Top rowers compared to business leaders

by Melissa Bray

“We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”
Marie Curie quotes (French Physicist, twice winner of the Nobel Prize, 1867-1934)

A recent study commissioned by international electronics company, Siemens, compared successful people in business and sport and noticed some parallel personality traits but also a number of clear differences.

As sponsor of Great Britain’s Rowing Team, Siemens used a questionnaire to ask athletes on the British rowing team along with a sampling of British CEOs and directors, investigating the psychology of winners in sports and business. The report concluded “A great deal of commonality.”

But there were some marked differences in how an athlete prepares for success compared to a business leader. One of the biggest differences was in their risk-taker beliefs.

A large 72 per cent of the rowers considered themselves risk-takers while only 38 per cent of business leaders held this view. Amongst rowers this view may relate to the athlete believing that they take a huge risk in choosing to pursue their sport, with no guarantee of success, over a traditional career path.

The top rowers on the British team, the women’s quad (Katherine Grainger, Debbie Flood, Frances Houghton and Sarah Winckless) and men’s four (Alex Partridge, Steve Williams, Andy Triggs Hodge and Peter Reed), are all university graduates and some with post-graduate degrees as well. So, despite their current status as full-time athletes, they do not solely look to rowing for future, post-rowing, career benefits.

The business leaders and rowers appear to be similar in their view of teamwork. Over half of rowers (53 per cent) and business leaders (59 per cent) agree, “the performances that I achieve personally are always a reflection of a great team effort.” However there is a big difference when it comes to the sink or swim attitude. Nearly half of the business leaders believe that “everyone should stand on their own two feet” while only 20 per cent of rowers agree with this.

Belief in what constitutes the right amount of sleep differs broadly between athletes and business leaders. Seventy-two per cent of rowers recognise the need for more than seven hours of sleep per night while only 32 per cent of business leaders see that they typically get this before a “winning performance.”

One third of the rowers factor superstition or faith into their ability to achieve success while only nine per cent of business leaders see this as an influence. For those who looked to beliefs, religious faith was the major influencer for helping success. The list of superstitions (especially for athletes) included lucky numbers, clothes and shoes, guardian angels, having a routine and horoscopes.

A high level of confidence in the face of criticism and adversity is evident in half of the rowers and 61 per cent of business leaders. But it indicates a number of both top rowers and top business leaders' struggle with criticism.

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