same as for me! it’s more fun and you can exchange a lot more of ideas that will improve your work.

- Jack Leak

I think the most important is to empower children to do more than only playing on-line games and watching TV.
Great post!

A team’s main function is to bring a group of people together, in order to bring together a variety of skills to accomplish a greater goal. If the functions that members exist to do are not being carried out effectively, it is easy to turn the project over to a different group of people who will be better suited to achieving the goals. The members of the team can also be shifted if their skills would best be suited in a different target area.

How about on-line sports? Doing all things matter and not getting sweat…
When I was a child I liked sport but now I don’t so what it means? I have lost all the passion and I m not good enough to work in a team? Hmm don’t think, it could be an exception though…

Maybe I’m an exception. I played all four high school team sports yet never felt comfortable in the Corporate world. I’m also like Sara, no one will ever out work me. Eventually I left Corporate America, went out on my own and seem quite content with the decision. As an individual that interviewed hundreds of people I was more interested in a person’s education and family up-bringing.

Just found this article – and I have to agree 100 percent with Sara’s comments above. Not everyone is physically cut out for team sports, so it is a very unfair judging criterion for hiring decisions. This criterion also has the effect of discriminating against women because fewer females participate in team sports. Basically, the “team sports” mentality serves, intentionally, or accidentally, to perpetuate the old boy/jock network.

People can and do learn excellent teamwork in many other ways. Assuming that sports is the only reliable measure is very wrong and short-sighted, and will eliminate many excellent potential employees.

If you want to know whether someone will be a good team player, ask about the teamwork they displayed ON THE JOB. Ask them whether they worked on team projects and tasks, and what the results were.

In any event, being a team player is certainly not synonymous with being productive or producing high quality results. I know plenty of personable, backslapping jock types at work who are easy to get along with but who get very little accomplished.

I agree wholeheartedly with you here. As a kid I was always involved with some sport or another, and while I didn’t always give each one my full and undivided attention, the exercises and experiences have stuck with me to this day.

Being involved in teamwork early on is great priming for the real world, especially the corporate aspect of the real world. The mental framework you develop with respect to practice, consistency and reliability is priceless in business and in life.

Thoughtful post, and great observation.

[...] prefer to work with and for those who have played team sports. You can access Brian’s article here. One warning though: staying at this level for too long will result in restlessness among highly [...]

Hi,
I am really enjoying your blog and learning a lot from it. I just wanted to interject have been on sports teams and a musician in high school that dynamic that you are talking about takes place in both worlds. A string section, or a chorus member “breaths” phrasing together and performs with precision as much as any team environment. Although there are soloist in music and show boaters in sports as well the potential to be a great team player is evident if you are committed to excellence.

Take care,
T.S

I’ve done literally thousands of interviews in my professional career. Team sports and/or military experience has always been important to me and I think Brian has probably hit the nail on the head here. They get it, generally. I think the characteristic we (hiring managers) look for is someone who will selflessly serve my needs and the needs of the company. That shouldn’t be a shocker for anyone ESPECIALLY anyone who has or does own their own business. And as employees, we should all be willing to do that. The problem comes when we HAVE to work to keep up with our debt additction.

One of the reasons I love Brian’s blog is because he gets it. It’s not about what your employer will do for you, but what you will do for yourself, and when you realize that doing what your employer wants IS working for yourself, well you’ve just doubled your value to the company…and yourself.

Add to that little slice of heaven the freedom that comes from being able to choose your employer rather than hoping anyone who interviews you will offer you a job and you have the perfect recipe for joy.

Am I there yet? No, not yet. But at least I get it now.

- Thom

Thom,

You took the words out of my mouth. It hit me over the weekend that military experience would be another fantastic way to learn the team mentality. Thanks for adding your take.

Brian, Great Article. Not only does sport build character, also sport is one of the finer pleasures in life. I feel so happy when I meet someone passionate about sports because that passion reflects their zest for life.

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My Positivity Blog http://positivityhub.com/

Great discussion everyone. There’s obviously more of you who disagree with me than agree, but at least it’s sparked an intelligent debate.

Just to be clear. I’m not making any claims with this article; these are just my opinions. Are playing sports the best way to learn these qualities? I don’t know. It’s the best way I know of, but that doesn’t make it the only way.

I do know that learning gets harder as you age. Have you ever heard the expression “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” Recent science has shown that it’s not entirely true. You can still generate new brain cells at older ages if you use it, but overall, your brain is much more geared for learning as a child. This means that it’s still quite possible to change, but less likely.

Thanks for all your input.

Brian – based on what do you make this claim?

The **best** way I know to instill this ethic is to play team sports.

I’d buy that it is one way – but what makes you think it is the best? What other methods are you comparing it to?

You also say:

These two qualities are tough to acquire at an older age.

Based on what? Why are these 2 qualities different than others? Or are all personality traits tough to acquire at an older age?

If so are there qualities that you fail to develop as a result of playing team sports that put such people at a disadvantage in society?

I think that there are many different types of team and group activities that help to reinforce the qualities and experiences that you’re looking for. It’s not just team sport. By limiting your criteria to team sports, you’re leaving out a lot of people who participated in other types of non-athletic team activities would would have just as strong a work ethic and team spirit.