Paige Arnof-Fenn Of Mavens & Moguls: How My Experience in Athletics Trained Me to Become a Better Leader
An Interview With Vanessa Ogle
No pain, no gain, you have to do your homework, put in the hours, train, build muscle mass, and pay your dues to succeed. There are no shortcuts to success, no one just falls down and arrives at the top of the mountain it’s a steep climb up. The dirty little secret is that you have to take the stairs, there is not an express elevator to the top in my experience.
The world of sports is not just about physical prowess or competition; it’s an incubator for leadership qualities such as discipline, teamwork, strategic planning, and resilience. Athletes, from amateur levels to professional arenas, often encounter situations that test their limits and require them to step up in ways that mirror the challenges faced by leaders in various fields. As part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Paige Arnof-Fenn.
Paige is a lifelong sports fan and the founder & CEO of global branding and digital marketing firm Mavens & Moguls based in Cambridge, MA. Previously she was Asst. CMO at Coke and CMO at 3 successful startups that all had positive exits. As a consultant now her clients include Microsoft, Virgin, venture-backed startups as well as nonprofit organizations. She graduated from Stanford University and Harvard Business School. She serves on several Boards, is a popular speaker and columnist who has written for Entrepreneur and Forbes.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career in athletics?
I was an athletic kid who attended sports camp for 7 summers and lettered in 3 sports in high school (soccer, cross country and track). I played intramural sports in college and tennis/golf for fun as well. In business school I did a project for an NBA team and I ran a joint venture for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. After looking unsuccessfully for other jobs in sports I ended up building my career in Corporate America at companies like Procter & Gamble and Coca-Cola and then working at 3 different startups which all had positive exits. I became an entrepreneur and took the leap right after 9/11 when the company I worked for cut their staff, I had nothing to lose. I joined a sports related Board of Trustees which has kept me involved in the sports world as a side gig which I’ve truly enjoyed.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
As a huge sports fan and someone who grew up watching the Olympics as a kid with pictures on my bedroom wall of gold medal winning athletes, when I beat out 300 applicants to get the job working for the Atlanta Olympics it was like a dream come true. I was able to travel the world, meet inspiring athletes and help raise more than $100 million for the Olympic movement globally. Plus I had great seats for medal rounds too!
Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Many business leaders were student athletes before running organizations. I think what makes us great leaders is the fact we are high energy, disciplined, team players, have a strong work ethic and are good at time management. These are all great qualities and traits that serve you well in an organization and on the field or court too.
Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. Can you share a pivotal moment in your athletic career that taught you a leadership lesson you’ve applied outside of sports?
I was pushed and fell in a cross country race which rattled me but I was able to keep running. Resilience is so important in sports and in life, having the mental toughness and the ability to bounce back from adversity or the inevitable setbacks. There have been so many times in my career where things did not go as I had hoped/planned but with each setback, I learned important lessons which made me more resilient and able to bounce back stronger/mentally tougher/try again. Getting a bad grade on a quiz as a student made me work harder for the midterm and final so I could end the term strong, not getting into the Ivy League college in the early round lead me to a place that was a perfect fit for me academically where I met lifelong friends including my husband. When doors shut find the open ones to see where they lead.
How has your experience in team dynamics within athletics influenced your approach to leadership in the workplace?
Great teams always beat star players. No one can be the best every day but when everyone contributes to the best of their abilities there is strength in numbers and a shared load which reduces fatigue and burnout. Great leaders focus on long term success, building a great culture and team chemistry which can lead to dynasties emerging in sports and in business.
In what ways has facing defeat or challenges in sports prepared you for handling failure and setbacks in your professional life?
There are no perfect records in sports or in life. No one bats 1000, there are upsets in sports all the time with Cinderella teams in March Madness and new young talent on the golf and tennis circuit too. As the incomparable Michael Jordan said “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” Every CEO can share stories of times in their career when things did not go as planned, the launch failed, they lost market share or blew their budget. The truth is you learn more from your failures than you do from success.
How do you apply the discipline and training regimen from your athletic pursuits to your current leadership role?
Not getting what you want can lead you to magical outcomes, when things work well you never really know why but, in my experience, when things fail and you take the time to do a post mortem you can clearly see in retrospect where things broke down or which assumptions were incorrect and that is knowledge you will never forget again. Wisdom that comes from age and experience is gold. That is also where you make lifelong connections from being in the trenches together. In retrospect you may look back at what you thought was a failure and realize it was a blessing in disguise. Whether you were passed up for the promotion, did not get the job offer or missed the deadline for the launch you learn that as Winston Churchill said failure is not fatal and being resilient and getting back up and trying again is really what matters in life. We tend to think of failure as a bad thing, but it is not. Failure means you are trying new things, big things. Failure is part of the process. The goal is to fail quickly and cheaply but just never fail the same way twice. I actually don’t believe in failure, you either win or you learn.
Reflecting on your journey, what specific skills or attributes developed through athletics do you believe are most essential for effective leadership?
The skills and attributes I rely on are persistence, determination, and the ability to focus, which are all really important for both athletes and leaders to succeed. I also recommend having a strong moral compass — you cannot compromise on ethics and values, being smart/technically competent, having a great attitude and working hard to earn the respect of the team. It’s a bonus to have a great sense humor and be fun to work with! Athletes are typically great at water cooler talk too and can play in company softball leagues, golf tournaments, etc. which can help your career through networking. I love hiring athletes when recruiting.
Based on your experience, can you please share “5 Ways That Athletics Can Help Train Great Leaders?”
1 . I think playing sports is an advantage in business. It gives you confidence, teaches you about teamwork, responsibility, fairness, resilience, and the language too. Learning how to be tough competitors on the field/court, leaving it all out there then going out after as friends win or lose is a great life lesson.
2 . I know a lot of successful business leaders who were athletes growing up, they have a history of setting goals, working hard and understanding what makes teams thrive. I am not surprised Magic Johnson, Serena Williams and Peyton Manning have been successful in business too they are determined with strong work ethics and know what it takes to win.
3 . Great teams in sports and business include supporting staff behind the scenes who allow the stars to shine. Middle managers, trainers, coaches, secretaries, assistants, etc. are the glue that do the planning and execution that make everything run smoothly and seamlessly. That is why they all receive championship rings or the equivalent in winning seasons.
4 . No pain, no gain, you have to do your homework, put in the hours, train, build muscle mass, and pay your dues to succeed. There are no shortcuts to success, no one just falls down and arrives at the top of the mountain it’s a steep climb up. The dirty little secret is that you have to take the stairs, there is not an express elevator to the top in my experience.
5 . Sports normalizes defeat, you get beat up and knocked around so much that you have to learn how to keep getting back up and trying harder. You build callouses and thick skin which makes you tougher, stronger and better equipped for life’s curveballs, challenges and surprises.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would love to inspire a movement of kindness/generosity and find ways to incorporate the lessons of gratitude, simplicity, friendship and love into the new normal so we do not forget what we learned in the pandemic over past few years.
How can our readers further follow you online?
www.MavensAndMoguls.com and https://www.linkedin.com/in/paigearnoffenn
Thank you for the time you spent sharing these fantastic insights. We wish you only continued success in your great work!
Thanks so much it’s been my pleasure! Stay well.
About The Interviewer: Vanessa Ogle is a mom, entrepreneur, inventor, writer, and singer/songwriter. Vanessa’s talent in building world-class leadership teams focused on diversity, a culture of service, and innovation through inclusion allowed her to be one of the most acclaimed Latina CEO’s in the last 30 years. She collaborated with the world’s leading technology and content companies such as Netflix, Amazon, HBO, and Broadcom to bring innovative solutions to travelers and hotels around the world. Vanessa is the lead inventor on 120+ U.S. Patents. Accolades include: FAST 100, Entrepreneur 360 Best Companies, Inc. 500 and then another six times on the Inc. 5000. Vanessa was personally honored with Inc. 100 Female Founder’s Award, Ernst and Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Enterprising Women of the Year among others. Vanessa now spends her time sharing stories to inspire and give hope through articles, speaking engagements and music. In her spare time she writes and plays music in the Amazon best selling new band HigherHill, teaches surfing clinics, trains dogs, and cheers on her children.
Please connect with Vanessa here on linkedin and subscribe to her newsletter Unplugged as well as follow her on Substack, Instagram, Facebook, and X and of course on her website VanessaOgle.
Paige Arnof-Fenn Of Mavens & Moguls: How My Experience in Athletics Trained Me to Become a Better… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.