Famous Sports Wisdom to Use at Work

Every year we hear how about how the distraction of March Madness impacts workplace productivity. And it’s true – with all the time spent filling out brackets, organizing betting pools and following games, it’s no surprise that the tournament will cost offices almost $200 million in lost productivity this year. Still, sports isn’t all bad for the office. Sports figures are full of wisdom, whether it’s coaches giving inspirational locker room speeches or athletes waxing philosophical to reporters. And much of that wisdom can surely be applied to an ordinary workplace. We asked businesspeople, career coaches and management experts for their favorite sports quotes, and got their take on some of our own favorite nuggets of sports wisdom. Here is some sports advice that can be used by workers and managers alike. Photo Credit: Getty Images

“It takes 10 hands to make a basket.” John Brubaker, a performance coach and former college lacrosse coach contributes this quote from the late John Wooden, formerly the coach of the University of California – Los Angeles men’s college basketball team. “I use [this quote] to get clients thinking about workplace teamwork and how many employees it truly takes to make a sale and fulfill customers orders,” he says. “The takeaway for them is developing greater awareness of how their actions impact others and how important ‘role players’ are to the sales superstar's success.” Photo Credit: House.gov

“Effective teamwork begins and ends with communication.” The longtime coach of the Duke men’s basketball team, Coach K is pretty much unavoidable this time of year. He’s also a font of generic maxims on teamwork and leadership, to the point that he has a whole page on his personal website dedicated to his words of wisdom. While not every office relies on teamwork as much as a basketball team, there aren’t many managers who would disagree on the virtue of open communication in keeping the team together. “The single most important element of Coach K’s communication and coaching philosophy is eye contact,” Brubaker says. “He indicates that this is the foundation of his communication, because eye contact enables you to develop trust more quickly and is a sign of mutual respect in communicating. … Today’s technology advances, while good in some situations, have created communication disconnects and damage teamwork in many other ways because there is no eye contact in email, fax, text, instant messaging and social media.” In other words: If managers want to reach their employees, they can’t hide behind emails. Photo Credit: West Point Public Affairs

“A manager's job is simple. For 162 games you try not to screw up all that smart stuff your organization did last December.” The Baseball Hall of Fame manager’s best quotes, many of them screamed during confrontations with umpires, can’t be printed here. But temper aside, he was also a brilliant manager, and his non-traditional views on everything from bunting (hated it) to drawing a walk (loved it) made him a man ahead of his time. He also knew the proper place of a baseball manager, understanding that the most important decisions were made in the front office and that his job was simply to put their plan in place. It’s a good lesson for any middle manager. “A front line manager's job is to make sure the clerk handing over your hamburger doesn't mess up all the behemoth organization has done to get the customer to buy the hamburger,” says Debra Brenton, an executive coach. “For example, one YouTube video of a night clerk urinating into the coffee pot can pretty much destroy a lot of well-done work.” Photo Credit: ConspiracyofHappiness

“Success without honor is like an unseasoned dish; it will satisfy your hunger, but it won’t taste good.” Kate McGinley, founder of the Pittsburgh-based tech firm McGinley Media, sent in this quote from the legendary Pennsylvania State football coach. “I use [this quote] in every email I send internally, and quite often when I speak with someone,” she says. “Even when I was working for 'the man', I used that quote to impress upon my team the importance of doing things properly than go for the quick win dishonorably.” And yes, she’s a Penn State fan. Photo Credit: Cole Camplese

“Lombardi Time.” OK, so this isn’t a quote per se – rather, it refers to former Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi’s insistence that his players always arrive 10 minutes early for practice and meetings. It’s a principle that Sean Polley, president of the Global Asset Management Group, tries to impart to his employees. “I stress the importance of our financial advisers working on ‘Lombardi Time’ when meeting with a prospect or a client,” he says. "If you are five minutes early, you are 10 minutes late.” Photo Credit: Jim Bowen

“The future ain’t what it used to be.” We’re not sure what the legendary Yankees catcher was talking about here – we rarely do – but it’s good advice for anyone looking to predict what the future will bring for their industry. “What worked in the past won't necessarily work in the future,” says Brenton, the executive coach. “A good boss takes the best of what they've done and tries to make it relevant for challenges coming up.” Photo Credit: Rubenstein

“There’s no substitute for guts.” Mike Bucci, president of the product development firm K & M of VA Inc., contributed this quote from the late college football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. “[It’s] appropriate for anyone considering entrepreneurship,” he says. Photo Credit: Chris Denbow

“A boo is a lot louder than a cheer. If you have 10 people cheering and one person booing, all you hear is the booing.” Whether you’re a business owner or an office drone, it’s easy to let a bit of criticism get to you. Step back and get a sense of perspective before you overreact. “Negative information is always more salient, in the workplace and in life,” says Alexandra Levit, a career expert and the author of They Don’t Teach Corporate in College. “You must fight against the urge to focus on the bad things people may say about your work by keeping a running list of all of the positive feedback you receive and keeping it in an accessible place for reference during emotionally trying times.” And speaking of perspective, next time you’re facing “adversity” at work, remember the time that Lance Armstrong got testicular, brain and lung cancer, then won the Tour de France seven times in a row. Photo Credit: Paul Coster

“You can do it!” As a former bodybuilder and an independent businessman selling fitness equipment, Tony Little knows both the sports and business worlds. So we asked him how his famous catchphrase could be applied in the office. “As an entrepreneur with a background in body building and personal training, I’m a true believer that there are no limits to what an individual can do, if he or she believes in oneself,” Little says. “Life is tough, no doubt, and we’re all going to face bumps in the road, but if you keep your eyes focused on your goals - both in business, as well as personally – you will find a way to achieve them.” OK, so that’s fairly generic advice. Still, you can’t really argue with it, can you? Photo Credit: Tony Little

“It isn't the high price of stars that is expensive, it's the high price of mediocrity.” The legendary sports owner was known for his publicity stunts, like signing a dwarf to pinch-hit while he was owner of the St. Louis Browns (now the Baltimore Orioles). But he also knew a thing or two about running a business, and he knew that it was better to overpay for an all-star than save a bit of money by hiring a lesser candidate. “When pay is based on performance, the organization wants you to make a lot,” says management expert and author Aubrey Daniels. “Salaries are a high price to pay when doing just enough to get by will keep you on the payroll.” Photo Credit: zol87

"I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." This famous MJ quote was contributed by Ebony Grimsley, who owns the marketing firm Above Promotions. “People tend to want to succeed as soon as they get the ‘ball’ and make every single ‘shot,’” she says. “As a manager you have to know how to deal with the unsuccessful or wrong results as well as the ones that are right. Your reaction to an employee when they fail will determine if they are going to go out on a limb and try again.” Photo Credit: cliff1066

“Republicans buy sneakers too.” For all his on-court accomplishments, His Airness became somewhat notorious for refusing to become embroiled in any political issues. When the campaign of civil rights leader Harvey Gantt approached Jordan for an endorsement in his Senate race against segregationist Jesse Helms, he supposedly uttered the quote above to explain why he didn’t want to get involved. While Jordan was rightly excoriated for putting endorsement deals over basic values, there is a kernel of truth there for business owners. “Stay out of politics,” advises Daniels. “It is bad for business.” Photo Credit: jmassel

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