The job of a content director can be a hectic one in the modern world of sports media. In such a high fast-paced industry with a never-ending news cycle, it takes a skilled, dialed-in director to make sure all opportunities are capitalized on to the fullest.
A challenge of the content director role is how broad the scope can be. Content directors are not only tasked with playing a hand in building content strategy by studying audience trends, but they also have to coordinate a living, breathing team of professionals – often across departments and verticals.
Take an NFL content director role, for instance. In the writing department alone, an NFL content director might need to balance news, rumors, editorials and analysis, fantasy football, and scouting. Beyond that, they may also need to coordinate with video and social media.
The study of audience insights and trends deals more with data research and informed decision making – but delivering on that knowledge is where the role of emotional intelligence proves key. Here’s how a content director can use that effectively.
How Content Directors Can Use Emotional Intelligence
1) Take Charge as a Communicator
Communication is at the heart of a content director’s job. Writers and editors need to know their assignments. Video analysts need to know their topics. Social media managers need to know the schedule for promotion. Everyone has something to do, and the content director is the “glue guy” – the offensive coordinator who moves all the pieces.
When you’re a content director, the first step is understanding just how important communication is for your job. It isn’t just essential for you to communicate. You have to truly take charge and be a leader on the communication front. Lead and streamline conversations, guide thought threads in meetings, and steer your team as the many pieces connect.
Beyond standard organizational communication, however, a content director should also know his team. Take steps to not only inform, but also genuinely interact with and humanize your team members, so they feel more invigorated to deliver.
2) Over-Prepare and Over-Communicate When Coordinating
Taking charge and taking a leadership role as a communicator is one thing. A content director has to go a step beyond even this, however. Taking charge helps set the pieces in motion. Over-communicating ensures a steady finish, and ensures that all questions across the team are answered.
Balancing as much information as a content director does, over-communicating is key to keeping the team composed and focused in chaotic situations. This, in turn, requires you to over-prepare. Compile spreadsheets with content assignments and schedules. Document trend data and make it accessible. Document when pieces are launched, and when videos are posted, and when social media lobs are sent out.
Prepare, document, and over-communicate. This way, you can make sure your content group’s end-cycle coordination is just as strong. This is where you get to bring it home and get past the pylon.
3) Align Assignments with Passions and Skills
By taking charge and over-communicating, you’ll get to know your team. When you know your team well enough, you know where certain members might thrive, and where certain members might be out of place. As a content director, it’s your job to delegate effectively, and make sure each member is applied where their talents will be put to best use.
To carry on with the football analogies, you wouldn’t put a running back at wide receiver, because he’s trained to read-and-react – not to run routes and separate independently. You wouldn’t put a wide receiver at running back because he might not have the mass or physicality to thrive in that environment.
When you know how to delegate and assign pieces according to writers’ passions and skills, you can put together a star lineup in a similar way. If one writer’s strength is thoughtful, in-depth reasoning, put them on editorials. If another’s is punctuality, perhaps the news desk would suit their talents. Take note of those nuances, and optimize your content plans for them.
4) Use Constructive Feedback to Educate and Inspire
Much of the content director’s responsibilities lie in a cyclic content planning and coordination realm. That said, content directors have valuable insight to give writers in the end-stage, given their proximity to the entire process. Your content isn’t going into a void – but your feedback holds more value than that of a standard reader. Make sure your writers don’t go without that sounding board.
In the post-production phase, a content director can help educate and inspire their writers with constructive feedback. Constructive feedback is feedback that builds off of a writer’s pre-existing strengths, and empowers them to attack areas where they can improve and reach their best.
5) Introspect and Re-Evaluate
Finally, the aspect of emotional intelligence bears a great deal of importance for content directors when looking inward. Every content director has areas in which they can still improve. As a constant learner, proactively seek out those imperfections, and challenge yourself to progress wherever possible.
That steady introspection and re-evaluation will not only improve your skills as a content director, but that mentality will also trickle down to your team, and catalyze long-term growth and development.
