In today’s job market, employers have the pick of the litter. As hundreds of applicants clamor for a single position, how can employees choose the best of the best?
Forbes contributor Steve Cooper says there’s a simple way to separate two candidates who appear equally qualified. Ask each of them “Have you every participated in sports at an elite level?”
Then, go with the athlete, Cooper writes.
And studies back him up.
“Current research indicates that individuals who have competed in elite level athletics, i.e., collegiate, international, or professional level competition possess higher levels of emotional intelligence than their non-athlete counterparts,” says psychologist Richard Mendelson.
Among athletes, Cooper posits, wrestlers are the cream of the crop. “Wrestlers,” he writes, “have a capacity to push themselves harder than most and display an unrivaled mental toughness.”
And, heck, even Socrates backs him up. Socrates is credited with saying: “I swear it upon Zeus an outstanding runner cannot be the equal of an average wrestler.”
Cooper goes on to explain that because of wrestlers’ training regimens, discipline, endurance, and ability to control their body weight, they make excellent employees.
There’s lots more to this thought-provoking column, so check it out. What do you think? Do athletes, especially wrestlers, make outstanding employees?