Six ways athletes impact your business.

Less than ten percent of NCAA athletes go pro. Let's examine how they can impact as a professional in something other than sports.

Good leaders recognize the skills that are needed to be successful. However, it can be hard to identify qualities in someone when looking at past experiences on a resume. 

The general assumption is that athletes are good at physically pushing their bodies and achieving success in their chosen sport.  As a former athlete, I want to highlight for employers or business owners how athletes can benefit your business. 

This post will evaluate six skills that contribute to any business's success. Suppose you are a leader in an organization or a recruiter for a company looking to hire promising new talent. In that case, I encourage you to research former NCAA, high school, and recreational athletes. Read on to learn why. 

Hardworking and driven

There is no doubt that athletes are amazing people. Of course, I’m a bit biased. However, I want to highlight how amazing athletes are and what they bring professionally. Hard work, what does that look like? That could mean many things to many leaders or hiring committees. Hard work may not resonate on a resume, so let us examine how it works. As an athlete, you are required to work to succeed at ANYTHING. The work is necessary for any sport or activity to progress and continue. Getting better is the name of the game, literally. So, any athlete you meet automatically understands that is a part of the deal and will likely already possess the mindset to put the time into your business. 

Competitive

Let’s be honest. Being competitive is not everyone’s cup of tea. While there are varying levels of competitiveness, a little bit goes a long way. 

Someone else is trying to do it better and more significantly in business. There is a market for everything. Therefore, in business, you are always with others and will likely have competitors in your line of work. Athletes, regardless of sport, understand competing. Sure, most would assume only team sports sprout competitive spirit. Well, I’m here to remind you of the importance of competition with ourselves. This applies back to being driven. However, athletes are required to compete to be successful. They are pushed internally or externally to be better than yesterday. Therefore, this mindset is another benefit business leaders or recruiters will likely find pre-programmed in any former athletes you hire. H

Well-versed in teamwork

Humans are social animals. We need each other to survive. We need others to thrive in business and life. Building relationships and maintaining friendships comes with the territory in the professional world. However, the next level is using those relationships to work toward an agreed-upon goal. Motivating and pushing each other to bring the best every day is what athletes do. As teammates, those skills are ingrained in us to be successful in competition. Comradery makes a considerable impact on business and can't easily be taught.

How often do leaders or management have to deal with team dynamics? All the time! As an athlete, team dynamics is managed in an individual sport like swimming or a team sport like soccer or football. Finding employees with skills to understand team dynamics and manage or adapt to them will benefit any leadership. Or at least make their life a little easier.

Practiced in taking initiative

How often have we hired someone who looks good on paper and seems driven? Then, six weeks in, you regret your decision and think, “Why do I always have to ask them to do….”  

Taking the initiative is something that takes work to teach. Want a way to find it already ingrained in the person you hire? Simple, athletes possess this. Athletes need initiative to get the work done to be successful at any sport. Taking the initiative is part of the training, recovery, competition, and training process.  Athletes are experienced in taking initiative and sometimes don’t even realize it. Something as simple as having all their gear for practice requires a sense of initiative to ensure all their gear is ready to go and where it needs to be. 

So you want someone who will take on a project when they see an issue and bring a solution to you? Most athletes already do this and will naturally operate this way. 

Coachable

Ok, this one is big. In recent years, I've heard a number of my coaching friends say this one is becoming more complicated. Hear me out; coachability is not something that can be taught. It is an innate personality trait to continue to want to learn. Coachable people understand that while they may be well practiced in something, there is still more growth. A good athlete knows coachability will get them on the field or court. So, find an athlete who has had to overcome adversity or work for a spot to play, and you see someone who is coachable. 

When leaders have an issue in their business, they want to provide feedback and see progress. Humans are imperfect; reflecting and evaluating where we can grow is a big part of business success. So, finding coachable employees willing to learn has far more potential to be great and help your company thrive.

Appreciate the grind

This ties into working hard in a different way. How often in business is there an unexpected issue or time of year when a little more effort or commitment is necessary? We all have times when the grind is at the forefront of our success. Athletes understand this concept. What I mean by this is that athletes understand that sometimes the work and sacrifice come first before everything else. They also realize that success is temporary. A business has ebb and flow, and success doesn’t continue unless time and consistent effort are a part of the everyday routine. 

An example of this is in The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek, and he talks about the long haul. His book encourages business owners and leadership to look at their workforce as a long-term project and find ways to sustain success over time rather than reach it in a hurry by cutting corners. Athletes understand this mindset and can look at the bigger picture to see what serves the group and how their actions contribute to the company's overall success. 

Conclusion

Don’t get me wrong, is this the case in every instance? No, of course, this is general. However, I want to highlight some ways your perspective of former or current athletes can positively impact your business or productivity within your company. 

Let them know their hard work and commitment will mean something for them now. The transition to life after sports can be full of internal and external battles leaders may not see.

Take that next step; you never know what you might find for yourself. Check out our website for additional resources or tools to connect with yourself or those you love.