Being a Team Player on the Field and in the Workplace

Being a team player is important to achieving success during athletic competition. It is also an important element of success in the workplace. So, what you learn playing the sport you love can be a real benefit to you later in life.

As a student athlete:

You know that managing your time is important. Between your class work, commitment to your sport, part-time job (if you have one) and other responsibilities you develop time management skills that will serve you well in your career.

You work toward team goals as an athlete and you realize that there are times when your personal ego and goals become secondary to the overall goals of the team.

You must be competitive. You look forward to accepting new challenges and testing your abilities. Being competitive can give you an advantage both in your job search/interview process and on the job.

To be successful on the field you must be confident about your abilities and skills. You learn to perform well under pressure. This can carry over to challenges at work.

Preparation and determination pay off in sports as well as on the job.

Loyalty is a bond that you develop with your teammates. You become willing to support team efforts under sometimes difficult circumstances. At work, you will need to trust your coworkers to come through with their responsibilities the same way that they trust you to come through.

You learn to take constructive criticism bout your efforts during the game. Your coaches will let you know what you need to do to improve your performance. The same applies at work. As long as criticism is not a personal attack on you, it's meant to make you a better athlete or employee.

As an athlete – sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. As an employee – sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. The ability to accept both with dignity is a great personal attribute to have.