Kali Franklin, NYCFC VP of Human Resources – Work In Sports podcast - a podcast by Brian Clapp - Work in Sports

Hey everybody, I’m Brian Clapp VP of Content and Engaged Learning for WorkinSports.com and this is the Work in Sports podcast…







One of my favorite parts of my work week is writing the intro to our Work In Sports podcast guest interviews. Gives me a chance to dig into the coming topic, set the stage, throw out some thoughts and opinions -- it’s awesome. 







Well, this week, I’m going to shut up and hand over the reins to our guest, Kali Franklin VP of Human Resources for NYCFC -- this interview is on the longer side, because Kali is amazing, informative and so, so passionate about her role in Human Resources representing and working with the people inside NYCFC. 















We’re going to discuss hiring trends for the coming year, diversity and inclusion, their organizational approach to coronavirus and staffing, how you should handle a video interview...and so so much more, so buckle up and get your notepad ready - I took four pages of notes from this conversation… 







Here’s Kali Franklin, VP of Human Resources at NYCFC.







Questions for Kali Franklin, VP of Human Resources at NYCFC







1: I love origination stories, to look back in someone’s past and see their path to who how they’ve become is fascinating to me. Your career arc makes a lot of sense, you were a sociology major at Georgia State, and have worked in HR most of your career – did you always have a pretty clear vision of who you wanted to be?







2: You’ve held high-level roles in HR at Target, Microsoft, and others – then in 2017 you jumped into sports with AMB Sports and Entertainment and now with NYCFC – what drew you to the sports industry? 







3: When you first got into the sports industry, were there any “Ah-ha” moments when you thought to yourself, “Ok this is a little different than Microsoft”? 







4: I don’t want to spend a ton of time looking backward, we all know 2020 was a mess and I’d rather spend most of our time talking about how we move forward, but I would like at least a little peek into what it was like for you on the HR side during the start of the pandemic.  







In September 2019 you join NYCFC, On February 29th your first season starts, on March 12 the league suspends play. What were your initial fears from an HR viewpoint, and how do you think NYCFC and the MLS at large weathered those initial fears over the past year?







5: The pandemic hasn’t been the only headline-grabbing event this year, protests, social justice, massive issues surrounding racial inequality, political upheaval – themes that are hugely important for the direction of the sports industry.







With athletes using their voice, teams, leagues, and organizations taking a stand and using their voices, how important was 2020 in terms of establishing a clear corporate culture? 







6: Roles focused on Diversity and Inclusion are relatively new in the sports industry, sometimes we assume these roles have been prevalent throughout the years, they haven’t. In my view, this is one of the better developments ever in the sports industry. Why did it take us so long to give diversity and inclusion the focus it so desperately needed?







7: D&I isn’t just a feel-good initiative – I’ve read studies that say diverse workforces increase revenue, productivity, retention, morale, and more –  why do you think having a diverse workforce makes such a positive impact?







8: What other initiatives would you like to see grab hold...

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