Discover MSc Business Transformation for Sustainability
The love story business and sport is an old one. Indeed, in the 19th century, the rise of industrialisation went hand-in-hand with that of organised sports. These days, however, there’s no shortage of business magnates showing off their sporting prowess. Take Mark Zuckerberg’s penchant for Brazilian jiu-jitsu and mixed martial arts, or Elon Musk boasting of his wrestling sessions ahead of his (never-to-materialise) cage fight with Richard Branson, the former CEO of Virgin. Branson is another adventure sports lover, from his record Atlantic Ocean crossing in 1986 to his present-day gruelling exercise routine.
But what about sportspeople taking a shot at business?
Aside from a few exceptions such as Serena Williams’ venture-capital adventures, this aspect of the story is less covered. As part of my research on lifelong learning at Kedge Business School, I decided to focus on the example of Stéphane Le Diraison, a French skipper who has twice finished the Vendée Globe, to investigate how he transferred his skills to business and what traits he shared with his new colleagues.
Multifaced identities
Our sense of who we are doesn’t just happen naturally – it’s shaped by the things we do, the way we talk, and our interactions with others and the world around us. As we go through life, our identities often shift, overlapping in unexpected ways.
Le Diraison’s story is an illustration of the development of an athlete’s identity, which can follow a number of trajectories
Deeply involved in sailing since his early years, the end Le Diraison chose to pursue a career as an engineer. He worked for the Nautical Industries Federation and later for French naval architects, lobbying for regulations adapted to the reality of boats built in France over the past 30 years. At a consultancy firm at the port of La Rochelle, Stéphane worked on testing boats before putting them on the market. It was during this time that he felt that something was missing from his life.
He made the bold decision to switch jobs, and began working at Bureau Veritas as an engineer. Shortly after being hired, however, he found himself in the office of the head of resources, expressing his desire for a sabbatical so that he could prepare for prestigious sailing races such as the Route du Rhum. His employer, recognizing his passion and dedication, became his sponsor.
Despite these accomplishments, Stéphane eventually realized that the demands of his job and his passion for sailing were too much to balance. He eventually decided to step back from his professional career as an engineer to become a professional athlete.
Skills for effective transition
Professionals transitioning into the world of sports undergo a significant shift, necessitating a recalibration of their priorities together with the utilization of a diverse skill set. In both the realms of business and sports, performance management dictates that results stem from a combination of skill, motivation, and commitment. Stéphane developed skills in sailing with unwavering motivation, seeking for a state of performance that yields results, setting aside the pressure of achieving specific results, leveraging strengths before correcting weaknesses.
As an engineer, Stéphane had concentrated on renewable energy development and and created an operational unit. The team’s success laid in establishing objectives, centered on the development of expertise, rather than fixating solely on outcomes compared to competitors. Their drive stemmed from intrinsic stimulation and motivation. And, once again, engendered performance.
A successful athlete, Stéphane assumes the role of an adept team leader, capable of articulating a vision and fostering cohesive human relationships for collective achievement. As an engineer, he engaged in advocacy efforts, where he had to convincingly present the merits of his own proposals. This required honing his argumentation and communication skills to articulate a clear vision. As an athlete, during his time at Bureau Veritas, Stéphane proposed a vision to the company to garner financial support, emphasizing the alignment of values, instilling pride, and addressing the passion of motivated employees.
Listening skills facilitate effective team management and fostering diverse contributions crucial for project advancement. Within Bureau Veritas, Stéphane played a role in defining standards for the collective interest. Establishing connections among stakeholders is impossible without listening. As an athlete, Stéphane must engage in discussions with diverse profiles: CEOs of major companies, hydraulic technicians on board the boat, and various experts like electronics engineers, sailmakers, hydrologists, composite materials specialists, IT, and cybersecurity experts. It is important to understand people’s needs and proposing a path that integrates them, allowing team members to deploy their own skills for success.
Conflict management is imperative in both sports and business environments. Throughout his professional experience, Stéphane has met significant opposition because when working across large business units (offshore, marine, building, and industry). Numerous conflicts arose as each unit wanted to prioritize its own interests. Stéphane endeavored to demonstrate that the same objective was shared and that achieving it required trusting him to aggregate skills around the project. As a professional sailor, Stéphane had to manage conflicts during offshore races, which often occurred when organizers proposed rule changes impacting the boats. Stéphane showcased the ability to compromise, engage in dialogue, and persuade through the knowledge he had developed.
Sense of belonging
Stéphane’s narrative illustrates how he gradually diverged from the professional standards he used to follow. He has developed the capability to adapt to such diverse environments and to effectively interact with individuals across various cultural, business, and sporting settings. Nowadays, Stéphane is a professional athlete, and he also runs his own environmentally friendly company, Time for Oceans. Such versatility comes with its own set of challenges, particularly in competitive environments.
Sailors can experience feelings of loneliness at times, hence a need for cohesion within the community emerges. Some professional sailors still view Stéphane as simply a Parisian engineer, believing he has never truly embraced the identity of a professional sailor. However, Stéphane sees himself as embodying a multifaceted identity, straddling the realms of engineering and sailing, enabling him to relate to various groups and communities. Developing such an independent sense of belonging comes with the price of mourning a sense of total belonging to a single community. Being adaptable everywhere but fully belonging nowhere is the trade-off for a life lived outside of one’s comfort zone, in pursuit of continuous learning, improvement, and adaptation.
I believe that this meta-skill, anchored in the ability to understand different settings, interact with multiple counterparts, adapt to varying norms and behaviors, and ultimately adapt one’s personality, is at the heart of personal development in the years to come. In an ever-changing world, the ability to exist and effectively interact within multiple scenarios in a versatile manner will be the primary condition for resilience, adaptation, and innovation for a better world.