Why Athletes Make Effective Leaders

A version of this article originally appeared in The Globe and Mail.

A surprising number of CEOs and senior leaders played sports in their formative years. Former IBM president, CEO, and chair Samuel Palmisano played football in high school and at Johns Hopkins University. And former Whole Foods co-CEO Walter Robb was the captain of the soccer team at Stanford University. 

A recent study of more than 400,000 Ivy League graduates over the past half century suggests that these sporting anecdotes may be the rule rather than the exception. Compared to non-athletes, athletes earn higher wages over their careers and attain more senior organizational positions.

So, why do athletes make effective leaders?

We outline four ways that early experiences in sport can help shape more effective, impactful senior leaders.

Authors

Navio Kwok, PhD, is a leadership adviser, specializing in organizational psychology. He is based in Toronto.