Two wrestlers fight for a takedown. Within that takedown are many
lessons that can translate into the boardroom.
“More enduringly than any other
sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride. Some have wrestled without
great skill—none have wrestled without pride.” ~ Dan Gable
Today’s
workforce is extremely competitive. When comparing resumes it’s easy to get
lost in all the bullet points of software literacy and past responsibilities.
If you really want to separate two seemingly qualified employees, bring them in
for an interview and ask a simple question, “Have you ever participated in
sports at an elite level?”
“Current research indicates that individuals who have competed in
elite level athletics, i.e., collegiate, international, or professional level
competition possess higher levels of emotional intelligence than their
non-athlete counterparts,” says Richard Mendelson, I.O. psychologist and
founder of Dynamic IO Consultants,
a consulting firm specializing in human capital management and other services.
In 1996, Dr.
William Brad McGonagle, associate vice president for administration
at Texas A&M University wrote his dissertation studying how
former athletes transfer the skill set they developed through athletics to
the workplace. He found that an employee with prior athletic experience was
able to transfer the lessons of being a team player and also noticed strengths
in accomplishment-based skills, discipline, and communication.
In 2002, professors Daniel Gould and Kristen Dieffenbach published
a study in the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology which
noted that Olympic champions display higher levels of specific
attributes directly linked to success, in particular emotional intelligence.
Their research showed that these elite athletes displayed high levels of stress
management, interpersonal skills, and self regard.
The conclusion of all this research could be seen during the 1972
Olympic Games in
Munich, Germany, when American wrestler, Dan Gable, won the gold medal without
giving up a single point! This is perhaps one of the greatest Olympic
performances of all time. And while this level of performance would be hard to
duplicate on any stage, can you imagine this same type of focus and
determination on display in your office?
While I acknowledge that nearly all athletes at an elite level
have a tremendous amount of drive, wrestlers in particular seem to operate at a
higher level of fortitude. Not that my athletic history is anything to write
about, but I wrestled in college and have been surrounded by amazing athletes
of all sports. I’ve known Olympians, world champions, college champions and
everything in between. The one constant observation is that wrestlers have a
capacity to push themselves harder than most and display an unrivaled mental
toughness—that and a deep desire to eat.
Socrates once said, “I swear it upon Zeus an outstanding runner
cannot be the equal of an average wrestler.”
Wise words considering being fleet of foot is how a wrestler
starts his day. In the business arena, being fast or strong doesn’t necessarily
rank as a top priority in our service economy. So why should you care?
“Wrestling, in particular, is thought to require more individual
commitment than most other sports due to the nature of the training and
competing itself. The logical inference, then, is that with other sports, an
athlete can go to practice or a game, and then go home to relax. Wrestlers, due
to the weight class requirements, have to maintain their focus and drive around
the clock for years at a time,” says Mendelson, a former college wrestler.
“In addition, wrestling is an individual sport and the athlete
experiences both failure and success as an individual. As a result, the
wrestler endures more physical, emotional, and psychological stress, both
positive and negative, than an athlete in another sport.”
I can tell you that the biggest lesson I learned during my
wrestling career was humility. Even the great Dan Gable lost a match. Over the
years I learned that getting knocked down was just part of the process to work
even harder and to improve. I now encourage the success of others because I
enjoy the challenge of meeting those higher expectations. Even during the
all-night programming sessions to launch new features on Hitched, it has never
felt difficult since I know 100 of those nights will never be as hard as a
single wrestling practice. The
competitive spirit in other athletes might argue that they too exude these same
qualities at the same level. They might be right, which is why the question you
should pose during an interview is asking about their entire athletic
background. Saying that, when the bullet points begin to once again merge as
you stare down two athletes, I recommend you go with the wrestler.