The Corporate Playbook

The Winning Characteristics

Mental Toughness:

Athletes possess a mental toughness that is developed during the course of competition. By balancing both sports and college, an athlete develops the ability to handle stressful situations, prepare through hours of memorization, and handle multiple deadlines at one time. In most cases, due to the travel and extracurricular activities, an athlete is required to finish projects and course requirements in half the time a normal student has for study. Athletes also compete with other top talent, which challenges the mind to always be sharper, stronger, and better prepared in order to excel during the course of play. Companies looking for a competitive edge find athletes as top candidates for their mental toughness.

Self-Confidence:

Athletes possess self confidence which is closely related to success in competition. Self-confidence is the feeling of one’s effectiveness or ability to do something. This confidence makes athletes prepare to take more risks and have higher expectations for success both for themselves and their teammates. Athletes possess a can do attitude and a sense of belief in themselves and their abilities. Companies are looking for candidates that possess a strong presence and athletes fit this profile.

Overcome Failure and Disappointment:

Athletes have faced difficult situations and disappointment and have had to deal with errors and loss. Athletes have had to handle stress and cope with adversity by dealing with routine setbacks during competition. By living these experiences, evaluating what happened, and putting necessary steps in place to use the energy of the experience to spur them to do better and deal with problem and pressure situations, athletes make perfect candidates for performance based companies.

Control Over Negative Emotions:

Athletes have faced negative situations and the impact of these emotions creates stress, fear, and anger. By facing these issues head on, athletes have learned how to control negative emotions and rather than seeing these problems as threatening, they see them as challenging opportunities. By controlling their emotions, athletes make perfect candidates for companies that have challenging positions and need leaders with strong, positive energy and focus.

Highly Motivated and Committed:

Athletes are highly motivated and committed due to their requirements of performance both in sports and in the classroom. Athletes find that over the course of play they may not necessarily be the better athlete, but with hard work and commitment they can excel over the best talented athlete they compete against. This competitive drive comes from internal desire and intrinsic motivation to accomplish their goals. Companies looking for highly motivated and successful candidates will hire athletes because of this developed trait.

	Optimistic and Positive:
	Athletes possess an optimistic and positive nature. Their optimistic personalities cause them to look at the class as ‘half full, rather than half empty’. These qualities also allow them to remain positive when faced with difficulties and rebound more quickly when failures are experienced. Companies looking for positive energy and leadership will want athletes due to these characteristics.

Concentration and Focus:

Athletes have the ability to focus and concentrate for key performance while effectively blocking out distractions, they have the uncanny ability to ‘dial in’. Athletes also have the ability to focus on what they can control and one’s self, not others, which places the focus on their individual contributions to a team goal. Companies looking for focused performance will hire athletes due to these traits.

	Diversity:
	Diversity initiatives are being implemented nationally and organizations are adding Directors of Diversity for their future growth and recruiting. By compiling a unique database of diverse candidates, we will provide the resource to meet the needs of companies seeking these diverse candidates in the workplace.