Playing sports, such as basketball and soccer, have many benefits to the body and mind. It keeps you fit, relieves stress, and enables you to fill your time productively.
Sports, however, are also excellent for fine-tuning skills off the field or court. It can make you look valuable to employers. What’s more, it can positively influence your career.
If you haven’t played sports for a while (or at all), now’s a good time to start. Here’s what this activity can do for your career:
1. It Makes You a Valuable Team Player in a Company.
Teamwork is central to team sports, as well as the corporate world. Regardless of your career role or industry, you need to work well with others. When you play sports, you get the opportunity to hone your teamwork skills.
Here’s an example: Let’s say you’ve invited friends to play pickleball in your backyard court. If you’re playing a doubles game, you’ll have to work with your partner to win the match. That means developing rapport with your partner, creating strategies with your teammate, and covering each other’s weaknesses.
The principle of working together also applies to the office. When you learn how to work effectively with others, you become a valuable asset to your team and the company.
2. It Hones Your Communication Skills.
According to a survey conducted by Interact/Harris Poll, 91 percent of respondents believe that bosses lack effective communication skills.
Communication, however, isn’t just about running your mouth. It’s also about listening to your colleagues and bosses. When you demonstrate effective communication while playing sports, you also show a sophisticated approach to receiving and giving messages in a corporate environment. Employers want this from candidates.
3. It Improves Your Time Management Skills.
Timeliness is vital in sports with a time limit, such as football and hockey. You’re at the mercy of the clock for the whole duration of the game. You, therefore, must be mindful of every action you take. When you’re playing basketball, for instance, you and your team have to score (and keep a good lead) before the clock runs out. Every second counts.
Apart from that, timeliness reflects how accountable you are as a person. If you show up late for practice, for instance, your team will suffer due to your tardiness.
Mastering time management can be highly advantageous to your career. Employers value people who consistently churn out work within or before the established deadline. Also, colleagues will appreciate you for producing quality work while meeting deadlines.
4. It Helps You Adapt to Changes Quickly.
If you want to survive during these times of uncertainty, you’ll need to be adaptable. When you’re playing sports, a lot of things can change without warning. The wind, for instance, could blow the ball in a different direction. The opposing team, for example, might implement a strategy that destroys your solid defense. Whatever the case may be, you need to adapt to these changes as quickly as possible.
The same holds true in the world of work. When you’re suddenly faced with unanticipated changes in structure, leadership, processes, and operations, you need to adapt. That means thinking critically and handling the situation like a mature adult.
Being adaptable shows employers that you’re resilient and flexible to change. As an employee, you’re able to stay productive and professional despite the adversity you and everybody else in the company are facing.
5. It Helps You Learn from Your Mistakes.
You don’t always win matches when you’re playing sports. There will be times that you’re going to lose — and that’s okay. Learning to accept that loss is a challenging but valuable lesson you need to know in sports and work.
When you step foot inside the workplace, you will make mistakes. Playing sports will teach you to learn from these mistakes and bounce back stronger.
6. It Improves Your Strategic Planning Skills.
The term “strategic planning” isn’t just a term used in the corporate setting. Although this terminology is a vital function of the business industry, it also plays a role in playing sports.
Strategic planning entails coming up with a goal and developing strategies to meet that goal. As a sports player, you’re part of creating a plan that will help your team execute a play, use resources to achieve a common goal, and win the match.
You can apply the same principles in the corporate world. Strategic planning enables you to devise plans to reduce expenses and increase the organization’s bottom line.
Playing sports will do more than keep you fit. It can help you land the job you want, be a valuable employee in your company, and achieve success. Take up sports and apply the skills you learn along the way.