Successful sportsmen may have many of the attributes that are needed to be good in business, too.
What does it take to become a great sportsman?
According to Jack Nicklaus, who many regard as one of the world's greatest golfers, a sportsman should have a number of key attributes to be really good. Here are some of his views.
On the subject of self-belief, Nicklaus said, "Confidence is the most important single factor in this game, and no matter how great your natural talent, there is only one way to obtain and sustain it: work."
On the issue of concentration, Nicklaus had a couple of things to say, too. Firstly, "Resolve never to quit, never to give up, no matter what the situation". And regarding his own success, he said, "My ability to concentrate and work toward that goal has been my greatest asset." And on the matter of problem solving, Nicklaus said, "Focus on remedies, not faults."
It strikes me that the attributes that Nicklaus expects of great athletes may help to explain why some outstanding sportsmen go on to excel in business after they hand up their boots. Take Jan Leschly who was one of the top ten tennis players in 1967, and went on to become the boss of SmithKline Beecham. Significantly, he was instrumental in effecting a merger with Glaxo Wellcome to form GlaxoSmithKline
(LSE: GSK)
after bouncing the idea around for a couple of years.
Tony O'Reilly is another athlete who found fame not only in the sporting arena, but also in the business world. The Leicester rugby centre gained 28 caps for Ireland, but made his name in commerce for being the first non-Heinz family member to head HJ Heinz
(NYSE: HNZ)
. O'Reilly is currently the boss of Waterford Wedgwood
(LSE: WTFU)
and also runs Independent News & Media
(LSE: INWS)
, which has interests in Australia, India, Ireland and the UK.
Sticking with funny-shaped balls, Bill Gammell is the founder of Cairn Energy
(LSE: CNE)
. Capped five times for Scotland, the winger struck oil in Pennsylvania after a number of setbacks elsewhere in the US. He then turned his sights to Asia, and his biggest coup was to snap up some unwanted oil fields in Rajasthan from Royal Dutch Shell
(LSE: RDSB)
that turned out to be some of the largest oil finds.
Other notable sportsmen who have turned their attention to business include Phil Edmonds of Central African Gold
(LSE: CAN)
and Dave Whelan. Edmonds is a former England slow left-arm spin bowler, but today, he is better known for floating African miners on the market than for floating cricket balls down the pitch. Meanwhile, Whelan, who was a former professional footballer with Blackburn Rovers, transformed JJB Sports
(LSE: JJB)
from a single sports shop in Wigan into one of Britain's biggest sports goods retailers.
Now rumour has it that footballer-turned-chef Gordon Ramsey may float his restaurant company to fund the global expansion of his Maze dining concept. However, the Hell's Kitchen celebrity chef said he would always keep a majority share in the business to guarantee the quality and individuality of the business. Sounds good to me, and it also sounds like something Nicklaus may approve of, too.
David owns shares GlaxoSmithKline and Royal Dutch Shell.
