By Dr. Larry D. Parker, Jr.
Department Chair, Supply Chain Management, Contracting and Acquisition (SCA)

What do Fortune 500 CEOs Jim Hackett (formerly of Ford), Jeffrey Immelt (GE), Meg Whitman (Quibi), and Walter Robb (formerly of Whole Foods) all have in common? They all played varsity sports in high school and college.

All of these noteworthy business leaders attribute their participation in sports to their development of critical leadership skills. Although it is possible for leaders to develop their skills in other ways, participation in sports provides multiple opportunities to overcome challenges, test personal limits and emerge as a good leader.

There are many aspects to being a good business leader, but where do you learn these traits? There are many areas in life – such as home, church, school or local organizations – where one can learn to be a good leader. But perhaps the most effective, well-rounded area where a person can learn leadership traits is through playing sports.

The Benefits of Playing Sports

Playing a sport offers many benefits. For instance, there is the potential for scholarship assistance, and you can also learn skills that will last for a lifetime.

According to an article, “Sports & Leadership,” written by Eleanor Frankl for the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, these skills are numerous. They include:

• Accountability
• Teamwork
• Goal setting
• Leadership

According to Frankl’s article, a study done by Ernst and Young and ESPN found that “80 percent of female executives at Fortune 500 companies had participated in sports, as did 94 percent of C-suite women.” This correlation clearly shows that there is a connection between these female executives and their participation in sports.

Accountability and Teamwork

Frankl also notes, “Athletics are afforded a testing ground for directing a group toward a goal.” Even though you may not have been the team captain or MVP on a sports team, each teammate works toward a common goal. Every athlete on that team must compete at their best to give their team the best chance at winning.

A large part of being a leader is forming groups that work well together. This activity is what a team does to achieve optimum results.

Related link: Overtraining and Hans Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome

Motivating Team Members

Though everyone on a team works toward a common goal, whether in sports or business, what motivates each member of the team is different. On the field, one player may be hoping to impress a parent or scout, while another may want to simply blow off some emotional baggage. But if a coach encourages both of those players with the same words, the message may not be as effective as speaking to each player directly and determining their needs.

The same method of communication can be used by a leader to motivate his colleagues. For example, one woman may be driven to provide for her family, while another employee may be working toward buying a new car.

Both employees have the same purpose in the company – to perform at the best of their ability – but their wants and needs are very different. Just as an athlete must be able to multi-task on the court, a leader needs to be able to multi-task and approach each person’s role on the team differently.

While knowing the needs of the team is important, making sure to meet those needs is equally important. Employees will often appreciate a boss asking about their family, and they’ll also know that their leader has taken an interest in their lives when they continue to follow up on a daily/weekly basis.

Recognition for each employee can be equally personalized. For example, leaders could consider how each employee likes to be praised. That could be a Starbucks gift card, recognition in front of their peers or a one-on-one meeting with the boss.

Learning what makes each person feel fulfilled each day creates a more enthusiastic and happy work environment overall. Plus, this attitude helps employees to improve the company they work for. It also helps employees realize their own potential and what they specifically bring to a team that makes them unique and irreplaceable.

Related link: The Legacy of Colin Powell: 13 Important Leadership Rules

Transferable Skills: Flexibility and Adaptability

Flexibility and adaptability are also skills that can be learned from playing sports. Oftentimes, teams start with a specific play they’ve rehearsed in practice, but halfway through a game, they must adapt to the other team and change up the plan.

This flexibility and adaptability are skills that are needed in the business world. Companies change and adapt with the times, and leaders must motivate their team members to be fluid and see the benefit in continuous change.

This method of thinking means trusting employees and being truthful that change is occurring and what that change might look like for the company and its employees. One way that leaders can show that they trust their team is through delegation; this abdication of control means they trust their teammates to make decisions on their own for the good of the whole company.

There are many correlations between playing a sport and fostering a future as a leader. Many skills can be easily transferred from the playing field to the workplace.

Frankl provides this leadership quote from Jen Baker, senior associate athletics director at Johns Hopkins University: “That was the first time I had been tasked with thinking about leadership in a structured, integrated way, and it made me realize that sports offers a proving ground for leaders.”

So if you’re looking for your next CEO or COO, perhaps you should check the nearest football field or basketball court. You may be looking at the future of your company.

Although we can’t turn back time and relive college sports to learn leadership skills, we can seek to better understand the various coaching, goal setting, strategies, and management techniques by studying those principles in the classroom. You can learn more about leadership and develop useful management skills by enrolling in our sports management degree program. If you played college sports or just have a favorite team you support, this program may provide you the opportunity to better understand various leadership styles, especially those that are used to motivate others to their fullest potential.