EXTREME ATHLETES
BUSINESS INSIGHTS FROM
EXECUTIVE EXTREME ATHLETES
BY JIM MCCORMICK
Your idea of extreme sports may be watching three football games at once at the local sports bar or playing more than 18 holes of golf in a day . You may think there is nothing to learn from people who jump out of planes or hang off the sides of mountains . That would be wrong . While you may have no interest in participating in extreme sports , you can still gain valuable insights from successful business people who do .
I ’ m a world record skydiver , MBA and former corporate Chief Operating Officer .
My co-author Maryann Karinch is an adventure racer , former corporate manager and the author of over 30 books . Our careers span both business and extreme sports . We found 40 highly successful senior executives and entrepreneurs who are also accomplished extreme athletes to share their success insight with us .
More than half of these athlete / executives are presidents or CEOs . One third are entrepreneurs and one third women . They are an extraordinary group . Think of them as CEOs who also have climbed Mt .
Everest , because in some cases they have . The result is our book Business Lessons from the Edge ( McGraw-Hill ).
So , what can you learn from these amazing high achievers ? A lot . Here are some of the key lessons from the book that can benefit you :
• RESPECT THE CHALLENGE ,
• PRACTICE EXTREME PREPARATION , AND
• HONOR YOUR PASSION .
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