What kind of athlete are you?
Do you consider yourself an athlete?
Is there such a thing as an “athletic” employee?
If you want to be hired … Be an Athlete
I was interviewing someone a few weeks back and we got to talking about how they hire people in their business. They said something that has stuck with me for a few weeks and I’ve continued to flashback and think about it over and over again.
I Hire Athletes
What he said was “I hired an athlete” and I dug into that to find out when he meant.
He said that he’s not always looking for a specific skill set, rather he is looking for someone that is an athlete. And, what he meant by that was someone that is adaptable, malleable, and willing to learn.
I dug a little deeper and asked:
- Is age a factor?
- Is educational background a factor?
- Is gender a factor?
Not surprisingly the answer was an emphatic no.
And, I also asked does it matter if they actually are athletes or were an athlete in high school or college?
And again the answer was no.
What do athletes bring to the workplace?
As noted above athletes bring several core skills that are directly applicable to things that need to be done in the workplace.
They are:
- Adaptable
- Malleable
- Willing to learn
According to my friend if you want to be hired … be an athlete.
There are a few things you can do to be more athletic … even at work.
How to build your athletic skills
As with all skills, there is a learning curve. There is also a passion and a curiosity to learn curve. As I have written about before there are a few things you can do today to get started on the development of your athletic prowess at work. One way is to have a Growth Mindset, another is to use the SSK model, and another is to realize you don’t need to spend 10,000 hours to become a master of something … instead you can have temporary passions.
- Fixed or Growth — Why Your Mindset Matters
- Using The SSK Model to Be More Productive
- Stoke Your Passion and Elevate Your Career
The first post is built upon the work Carol Dweck has done to help people decide what kind of a mindset they want for their lives. The second is a tip I learned from a friend that works in the halls of government. And the third is an homage to the Foo Fighters. Each has tips that can be used to help you identify, hone, and exercise your athletic skills and build your athletic prowess in the workplace.
So, it seems … if you want to be hired … Be an athlete.
It will take practice. It will take time. But, like traditional athletes, these are skills that can be developed and learned.
