Results from a 2002 Mass-Mutual Financial Group and Oppenheimer Funds commissioned survey of more than 400 senior women business executives at companies with more than 100 employees are fascinating:
- 81% played organized team sports growing up and continue to be physically active;
- 86% believed sports helped them to be more disciplined;
- 69% aid sports assisted in the development of their leadership skills and contributed to professional success;
- 68% credited sports with helping them deal with failure;
- 59% noted that sports gave them a competitive edge.
Frances Emerson, senior vice president at MassMutual Financial Group said, “And although participation in sports doesn’t necessarily equate to business success, athletics certainly teach women leadership skills, discipline and the ability to function as part of a team – traits that are key to a satisfying career.”
The full title of the survey is: From the Locker Room to the Boardroom: A Survey on Sports in the Lives of Women Business Executives. I am trying to track down the original survey release. There are numerous citations to this online and in literature. Here’s a link to the press release when the study came out.