Can Business Learn From College Athletic Departments?

Businesses and college athletic department share common challenges—and responsibilities—when it comes to the young people they lead.

At FS/A, we have been asked if the business world can learn anything from athletic departments at universities and colleges, now facing a new challenge to prepare their young student-athletes for the possibility of unprecedented compensation, thanks to recent changes in NCAA rules.

College athletic departments overseeing student-athletes and businesses hiring entry-level employees face the same challenge: the young people in both cases usually exhibit an immaturity that is typical for their age. At this stage of life, as would be expected, their focus is on their competency and accomplishments and how they compare to others.

Both college athletic departments and business should respond to that challenge by providing guidance to their respective cohorts of young people:

• Teach them responsibility and foster their financial literacy as they navigate being on their own for the first time.
• Help them understand they have a personal identity and are on a lifelong journey to become the person they were meant to be.

Answer these questions provides teachings or growth opportunities that can help young people entering a world of self-responsibility for the first time:

• Why is it important to think long term?
• Who am I, and where am I going?
• Who can I trust?

Why Is It Important To Think Long Term?

A young person, not only today but also tomorrow, has been taken care of by someone else. Young people have not developed the discipline to think longer-term, and they may ask, Does what I do today really make that big a difference tomorrow?

Teaching young people to visualize a desired future that goes beyond the next pay raise or promotion is the first step. Helping them understand where they are and who they can become is found in the Four Stages of Fulfillment framework we describe in The Shift from Me to Team:

• Stage I Fulfillment – Attending to their immediate physical needs
• Stage II Fulfillment – Building their competency to be successful compared to others
• Stage III Fulfillment – Contributing to the benefit of others, to the team
• Stage IV Fulfillment – Making a difference in the world because they lived

It helps them see where they are now and discover what they hope to become. The higher the desired stage, the greater their security and self-esteem will be, as long as they have built a foundation at the lower stages.

Who Am I, And Where Am I Going?

These young people already possess a foundation for greatness. But uncovering who we are requires introspection and feedback from close confidants and friends.

The discovery process for these young people could include understanding these components of themselves:

• Competencies, their gifts
• Compelling vision for their future
• Meaningful purpose for being
• Values that, when honored, they like who they are and who they are partnered with

Once these four identity components are defined, they will have a template to begin collecting feedback on their life. Are they on a path that feels right, or have they strayed?

We are all insecure, but the more we understand who we are and who we are trying to become, the more confidence we gain in our ability to achieve at a higher level.

Who Can I Trust?

Understanding who they are and who they hope to become will help them better understand who they can trust. Teaching young people to be sensitive to their feelings, intuitions, or gut instincts on what feels right and wrong in the context of the Four Stages of Fulfillment described above is vital.

Caring and trust must be tested before we can partner with others. Caring people who truly are not trustworthy can fool us. This can be an eye-opener for young people to learn, just as the fact that they possess values that are to be honored can be an eye-opener.

In Supporting Young People, We Empower Them and Strengthen Organizations

Too often in the business world, we expect new hires to figure things out on their own. The intentional development programs needed in college athletics today are also necessary for young people entering the workforce. The fundamental teachings listed above can set young people up for success. Whether they are adopted as part of a formal orientation program or disciplined educational program, organizations will become the beneficiaries.