These 3 Characteristics of Winning Athletes Can Be Game Changers in Business
.jpg)
Sports and business. Both arenas demand discipline, strategy, and resilience for success. Whether you’re on the court or in a conference room, every athlete and businessperson alike has felt the pressures to perform. And whether you’re an NBA team captain or just one member of a huge agency team making the pitch, we’ve all felt the satisfactions and struggles of working toward a win. Sure, most of us aren’t NBA superstars, but embracing the mindset of athletes in the corporate world can unlock new levels of performance. There are three core principles of athletic fortitude worthy of reflection. Here’s how they translate into effective leadership strategies for navigating the complex terrain of business.
1. Set Goals for Excellence
Athletes are known for their ability to set clear objectives and relentlessly pursue them. “Every sports team sets goals for their season,” writes Amy Freet of Sendero and former college basketball player. “Whether the goal is to improve to above .500 record, win a conference championship, or develop in certain areas for the future, sports teams of all levels start their year with an agreed-upon goal, or goals to work toward.”
Similarly, in business, goal setting is paramount for driving progress and achieving milestones that chalk up to successes, from quarterly revenue goals to benchmarks of a creative project.
Sports teams and athletes strategize for big games and races when they need to be performing at their peak. A helpful shorthand for businesses in setting similar standards is to define SMART goals, or goals that are Strategic, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Using these parameters helps provide direction and motivation. Moreover, it defines the “win,” which sometimes isn’t as clear cut in business as it is in a game where you’re keeping score. Calling out wins draws attention to the team worth celebrating. Celebrating victories, no matter how small, fosters a culture of unity around success and fuels momentum towards larger objectives.
3. Lift Up Your Teammates
At the heart of every successful sports team lies effective teamwork and leadership. Albert Myles, a former professional basketball player turned executive coach, emphasizes that “thinking like an athlete is not about becoming a sports expert,” he writes, “but rather [it’s] about leveraging the traits and practices that contribute to athletic success and applying them to the corporate world.”
Great leadership isn’t confined to designated roles; rather, it is demonstrated through actions that inspire and unify the team toward a common goal. Recognizing and supporting team members and leveraging their individual strengths form the bedrock of effective teamwork. Just as every player on a basketball team brings unique skills to the court, every member of a business team contributes to collective success.
3. Embody Grit and Resilience When Losses Inevitably Happen
Several research studies outline the common stressors most athletes face: performance standards, selection, funding, injury, and media evaluations. Sound familiar, business leaders? Corporate America throws all of the above at businesspeople today (well, maybe more emotional injury than physical).
Setbacks and challenges are inevitable, but with resilience, comebacks are also possible. It’s the basis for every great underdog story: the ability to overcome adversity and bounce back stronger.
This same resilience is indispensable for entrepreneurs and business leaders, enabling them to navigate the changing seasons of developing and running a business. Experts, in addition to outlining the stressors of athletes, note the key protective factors of psychological resilience and the need to weather the storms: social support, stable environment, and metacognitive awareness. Business people need these things, too. To cultivate them, they need consistent discipline to lay the foundation of each in periods of calm to better handle times of adversity.
Resilience empowers individuals to view setbacks as opportunities for growth, fostering flexibility, humility, and a relentless pursuit of goals. It also cultivates stronger relationships rooted in empathy and understanding, while promoting mental well-being by nurturing a positive attitude and growth mindset.
Bonus: Acknowledge the Red Flags
Elite athletes undoubtedly embody remarkable traits to achieve all that they do, but none are immune to shortcomings that can negatively affect their game.
Impatience through the times when progress is slow, having excessively high-performance expectations, and hyper-competitiveness can detract from long-term success. Competitiveness or seeking quick fixes aren’t innately bad in athletes or entrepreneurs, but both must learn to strike a balance between ambition and realism. It's essential for business leaders to recognize these traits in themselves and hold themselves accountable to when it's causing toxicity in their company. Self-awareness becomes a crucial tool in navigating these potential pitfalls, fostering a culture of accountability, growth, and collaboration.
Conclusion
Just as athletes meticulously set goals, strive for excellence, and lift up their teammates, so too can business leaders harness these strategies to propel their teams toward success. And by acknowledging potential pitfalls and cultivating self-awareness, business leaders can steer their organizations toward sustainable growth, while maintaining a collaborative, empathetic team. As leaders strive for victory in corporate arenas, drawing inspiration from the resilience, teamwork, and unwavering determination exhibited by athletes on the field could rewrite their playbook for success.
Sources
International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology
Discover What Grows Wealth with Minimum Effort & Minimum Risk
