My Top 6 Lessons: What Pro Sports & Business Have in Common?

(Eric drafted by NHL Montreal Canadiens at 18 years old on left and Eric as CEO/Founder on the right)

In this article, I draw parallels between my journey in professional sports and my ventures in entrepreneurship and business. These top six lessons have helped shape my career. I believe they universally apply to anyone and teams striving for success.

But before we dive into these lessons and to kick it off, let me take you back to where my journey began with a bang – a story that mirrors the trials and triumphs of entrepreneurship and business. You will likely relate with your own story of resilience and grit.

Picture this: You're a 16-year-old, just drafted early in the rounds, eager and determined to make a name for yourself in the world of junior major ice hockey. But there's a catch – you're facing off against adults aged 17 to 20, a mere teenager in a sea of men. This is where the line between kids and men blurs, where physical battles become an inevitable part of the game.

During my first junior training camp, I started asserting my skills, threatening the position of a veteran player. In his determination to protect his spot on the team, he dropped his gloves and came after me during practice. Despite the three-year age difference, I held my own and won by a margin. But what happened next tested my resolve in ways I could never have imagined.

As I bent down to pick up my gloves, the veteran player, seething with frustration, struck me on the nose with all his might, leaving me with a broken nose. My father was understandably concerned and even confronted the coach, urging me to go back home. However, I was unwavering in my determination. I made a significant upgrade by donning a full facemask for protection.

The very next day, we played a preseason exhibition game against another team, and fate had another challenge in store for me. At a face-off before the puck even dropped, a towering "goon" (they are there to fight players) from the opposing team, standing at 6 feet 2 inches and weighing 220 pounds, targeted me. He forcefully pulled my mask off, scratched my face with his nails, and punched me on the already tender nose, breaking it once again.

At that point, I faced a critical question - how to respond to all this adversity. At that moment, I had a choice to make – plow forward or retreat backward. We all face our own challenges, our own moments of doubt, and our own choices. What is your story of displaying resilience and grit?

My answer was unequivocal. That year, I became the youngest player to make it to the all-star team from my squad. This was the beginning of a journey that not only shaped my career in sports but also equipped me with invaluable life lessons that would later prove instrumental in my entrepreneurial and business endeavors. Overcoming adversity, it propelled me to higher heights, including later being drafted pro in the NHL and later being on the Canadian Olympic team.

Sharing My Lessons and Why They Matter in Business

Sports provided me with much more than just physical strength; it instilled in me resilience, the unwavering commitment to never give up, and a deep understanding of the principles that lead to victory in any field. Here are my top 6 lessons inspired by sports:

#1. Resilience and Grit - It’s What Sets You Apart

Resilience and grit are the bedrock of success, whether in sports or entrepreneurship. They equip you to bounce back from injuries, setbacks, and failures. It is about maintaining energy and enthusiasm when others might give up. Demonstrating grit separates those who succeed from those who don't. As you experience ups and downs, continuing to move forward with grit allows you to catch the ups as they come around.

#2. Competitive Spirit - Play to Win

The fierce competition in sports mirrors the cutthroat nature of entrepreneurship and business. In a competitive world, one has to be at their very best to win. It pushes individuals and teams to excel, innovate, and continually get better. Success often comes to those who continually improve and relentlessly strive for victory - doing what it takes to win.

#3. Teamwork - You Win as a Team

Teamwork is the cornerstone of success in both sports and business. Just as teams rely on each other, startup success hinges on collective efforts. You are only as strong as your team. Victory comes when everyone is aligned and works together, supporting each other's strengths and minimizing weaknesses. By leveraging the best talents available and working as a team, a collective winning machine becomes hard to compete with or stop.

#4. Strategy and Adaptability - Focus on Your Strengths & Game Plan

Both sports teams and entrepreneurs need to strategize and adapt. It emphasizes the importance of having a game plan that focuses on one’s strengths while remaining adaptable as things evolve. Most often, it’s not about what your competition is doing. It’s about your own strategy and how you execute against your plan. You don’t control the competition. But you can control how you play and how you show up. Having a plan, executing and adapting leads to greater successes.

#5. Discipline and Focus - Stay the Course

In sports, rigorous training and unwavering focus are crucial. One might have the best plan, but without execution, it isn't worth anything. Discipline and focus ensure that you are diligently taking the necessary steps to achieve the desired goals -- delivering on your commitments and staying on course. In a team, it also means each player doing their part in executing against the plan. Execution is as, if not more important than having a plan – putting the plan into action.

#6. Remember to Have Fun - Celebrate the Small Wins Along the Way

In both pro sports and entrepreneurship, having fun and celebrating wins are vital. It fuels motivation, fosters team cohesion, and infuses energy into the journey. When you enjoy what you do and celebrate even the small wins, you perform better. A positive, celebratory atmosphere spurs innovation and perseverance. We make happen what we focus on. By focusing on the positives, it generates a snowball effect -- the more you win, the more you want to win. In that sense, winning is “like a drug”. Having fun, building the positives, and celebrating along the way create a winning atmosphere and makes the journey more exciting and rewarding. Have fun too!

So, whether you're lacing up your skates or navigating the entrepreneurial and business landscape, remember that we all go through this. The experiences and challenges we face lay the very foundation for future achievements as founders. With a great idea, a plan, the right team, disciplined focus, keeping your resolve will eventually get you to the promised land - your goals, your dreams.