Chapter 1: A Touch of Immortality
The Dynamic Path Explained
Many find it surprising that former US secretary of state Madeleine Albright was a member of the Wellesley College swimming and diving team. Or that Vera Wang, CEO of the fashion design company that bears her name, was a world-class figure skater. Jan Leschly was once much better known as the 10th-ranked men’s tennis player in the world and for representing his native Denmark in the Davis Cup than he ever was as the CEO of pharmaceutical giant SmithKline Beecham. Those who know her are actually not surprised to learn that eBay’s CEO, Meg Whitman, played collegiate lacrosse and squash at Princeton University. But when witnessing the United Nations General Assembly at work, some found it hard to picture former secretary general Kofi Annan running track and playing soccer at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Surprising as these examples may be, many of the skills and qualities that led these and other leaders to success in professional life were initially developed in playing sports.
Louise Ritter, US gold medalist in high jump in the 1988 Olympics, once said, “If you are disciplined enough to fight for something in the sports world, then you will be disciplined enough to be successful in the business world. Once you have been a winner [in sports], you [rightfully] believe you can be a winner in everything you do.”
There have long been highly successful business professionals and executives whose competitive streak was molded on the athletic pitch. Today, business success and sports performance at the elite level often go hand in hand. The list of top executives who are single-digit-handicap golfers, Ironman triathletes, champion yachtsmen, ranked tennis and squash players, even chess grandmasters is getting longer. There are even televised CEO fishing tournaments and CEO golf challenges to go along with the regularly published rankings of business leaders and their respective performance across different sports.
Many of the same underlying factors that lead to sports success result in similar outcomes in the business arena. Most executives are highly competitive, ambitious, energetic, goal-oriented people who love to put points on the board no matter what the setting. As we’ll see, applying these and other qualities contributes to making a champion in sports and in business. Does this mean that abysmal coordination shuts you out of the top ranks of business? Certainly not. However, many of the qualities that top performers in business exhibit are also on clear display on the sporting fields. Learn from them and your professional success will undoubtedly be enhanced.
The Special Quality of Sports
Participation in sports and fitness has many benefits for people of all ages. Young athletes who play organized sports benefit from increased self-esteem and motivation, dedication, resilience, decisiveness, and -confidence—essential ingredients in the development of future leaders. Studies show that young student-athletes earn better grades, have fewer problems outside school, have better attendance, and drop out far less frequently than their non-athlete classmates.
Not that sports are unique in their ability to develop leadership attributes. Other competitive collaborative activities, such as theater, dance troupes, science fairs, debate teams, and the military build them up as well. But there’s something special about the physicality of sports and fitness. Those who exercise regularly know the manifold benefits of remaining active and keeping in shape. Scientific evidence shows that exercise provides a short-term increase in people’s ability to process data. Exercise has also been shown to reduce depression and anxiety, illnesses that can hamper the functioning of the brain. Over the long term, exercise has also been shown to help prevent the mental and physical effects of ageing. For these reasons, sports are a good place to start along The Dynamic Path. However, make no mistake: There are also many examples of individuals outside of sports who exhibit the champion, leader, and legacy qualities that we will be reviewing.
From Individual to Champion, From Leader to Legacy
While there are many different routes to success, there are commonalities among those followed, knowingly or unknowingly, by the very best performers. It often starts with a straight shot from natural talent to ambitious goal setting to intense pursuit to superb achievement. However, more often than not, genuine greatness can be attained only when dramatic difficulties must be confronted and overcome. Inevitably, things take a detour just about the moment when it all seems to be figured out.
The first step to greatness begins when one thrives by applying one's naturally endowed talent. Through dedication, hard work, and mental toughness the individual grows to achieve excellence in his or her field. In the world of sports, the best of the best become champions, bathed in positive attention from friends, teammates, and fans. But no matter how celebrated a person becomes, most champions fade away after their time in the sun. Those few who manage to stay on top do so by continuing to grow and develop as individuals and as leaders.
Like the homecoming kings and queens whose lives peak in high school, there are few things more depressing than the washed-up athlete who lives in the glory days of the past. By contrast, witnessing vibrant, motivated, and principled sports champions who learn from their achievements and apply those lessons to create new opportunities for themselves and for others is inspiring. Those are the individuals who go on to have the most significant impact on others and the world around them.
Arthur Ashe, for example, the first African American man to win a Grand Slam men’s singles title in tennis, was one such individual. Nearly 15 years after his untimely death in 1993 from a blood transfusion infected with HIV, the very mention of Ashe still elicits feelings of reverence. James Blake, one of the world’s best tennis players, has called Arthur Ashe a role model not just to tennis players but to all people in every sense of the word. Blake, who at the time of this writing is not only the highest-ranked African American but the number nine ranked player in the world, was quoted in the New York Times saying, “Ashe overshadowed his amazing tennis career with being a much more admirable person. That is a goal I believe that any person can look up to and aim for.”
Ashe was one of tennis’s greatest ambassadors, both on and off the court. After his historic victory as the first African American to win the US Open in 1968, he went on to win 33 titles in his career, including the Australian Open in 1970 and Wimbledon in 1975. He also devoted countless hours to creating tennis opportunities for youth of all backgrounds. In 1969, for example, Ashe cofounded the USA National Junior Tennis League (NJTL), a program to provide youth from low-income neighborhoods the opportunity to learn tennis. Ever since, he has served as a beacon for African American tennis players, including Venus and Serena Williams, who both took part in the NJTL when they were learning the game. Off the court, Ashe worked tirelessly to eliminate racism and poverty around the world, particularly during the apartheid era in South Africa. Through his work and example, Arthur Ashe made the world a much better place.
Read more about the building blocks to greatness in The Dynamic Path by Jim Citrin.
