Oswald Letter

Hiring Athletes as Employees

Once a colleague told me that he thought hiring former athletes was a risky proposition. His take was that while they were often charismatic, on average they just weren’t as smart as most. I politely reminded him that I considered myself a former athlete (with the emphasis on “former”), to which he had to think I had just proved his point for him. But the debate continued on with neither of us conceding.

So today I once again want to take up my side of the debate with the St. Louis Cardinals as my proof. Last week, the Cardinals played one of the most dramatic games in World Series history.  (And this is hard for me to write because I’m a life-long Cubs fan and the Cardinals are our most hated rival.)

The Cardinals, facing elimination in game 6 of the World Series, came back to win the game with a walk-off home run in the 11th inning. Every time they fell behind in the game, they found a way to score runs and catch up. Twice last night, the team faced a situation in which they had two outs and two strikes on a batter, only to find life and get the runs they needed to keep the game going.

And this isn’t new for the Cardinals. With about a month left in the season, they trailed the Atlanta Braves by 10-1/2 games for the National League Wild Card playoff spot. They won 23 of their final 31 games to clinch the final playoff spot, completing what the New York Times called “one of the more remarkable comebacks in baseball history.”

After they snuck into the playoffs as the Wild Card team, one of my friends who is a Cardinals fan said, “Every game in the postseason is a bonus. I’m just happy they made it in.”

Well, the Cardinals weren’t happy just to be in the playoffs. In the first round, they dispatched the team in the National League with the best record, the Philadelphia Phillies. Then in the second round, they beat the Milwaukee Brewers, who had bested the Cardinals for the regular-season Central Division title, to make it to the World Series against the Texas Rangers.

So why do I think the Cardinals, as a team, disprove my former colleague’s theory? I believe that athletics teach so many lessons and help to build traits in people that make them great employees. Here are just a few that I see exemplified by the members of this year’s St. Louis Cardinals baseball team:

Competitiveness. These guys compete to the bitter end. They did it during the regular season when they didn’t clinch the playoff spot until the very last day of the season, and they did it again last week, fighting until the last out was made.

We live in a competitive world. Companies need people who are proven competitors, people who thrive on competition. Athletics help instill that competitive nature in people, and it can pay off for employers.

Teamwork. The Cardinals play great team baseball with everyone making a contribution. Last week, when Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday injured his finger, he was replaced in left field by teammate Allen Craig. In his first at bat of the game that inning, Craig hit a home run to give his team hope as he narrowed the three-run deficit that existed when he entered the game. Fifteen minutes earlier, he had been sitting on the bench, but when his team needed him he answered with a home run.

It takes teamwork to make any business a success. You must have contributions from everyone in the organization. You need cooperation between departments. You must find a way to get everyone working toward a common goal. Athletes are accustomed to that type of environment and can bring that experience to the workplace.

Resilience. The Cardinals have proven time and time again to be incredibly resilient. With their backs against the wall, they find a way to succeed. Whether it was overcoming the 10-1/2-game deficit to the Braves in the last month of the season or their unlikely playoff run, the Cardinals have found a way to overcome adversity and win.

In business, like life, not everything goes exactly the way you plan it. The ability to stare adversity in the face and overcome it is something that every successful businessperson must possess. Athletes learn this at a young age, and it can carry over into their professional life giving them a critical advantage over others.

Dedication.  The Cardinals have proven their dedication to one another and winning. Just to make it to the major leagues takes a tremendous amount of dedication and drive. But this team has gone beyond that. They’ve come together to do something very few teams have done in the history of baseball. And that takes dedication to a common cause that is bigger than any individual.

The same is true in business. Employees must be dedicated to their profession, their coworkers, and the company. They must believe in the direction and purpose of the organization and dedicate themselves to achieving the business goals.

Am I saying only athletes understand these principals and contribute in these ways? Certainly not. My argument is that the things learned through athletics can be applied positively in the workplace. The lessons learned in athletic competition can make for some very good employees.

p.s. [written after the Cardinals went on to win game 7]: Did I hope the Cardinals would go on and claim the World Championship? No. Remember, I’m a Cubs fan. But I respect what they’ve accomplished this year.

2 thoughts on “Hiring Athletes as Employees”

  1. Dan, good points about what life experience can bring to the workplace. One overlooked group are our veterans. They share the characteristics you discussed above and have real-world experience in leadership and responsibility, often under extremely challenging conditions. As a former Army officer (and enlisted man too – I started at the ground floor) I have found that people without military experience often don’t understand the incredibly diverse skill set that a person develops in the armed forces. I respectfully suggest that executives, HR recruiters and hiring managers get to know some of the veterans currently working in their organizations. You may be surprised by their experience in leading (not just managing) others, planning and coordinating operations as part of a team, training and mentoring those below and above you and shouldering an impressive amount of responsibility. Once hiring managers better understand what veterans can contribute to the workplace, they can have more informed discussions during the interview process and increase the chances of identifying a great new employee or manager.

  2. Rejecting any applicant based on a stereotype is a dangerous proposition whether they are military, athletes, or of a protected class. Some of the athletes I have known are brilliant, leaders, and highly successful in their business. The same can be said for the military personnel I know and have known. I am both a former athlete and former military officer and have the highest regard for both. What often makes the difference between applicants is what they have learned…not just their educational background. I have known athletes whose primary goal was to either get an athletic scholarship or play in the pros. I have also known military personnel with very limited educations but with a lot of “street smarts”. Some were successful, some were not. What made the difference was effort/application and that cannot be determined by an employment application or a resume. A hiring manager who restricts the applicant pool based on stereotypes is truly shortchanging the company.

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