Arguably one of the biggest reasons men tend to be more progressive than women in business is because they are socialized around sports. In competitive sporting arenas, boys are taught to be tough and aggressive with a focus on winning at any cost. Girls have been traditionally taught to be modest, kind and to “play nice.â€
It is why some schools are now making sports a curricular requirement for girls as studies have found that girls who play sports show improved grades and are better at goal setting. And increasingly working professionals are engaging in sporting activities not just as a way to maintain their health but to better manage their mental approach to pressures on the job.
Tennis champion Venus Williams recently penned Come to Win, featuring over 40 corporate, business and creative professionals who explain how athletic training has positively impacted their careers. Here are several reasons why thinking like an athlete could improve your performance at work from the experts who utilize them.–Sonia Alleyne (All images: Thinkstock)
You gain perspective. Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Investments and BE contributor today trains as a swimmer and marathoner. Her swimming instructor makes her swim the length of the pool holding her breath. If she fails, he forces her to start from the beginning. The pool has become a metaphor for her work environment. As a result, Hobson has learned that it’s possible to succeed if she relaxes and remains calm in the midst of pursuing a goal that may appear to be stressful or unattainable.
Of her marathon experiences she has learned that long-distance running is as much a mental test of will as it is a physical challenge: Heading out of the starting gate is exciting; by mile 15 you
question the reasoning behind the effort; at the 20-mile mark you’ve developed a solid momentum and can see your way to the end; and at mile 26, you’ve completed the goal and are ready for a new challenge. It’s a process, Hobson explains, that is much like starting a new project at work. You have to stay steady and focused throughout the journey–even the challenges.
You operate with an end goal in mind. Athletes are results-oriented. They are clear about what’s expected of them, and the best of them are not distracted or misdirected by sideline activities. “There are no grey areas in athletics,†said Matt Carter in an interview with BE. “Did you win or did you lose? Did you score or did you not? Did you stop the man on defense or did you not? So a lot of that which you see in athletics, it’s very much about goals and achievement.â€
You are constantly training. Athletes know that preparation is most important for success. Even after a major win–and the celebration– they get refocused on preparing for the next game. They also know that every time they approach the field, or get up to bat, it’s with the goal of performing better than they did the last time. “You don’t [just] play the game on Sunday; you play in preparation to play the game,†explained Don Coleman, CEO of the advertising firm GlobalHue. “So, you have to be very disciplined [in] how you eat, and how you get yourself in peak physical and mental condition. Then you go out and perform under pressure.â€
Failure is not defeat For athletes, losing provides an opportunity to become stronger, faster and better at what they do. It becomes a teachable moment and a
motivator for later success. Losers aren’t coddled or pampered, and so they have to rely on an inner resolve to improve their standing. “One of the advantages that men had over women is that they learned at an early age…that it was okay to lose and keep going,†BET chair and CEO Debra Lee, who was recently appointed to President Obama’s Management Advisory Board, said in Come to Win. “That’s true in business too. You’ve got to keep coming back and redefining where you’re going and what your goals are.â€