Opinion article "Sport: an ally in career development and management" is authored by Catarina Estevam, People & Talent Manager at KCS iT. It was first published on ComunicaRH.

Sport became part of my life quite early on. As soon as I started entering the job market, I asked myself the question - How can sport help me achieve my professional challenges? As I write, I'm walking this path of introspection again, and I'll leave you with a few recommendations.

There's no denying that sport adds a lot of value to our lives. But perhaps we don't often reflect on its real impact. Any research or reflection lets us conclude that topics such as cooperation, overcoming challenges, and resilience are directly tied to sports practice. But what does sport teach us about professional success?

A sense of responsibility

There's no doubt that adding a commitment to our schedule, especially one involving other people, will increase our sense of responsibility for following through on it. This is especially true when it comes to team sports. However much laziness tempts us, we always keep in mind that other people (whom we may even care about) are also giving up their time toward a shared goal. We come to realize that my time is valuable, and so is others'.

Organizational ability and versatility

The need to balance academic, sporting, and social/family responsibilities within the 24 hours in a day lets us understand that every minute counts! With organization, we can manage almost anything - including what we thought was impossible. Organizing and prioritizing our tasks becomes a natural process. With experience, we become versatile - devoting ourselves to several different areas, and clearly developing the ability to adapt to the environments around us. We develop behaviors and attitudes, such as the ease of building empathy, that adapt to different circles (family, sports, and academic) and are highly valued in a professional setting.

Teamwork and the path of reciprocity

In personal life, at work, and just like in sport, individual growth depends on the team and vice versa. We then learn the path of reciprocity - that is, the ability to work as a team and support one another. Unfortunately, the opposite is also possible - in other words, violence in sport is a manifestation of the lack of these very same values.

Just as coaches must foster values such as Respect, Discipline, and Fair Play, the same is essential for company leaders. Inspiring leadership should be grounded in good practices of inclusion and management.

Stress Resilience

How many times have we read "stress resilience" as a mandatory requirement in a job posting? Have you ever thought about how we could simulate these situations and build defenses for when we feel these emotions?

I remember several situations where my ability to manage stress showed up in a sporting environment. Often marked by a racing heartbeat, blurring vision, and the need to take a deep breath - sending my body the message that everything is fine and that focus is all I need.

Some practical examples: derogatory comments heard from the stands; having the decision in my hands - I can't fail right now, my team depends on me; sensing other people involved becoming very tense in exchanges with the referees or even with members of other teams. Is that really so different from situations where the environment isn't friendly in a professional context?

Defeat and managing frustration

Nowadays, we talk a lot about the importance of our mental health, largely due to the current Pandemic we're still going through. But key issues such as resilience should really be worked on as soon as possible. Is there better training and practice for that than sport? Managing defeat and the frustration it brings is an essential process for building our resilience, and thus reacting more positively in the face of adversity. Yes, it's true, we don't always get what we want. And saying otherwise is a serious mistake.

Sport doesn't just teach us to manage the enormous frustration of working toward a goal and not reaching it - it has also proven essential in reflecting on and identifying why it wasn't reached. As a professional, this process of making mistakes, learning, and readjusting is decisive and lets us acquire the skills needed to carry out our roles.

In summary, what do experts tell us? Among many other advantages, sport, especially at school age, has been shown to improve reasoning, reduce stress, boost concentration, and increase discipline. Interestingly, in Australia, practicing two sports - one team and one individual - is mandatory. The beneficial relationship between practicing sport and a better quality of life has as its main impacts not only improved physical health, but also mental health. It's truly a powerful tool for reducing the onset of Burnout symptoms, improving self-esteem, and also preventing and helping to fight anxiety and depression.

It's worth noting that the main pillars mentioned here are clearly on the list of Soft Skills most sought after by companies in today's job market. Technical skills, in some cases, have taken a back seat, because they're actually easier to teach or develop, compared to Resilience, Stress Management, Cooperation, Adaptability, or Versatility, for example. Because, inevitably, these require prior experience to acquire that knowledge. Simulating a real-world situation of stress, frustration, or one that requires adaptability can be difficult. Is sport a catalyst for such crucial skills?