US firms recruit ex-athletes for track record of winning

US firms are targeting ex-sports people due to their drive, discipline, pain tolerance, and the ability to figure out a way to turn defeat into victory, according to a Bloomberg article.
Fri, 18 Oct 2013US firms are targeting ex-sports people due to their drive, discipline, pain tolerance, and the ability to figure out a way to turn defeat into victory, according to a Bloomberg article.

Keith Murnighan, professor of management and organisation at Northwestern University, Illinois, tells Bloomberg: “They’re hiring smart athletes - people who are disciplined, used to taking direction, but able to take initiative. The other thing is they have a high pain tolerance. How does that sound for Wall Street?”

In one example given in the article, investment company Inside One Equity Partners has as many as eight Olympians.

The Bloomberg article adds: “Seeking accomplished jocks with good grades, especially women, for entry-level positions is becoming de rigueur on Wall Street.”

In the UK, recruiter.co.uk has reported on Steve White-Cooper, a former international rugby player, who set up recruitment firm add-victor in 2011 after recognising “that the same ingredients for success applied to both sports and business”. He subsequently “recognised similar transferability with the Armed Forces”, according to the company’s website.

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