Looking for a common denominator among C-suite women?

I’ve been thinking a lot about two recent events, one corporate and one personal.

On the business front, DuPont CEO Ellen Kullman is being hailed for leading a successful, yet fierce, battle to keep DuPont anchored with a long-term focus vs. succumbing to a short-term view. And on the personal front, I was recently inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame.

These seemingly unrelated occurrences have a common element: Ellen and I both played basketball in college – she at Tufts, I at Purdue. Succeeding in sports embedded leadership skills in us that I suspect we have leveraged long after our days on the court. And I see examples of a woman’s success in sport correlating with her success in business all the time.

The research is in

Recent EY research shows that participation in sports plays a crucial role in developing leadership and team-building skills for women and in giving them confidence. According to the study, 94% of senior women business executives played sports and more than half of those women in the C-suite played at the university level.

When comparing C-suite female respondents to other female managers, a far higher proportion  participated in sports at a higher level, especially at university or as a working adult. For example, 55% of the C-suite women had played sports at a university level, compared with 39% of other female managers.

When I think about what these figures mean to me, it’s that there is no better training ground for success in business than success in sport. Discipline, focus, preparation, teamwork, being coachable, playing by the rules (like them or not) – all things needed for business success get baked into your DNA as a highly competitive athlete. As an athlete, losing is just feedback and failure is not an option. These are key ingredients for a resilient business leader in their fearless and constant quest for perfection. And athletes work with and maximize diverse skills and perspectives to execute and win. It’s also how we get innovation and long-term success in business.

More to do

Today’s women athletes – and those yet to step on the court – need to understand how they can translate their unique skills gained through sport into impactful positions outside of sport. It is no coincidence the drive, determination and commitment it takes to stand up to an activist investor is similar to the inherent leadership qualities that competitive sport teaches.

That is why EY has created the Women Athletes Business Network (WABN) with the goal is to create an environment that supports elite female athletes who seek to develop their leadership potential and to use what they have learned through sport to succeed beyond their sporting careers.

 “Give it 100% until the buzzer sounds”

All of which brings me back to my point about Ellen and her recent triumph in the corporate arena: Does a female former basketball player have baked into her DNA through sport the courage she demonstrated in her approach to an activist investor?

I suspect so. In Ellen's own words: “You know me. I give it 100% until the buzzer sounds.” And importantly, “What I think team sports do is teach you how to be a team with a very diverse group of people. They might be your friends. They might not be your friends. Team sports really teach you how to collaborate across a broad spectrum of personalities or individual talents, and learn how to get the most out of what you have.”

As business executives, Ellen Kullman and I share a common experience as female athletes that has contributed to the business leaders we are today. The importance of this message cannot be stressed enough – not only for girls, but also for the parents of those young aspiring future female business leaders.  Success in sport correlates with future success in business … so stay in the game!

Want to get involved? The EY Women Athletes Business Network Mentoring Program 2016 is now open for applicants: apply here.