Business Lessons from Sports Greats
Running a business is frequently compared to coaching a sports team and vice versa. And with fall being one of the best stretches on the sports calendar—baseball pennant races are heating up, football season is beginning, and basketball and hockey are not far behind—it’s the perfect time to get inspired by some of history’s greatest coaches and athletes. Take their wisdom to heart to help you stay inspired and win at business, no matter your industry.
“I always tell kids, ‘You have two eyes and one mouth. Keep two open and one closed. You never learn anything if you’re the one talking.’”
– Gordie Howe, hockey legend
Have you ever found yourself getting caught up in your own business know-how while running your company? If so, heed Mr. Hockey’s advice. Listening to your team members, from newcomers offering fresh perspectives to the trusted sounding boards in your C-suite, can help expose you to potential pitfalls in your decision-making along with possibilities you may not have considered. Either way, when you seek outside insight, it can open the floodgates to positive outcomes for your business.
“Individual commitment to a group effort—that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
– Vince Lombardi, Hall of Fame NFL coach
The five-time champion coach clearly knew from firsthand experience how to lead a winning football team—and that it required going beyond the Xs and Os. In Green Bay (and his other coaching stints), he didn’t just teach a game plan but inspired a collective buy-in from his players about it, with each understanding they played an important yet singular role in its success. His legendary quarterback Bart Starr concurred, humbly stating, “I was just one part of a great team.” Imagine the rewards your company could reap from your employees adopting that same mindset.
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
– John Wooden, UCLA men’s basketball head coach
Perhaps the most successful and respected coach in history, Wooden is as known today for his wisdom and influence on business leadership as he is for his success in the arena, all thanks to his best-selling books. A huge part of his philosophy is the idea that doing things the right way will lead to success. His words above typify this: by prioritizing character and integrity, you can better focus on what you can control and let anything outside your purview take care of itself—an especially important lesson in today’s world of social media.
“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”
– John Wooden
Coach Wooden followed his own advice throughout his career, notably tinkering with his famed Pyramid of Success (applicable to all areas of sports, business, and life) when need be. In fact, “alertness,” or being open-minded to learning, is one of its foundational principles. For business owners, it’s easy to fall into a “my way or the highway” mindset. But while it is essential to hold fast to your purpose, Wooden also emphasizes the value of reinventing your business to account for changing times, which can help ensure its long-term success.
“Believe me, the reward is not so great without the struggle.”
– Wilma Rudolph, record-setting Olympic sprinter
Starting a business isn’t easy—if it were, everyone would do it. As an entrepreneur, you’re likely familiar with the constant roadblocks that appear on the path to success, whether they’re internal (e.g., doubt) or external (e.g., raising capital). This legendary Olympian faced struggles on her path to glory, but rather than become defeated, she used her challenges as stairs to climb to the pinnacle of her sport. Embrace a similar mindset in the face of your own hardships, and they can enable you to become stronger and more capable in every area of business.
“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”
– Michael Jordan, six-time NBA champion and five-time MVP
It seems appropriate to conclude with a lesson from pro basketball’s GOAT: the key to winning is to face down any fear of failure and replace it with the courage to take chances. Business owners are well aware of both realities. Trepidation can lead to decision paralysis and overconservative choices, stunting a business’s growth potential. In contrast, corporate history, from Ford to Apple to Google, shows that blazing forward smartly and fearlessly can forge an unparalleled path to business feats—even changing the world as we know it.
For these all-time greats, success wasn’t handed to them; it was earned through hard work and ambition. Use their words as your go-to inspiration for leading your team to new heights in the months ahead and beyond.
TAKE ACTION:
Reignite your entrepreneurial fire by reading inspirational quotes from your favorite athletes or coaches or reading one of their books.