Target.
Hammock shared his career journey with students and business professionals at the first annual LSUS Human Advantage Summit on Friday, saying that the human touch can make all the difference in a world increasingly impacted by artificial intelligence and automation.
“Be genuine, be curious, ask thoughtful questions and remember their answers,” Hammock said of how he approaches networking. “Find a way to make a connection and then follow up with them and ask how they are doing or how that meeting went that they mentioned.
“Those small interactions build genuine relationships.”
Failure is a natural occurrence in the sports sponsorship business, but Hammock learned early that finding positives in failure was and is part of the process.
From an intern who was asked to fill in as a sponsorship salesman to a reliable face that’s helped rebuild the Shreveport Sports Commission’s brand and reputation in the local business community, Hammock has experienced his fair share of failure and success.
But the LSUS business alumnus and former baseball player said the willingness to put oneself out there and approach each situation with authenticity has allowed him to develop reliable relationships on behalf of the Commission.
“You always belong in whatever room you’re in, so make your presence known and take the initiative,” Hammock said. “But being genuine in those interactions in what’s going to help you start and build those relationships.
“As a young professional, not being afraid to build your phonebook (network of contacts) is crucial. But it’s not just a network to call upon when you need something – it’s a community you invest in and invests in you. One way to do that is to celebrate other’s wins, like if they sell a house, close a deal, or reach some other milestone.”
Hammock added that he’s grown from a transactional person into one that values relational communication, which he says results in more partnerships anyway.
Communication style and method is another crucial element of building relationships.
Despite his younger age, Hammock is more of a in-person/phone call kind of guy as opposed to email and text message.
But he shared that communicating in the recipient’s preferred manner as situations arise can go a long way.
“Communication affects whether people trust you, and adaptability helps demonstrate that you don’t insist that everyone communicates the same way,” Hammock said. “For example, one of my Whataburger contacts covers an area that stretches from East Texas down to Alexandria and Monroe.
“I know that she prefers texts for things that are urgent but emails for non-urgent things.”
Hammock details communication preferences and other personal notes for his contacts, which are well above 500.
While Hammock stresses that he never uses artificial intelligence to actually communicate on his behalf, AI and other technology can be useful in organization and reminders so he has time to communicate in a personal way.
The Human Advantage Summit highlighted ways in which AI can be beneficial in personal communication in separate breakout sessions.
Hammock led a session on how AI can create the time and bandwidth to communicate personally, which leads to better relationships and ultimately more potential sponsorship opportunities for the area’s local sporting events.
A pair of LSUS business faculty pitched in their expertise on AI and communication.
Dr. Stephanie Dunn explored how AI can help prepare managers and employees for tough workplace conversations through brainstorming and roleplaying. Human judgment, empathy, and courage remain essential to the process, but AI can help one think through scenarios and conflicts by potentially highlighting another’s perspective.
Dr. Rebecca Bogie analyzed what actually happens in those tough workplace conversations, introducing skills like active listening, calming tense conversations, writing with the right tone, and responding to pushback.
To be in a position to have that workplace conversation requires one to have a job.
Jennifer Flynn-McKevitt, director of LSUS Career Services, assisted young professionals and students to highlight their strengths better in resumes and job interviews.
More than just using popular buzzwords like “communication” and “teamwork,” Flynn-McKevitt led practice sessions in how to provide tangible examples of those skills in interview situations.
Light on work experience to produce those examples?
No worries says Hammock.
“You cannot manufacture years of work experience,” Hammock said. “But what you can do is start now.
“Whether its internships, working on projects with your professors, just starting by introducing yourself to your professors personally before or after class. I didn’t have any workforce experience when I graduated from LSUS because I spent my free time playing baseball, but I landed an internship and demonstrated a willingness to try and solve problems. That opened the door for me to earn that work experience.”
The Human Advantage Summit is a collaboration between the LSUS College of Business and LSUS Continuing Education.
“The goal of today's event is to help you gain new skills that enhance your human advantage in the modern workplace,” said Dr. Mary Lois White, College of Business dean. “With a constant influx of information about how AI can improve business operations and accelerate innovation, what is often overlooked is how critically important interpersonal communication skills remain in building professional success.
“While we will also focus on how AI can be leveraged, our focus will be on how AI can be used by you to develop successful professional and personal relationships.”
