University of Phoenix Alum Camye Mackey Shares Her Thoughts on Leadership and Basketball

Camye Mackey didn’t know much about sports at all when she was invited to interview with the Atlanta Hawks including, at first, what sport they were even affiliated with.

But she did know a lot about human resources and workplace cultures, both of which the professional sports organization wanted to improve.

“HR really wasn’t prominent or a prevalent part of the organization then, and most of the focus was on what was happening on the courts,” she told Dan Benjamin, host of the “How Tomorrow Works” podcast.

Today, Camye Mackey is the Executive Vice President and Chief People, Diversity and Inclusion Officers for the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena. As the top HR executive, she works with the HR team that supports not only the basketball team but hundreds of other organizational employees at all levels.

She recently sat down with Benjamin for the podcast created by University of Phoenix. The broadcast aims to explore modern workplaces, careers, and education along and to share insight into what’s ahead in these three areas. To start, the podcast has focused on University of Phoenix alumni and faculty.

Mackey earned her master’s degree in Organizational Management from University of Phoenix in 2000 as part of her commitment to learn more about how larger organizations work and ways she could play a leadership role.

“I always liked to listen, and was even shy growing up, but by listening, I learned a lot about people,” Mackey said.

She also learned quickly that she loved HR. “I still got the chance to listen, and help people solve their problems,” she said.

Early jobs gave her the opportunity to see and try different aspects of HR, from communication to recruitment to employee relations. But she wanted to be in a leadership position and make decisions for the good of an organization.

Mackey decided to go back to school and chose University of Phoenix for earning an advanced degree that helped her open doors for more experience in different types of organizations.

“I learned the technical components of HR, and when opportunities knocked, I took them, even if it meant relocating to smaller organizations,” she said. For example, she once worked at a non-profit company that gave her insight into how an organization can do more with less. She has also worked for an entertainment company and an international firm.

Mackey said she learned that every organization, regardless of amount of money or amount of people, needs to have a strong culture, which generally means looking at its collective beliefs, values, and ways of working.

“HR is really the people, including looking at how you grow, how you develop individuals and how you celebrate,” she said.

Creating a welcoming workplace and a positive culture can be exciting for new employees since they will enjoy the experience while working with your organization and hopefully carry this positive attitude with them in their careers. Likewise, Mackey said employees who retire should be proud to serve as ambassadors willing to spread the word about how great the company was to work for.

During the podcast, Benjamin asked her about the impact of COVID-19 and how recruiting and interactions were affected, especially if hiring managers couldn’t talk to candidates in person. “There are still ways to get to know people through video,” Mackey said. “We try to find something in common and make some sort of connection.”

She also asks questions that can give insight into an applicant’s passions including asking them to tell you something they do for fun every day or what the best part of their job is. These questions go beyond traditional prompts to reveal what people get excited about and let the interview subjects share their true feelings and thoughts. This can be done virtually as well as in person.

Of course, there were some other strategies used to learn about a candidate in pre-COVID days. Mackey described how some candidates once were given an interview aboard a Ferris wheel. This got people out of their comfort zones, got rid of some of their nervousness, and helped them have fun and be honest.

Has this strategy paid off in the form of a better culture? She hopes so.

As a sports team, everyone in the organization is connected, and everyone has clear duties. The whole company celebrates when the team has a win.

Mackey said that of the 30 NBA teams, the Hawks were recently notified that their arena is ranked No. 1 in terms of fan experience, an honor she credits to focusing so much on culture. “I like to say that humans are our best resource,” she said.

Learn more about the “How Tomorrow Works” podcast at https://news.phoenix.edu/podcast/. The six episodes of the first season are now available for download.