Ever since grade school, we’ve been encouraged to play sports or musical instruments as part of our learning process. When all we wanted to do was hang out with friends before doing our homework, some of us had to spend another two plus hours practicing after school. The idea is to be as well-rounded as possible so we can go to the best colleges and therefore get the best jobs.
I disliked practice because my tennis coach made us run twelve laps around the track after we spent two hours hitting. By the time I got home at 6pm, I was exhausted. Homework would easily take another three hours to complete, leaving no time for BBSing and goofing off with friends.
Despite all the hard work, captaining the team to the district playoffs was one of the most rewarding experiences ever. As an adult, I have a natural affinity for those who still play sports now. We know what it feels like to practice so much only to lose a critical match. At the same time, we know the addictive feeling of winning.
After spending the past 12 years interviewing candidates for six figure salary positions, I’ve come to the conclusion that those who play a sport or a musical instrument are much more likely to get hired and thrive.
WHY PLAYING A SPORT GETS YOU HIRED AND PAID
1) You are likely an optimist. No manager wants to hire a pessimist. Pessimism spreads like a virus, easily bringing down moral. Pessimists complain all the time at the water cooler spreading gossip and talking behind peoples back. When you compete in sports, you are an optimist because you must believe you will win. A large part of competition is in your mind. Those with the strongest minds have the highest chance of pulling things through.
2) You are a team player. You can be as talented as Lebron James, but if you don’t get your teammates involved, you will never win. One man against five is a losing proposition. You understand your teammates strengths and work to figure out optimal solutions.
3) You know what defeat feels like. No matter how hard you try, losing is inevitable. But, because you love to play the game, you always come back for more. The more you lose, the harder you try. You never take your victories for granted because you never know when you will win again.
4) You are a fierce competitor. Business is competitive. The ones that succeed have the best ideas, persevere the longest, and consistently execute. Every manager wants to have someone who is going to keep fighting until the end. As a competitor, you are ready to take on any challenge, no matter how large.
5) You display good sportsmanship. In order to love the game, you must respect the game. Good sportsmanship is as important as winning. You understand your opponents try just as hard. When you win a tight battle, you have even more respect for your adversary. Look at boxers hug after trying to beat the crap out of each other as an example.
BONUS: If you are really good, you’ll have easier access. If you so happen to be a varsity athlete in college or an ex professional, your doors will swing wide open. Being really good at a sport allows you direct access to people way more senior than you.
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS OF PLAYING SPORTS
1) Boosts your self-esteem. When you see hard work pay off, your self-esteem gets a boost. You start believing that good things happen if you put your mind to it. Overcoming adversity makes you a believer.
2) Better fitness. It might be a default assumption that we all get fat and grey as we age. However, that’s not necessarily the case if you play sports. Because you know what it’s like to be fit growing up, you do marginally more than your sedentary friend who has never competed athletically.
3) Better love life. With higher self-esteem and better fitness comes a selection of more attractive and positive partners. Let’s not deny that we’d all rather be intimate with an attractive, in-shape person than the contrary. Whether the relationship lasts is another matter.
4) More friends. Sports is a social activity. At the very least, you have one person you’re playing against. At the very most, you may have dozens of teammates on your softball, soccer, or flag football team. The more you play, the more friends you’ll make.
5) Higher chance of succeeding at other things. People who play sports are able to leverage their skills to excel at other things, not just work. The formula for success is almost always the same: hard work, practice, failure, perseverance, luck, and more hard work.
DOING ANYTHING COMPETITIVE THAT TAKES PRACTICE
You don’t only have to play sports to stand out in the hiring process. You can play a musical instrument, act, or sing. Anything that takes putting yourself out there is what companies love to see. Nobody expects you to become a professional. What employers do want to see are candidates who have a passion for something that leads them to put in countless hours of practice in order to succeed.
Whatever you do, don’t do nothing! You don’t want to be the person who comes out of school with mediocre grades, who doesn’t excel in any extracurricular activity. At least speak another language fluently. Even those who have straight A’s aren’t very attractive candidates if they don’t do other things.
If you have kids, teach them how to compete through sports. If you’re an adult, pick up a sport as a hobby and train to get decently good. There is a huge community of players and sports fans out there who will immediately connect to your talent. Some of them just might be in a position to determine your future!
Untemplaters, do any of you play sports? Have you noticed that those who play sports or have other talents tend to excel in the workplace? Do you think it is a coincidence that so many CEOs, Presidents, and political leaders played varsity sports or musical instruments?
Photo: Jack Sock hitting a one-handed backhand at the Tiburon Challenger, 2012. SD.
Regards,
Sam
Copyright 2012. Original content authorized only to appear on Untemplater.com. Thank you for reading!
I never really got deep into competitive sports or playing a music instrument, so I must be screwed. 😉 I guess it’s never too late to do either though, as long as you can move. I’m starting to get into rock climbing, skiing and snowboarding now and I do enjoy outdoor stuff, and when I have kids down the road I’ll try many different things with them so they can pursue what they like.
Doh.. well, it’s never too late to start! Did you notice your peers who played competitive sports, or who competed in music, arts, dance, etc do better?
I don’t know, my peers back then were not the best crowd. One guy was good with guitar but I wouldn’t say he’s successful even by his own standards. I know one girl who’s really into dance who’s doing pretty well; Ironically the most sporty guy I know is also the most angry guy in life, but at least he’s doing something outside of his work to take his mind off of things. 😉 The most successful guy I know (my gf’s brother) is both sporty and musical, so is there a benefit to both? For sure. I wish I had been more involved myself when younger, but it’s never too late to start.
In high school, I was in a special program for promising musicians and sportsmen, we had classes only in the morning and afternoon was music or sports practice. I was in music but the sports people were amazing, they had double our practice hours, were competing during weekends, and still made straight A’s. Most played tennis and were also able to market themselves and get sponsorship. Many valuable qualities for the marketplace.
The best candidates connect with the interviewer! You can connect on a lot of different levels, one of which is sports. If a woman is interviewing a male, sports may not come up. The candidate has to find a way of connecting or it is over! Sports will help you with these skills indirectly. My daughter did not play sports, but she was in gymnastics, dance, girl scouts etc. She learned how to connect with a variety of people.
Gymnastics is a sport! Connection is key. The more you do, the higher your chances of connecting with your interviewer.
I love to play basketball and run. I think those that excel at sports generally have a knack for understanding situations in the workplace both with people and problems. For instance, I play basketball with a guy at work who is a very good shooter and competitor. He’s a manager over quite a few others at work and gets along very well with them. I think the team nature of the game is easy to see in him.
I also think to play a varsity sport in high school or beyond requires a reasonable amount of work and dedication – especially if you are going to excel at it. I think this translates into work ethic and the way future situations are approached.
Bingo. I agree with your last comment completely. Find me a debbie downer, and I’ll find you someone who didn’t compete at a relatively elite level in sports. Not to mix causation with correlation of course!
I can totally see this apply to 98% of the jobs! The other 2%? Gamer recluse nerds who must be social inept to program with most efficiency 🙂
What about bloggas?!
Sure!
not buying the “wife” part, but I agree with the rest. This is encouraging me to get back to the gym!
Yep, need to change “wife” to “husband” for you!
I played baseball when younger, though now being later in life my fitness efforts are through working out. Personally, I think that sports can teach us about how to compete and get the best out ourselves, as well as how to be good teammate. And leadership as well. The fitness aspects are clear, and that helps with confidence.
To the extent that people can stay healthy and active through life, I think it only helps the other areas as well, such as finances and relationships.
Indeed. Compete and get the best out of ourselves.
I see pessimistic debbie downer people who don’t know their potential b/c they have never tested their potential!
Is cheerleading a sport, in relevance to this discussion? What about eating hot dogs or playing poker. If it’s on ESPN, is it a sport? Spelling bees?
Minus the physical aspects, the competitiveness of gambling brings about some of the same qualities you discuss. Blogging could be another example.
Good post here. As a married guy with young kids, I only wish there was more time to commit to sports that I used to love so dearly. Hopefully I’ll remember how to swing a golf club when my kids get older.
Definitely all those things are relevant. Anything that takes practice and competition are important imo.
Your kids will LOVE you for teaching them golf or tennis when they get older. These are the sports that can last a lifetime and are great for business networking.
I bowled in a youth scholarship league.Then I had my car accident and messed up my knees. Every so often, I get the urge to go bowling, but I always have trouble completing my third game.
Bummer about the knees dude. Are they still creaking? What exactly do they feel like now? My left knee is weak, but I put on a sleeve and push on through. Probably not the greatest idea for the long run.
Some days are better than others, but if I sit too long, I will definitely hear a loud pop when I stand up. I do have a lot of respect for people who play through or despite injuries.
I’ve interviewed and hired many athletes and agree with you that sports builds a lot of discipline, multi tasking, team work, and leadership skills. I wasn’t much of an athlete myself in school, but I did spend a lot of time in the performing arts and I think that definitely gave me a leg up getting into college, and ultimately my career too. I understand how hard it is to keep grades up while having big committments outside of the classroom and have seen how those skills can be applied on the job.
And it’s not just sports as I try to mention, but anything that takes practice, competition and performance.
A person why competes in a violin recital is just as worth as someone who battles on the tennis courts for their school!