Can sports create management leaders?

What do a sports competition coach and a manager have in common? Although at first glance, there seems to be little parallel, both are in charge of teams, exercising leadership. Both have the goal of achieving excellence, whether this is reflected in the results of a championship or in a business venture. It is common to hear sports coaches mention having used management techniques to plan and execute their coaching; however, it is rare to hear managers refer to the importance of skills acquired in sports practise that they apply to their professional performance. I do not dare to strongly affirm that only managers with past or present sports practise are successful in their activities. Nevertheless, I would like to emphasise that sporting experience (either as a coach or as an athlete capable of assimilating the teachings of a coach and putting them into practise) can be a differential factor when it comes to professional contexts and management activities. Leadership, commitment, the ability to sacrifice, will and discipline are all skills acquired by sportsmen which can be transferred to the context of professional management.

It is essential that management professionals feel invited to reflect on the experiences gained in the sports world so they can easily integrate the SKILLS acquired in their sports practise into the exercise of management.

There is a set of BEHAVIOURS that can be transferred from sport to companies, and among these, I highlight the following: embracing pressure (only those who feel comfortable with high-stress situations are kept on top); settling in the long run (the road to success is long and full of small victories); enjoying competition (training with those who force you to do your best); reinventing oneself (having the physical and mental stamina to win again after achieving a great victory); celebrating victories (getting involved almost as much in celebrating success as in achieving it) and cultivating the will to win (essential for elite professionals).

I highlight the main LESSONS that, in my opinion, sports can teach management: teamwork (sports teams are collaborative schools); mental strength (always present in top athletes); shared goals (each player understands the team’s goals and knows how their contribution is fundamental to achieving them); recruitment and selection (in the world of sports, talent is rigorously evaluated); game plan (preparing and executing plays designed to achieve specific goals); training (the training of sports teams is prepared while taking their opponents’ way of playing into consideration); communication (during the competition, athletes constantly communicate with both their colleagues and coach); timeouts (stopping during the competition to allow a change in direction); performance evaluation (allows you to show athletes what is expected of them) and manager–trainer relationships (the sports trainer acts as a teacher — a pedagogue — and not as a superior).

In Journal OJE

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