Do Sports Prepare Us For a Successful Business Career?

There are always so many life lessons learned from participating in sports. Take a look at this article about how 80% of Fortune 500 women CEOs played sports growing up. I always looked at other activities to see what potential employees did outside of work. Did they play college sports? Some of my best hires excelled on team sports in college. Although this blog is focused on women - the same can be said of men in my opinion. What's your experience?  I am interested in your feedback. What makes an athlete a good hire? Did anyone have a negative experience? Shoot me a comment. Enjoy!

80% of Fortune 500 Women CEOs Played Sports Growing Up

–Published on September 11, 2017

Maybe I’m just getting old but the start of football season recently had me reminiscing on the good ole days of high school sports. Actually, it took me back to some memories of YMCA ball as a young tike when I’d trip on my shoe strings with no one around because I didn’t have coordination 😊. Being an Ohio State fan, we woke up this Sunday upset at the world and wondering what the hell happened? Anyways, I started playing my old warm up music playlist to high school basketball. Within minutes, my blood started pumping, all I could think about was conquering the next day, what did I strategically need to do next to ensure I conquered my 8am meeting? My lunch meeting? My morning work out? Etc.

I am a firm believer that sports defined who I became in the business world. Sports challenge you mentally, physically and emotionally. The game creates an environment where you have no choice but to learn skills such as strong communication, leadership, strategic thinking, empathy, drive, motivation...you name it. My dad always compared the game to real life for me on a weekly basis. If we lost, he let us feel the pain and quite frankly he took it damn serious. If we didn’t step on that court and give it everything we had for the hour we were on the court, we heard the words “I’m disappointed in you” when we got home. Let me tell you, hearing those words were like knives to the chest. BUT – it pushed me, it challenged me to do better, it brought out my competitive side, it instilled the mindset of refusing to fail, it made me a better teammate, a better player and a better child. I had my fair share of bumps, bruises and battles trying to become an elite athlete and it taught me how to be the leader I am today.

If you review some of the most successful people in the world, I bet you’ll find most of them rarely come from childhoods full of victories, accolades and gold stars. I bet they weren’t given trophies for being in 4th place (today’s world is ridiculous with that). Instead, you hear many stories of how one may have failed at an event but they did not let it define who they are. They used those failed events to learn, grow confidence, build grit and instill passion in their pursuit to reach their ultimate goals. Outcomes don’t define successful people, they define themselves.

My parents let me learn from my mistakes, had me challenge the rules, and made me create my own success. They encouraged me to be at the gym at 5am before school and do what no one else would do to win. They would not let me take a trophy for 2nd place. If you lose a contract at work that’s worth $10 million dollars, but you TRIED so hard…do you think the company cares you tried? NO. You win or you lose. My dad stayed up late several nights a week to watch film with me so I understood how to defeat my next competitor.

He did not allow me to ever degrade a coach regardless if we agreed with their style or not. In 20 years, no one cares if you had a good coach, they care if they still see a championship flag hanging in the gym. Do you complain about having a bad boss? Suck it up, use it as a learning experience of what you don’t want to be and make yourself better from it. Having a bad boss is not an excuse to not excel at what you do. If you’re that good, and they are that bad of a leader, leave the company and put yourself with a team that will make you better. You have the ability to make these decisions for yourself on a daily basis, no one else can change these things for you nor do they care to hear you complain about them. The team is only better if you are positive and going above and beyond to make them better despite how good or bad your leader is.

Because of these experiences, I think BIG. I strategize every play. I know my competitor better than they know themselves. I think daily about how to make the teammates around me better than they were yesterday. I know if I’m surrounded by the best then I’ll become the best. I’m quick on my feet. If a pipeline went down back in my trading days, I instantly brainstormed 5 ideas to get product to where it needed to be, the fastest ways and cheapest ways to make it to the customer. I practice what I do every day and never assume I’m great. I believe in “self help” books and “self development” on a continuous basis. If you are not starting your day out learning something new, practicing a required skill or being grateful for something in front of you, my guess is you’ll experience failure. I’ve been there, I know. It’s gut wrenching…

Although my knees hurt these days, I can’t run near as fast, nor can I shoot a ball like I used to…I still force myself to get on the court and play in leagues. I am always spending money on educational programs, books and seminars. I’ve almost even went broke once spending more than I should have on a program that ended up teaching me more about myself than I could imagine. I believe in counseling for everyone. Talking to a professional creates a healthy mind. I had an Executive Business Coach for years.

The game developed me into the business woman I am today. If you work with me, I will challenge you, push you, encourage you, build your confidence, educate you, strategize with you, treat you like you’re my top priority and make you feel like family. Being a point guard in the past required leadership and the ability to take people from all types of backgrounds and influence them to think like “one”. I am assertive. I’m not afraid to challenge what I don’t think will work, regardless if you are the CEO or the janitor. There's one goal, to win and win together. If we lose, we all lose. I will communicate no differently to the CEO vs the janitor because I do not see 2 different human beings working for the same company any different from each other. We’re all on the same team, trying to accomplish the same goals and every individual matters if you think we’re taking home the big trophy!

If you play against me, I will learn your weak points, understand your business model, discover who your key players are, practice longer and harder than you, work while you are sleeping and then repeat it all again, and again, and again until I learn how to defeat you. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll become your friend too. Surrounding myself with the best of the best only escalates my game that much more. There's a reason Lebron James hangs out with the top players in the league off the court.

#SportsCreateBossBabes