Managing a Business Is More Like Running a Sports Team Than You Think

By Rick Vohrer, TCV Growth Partners

If you participate in sports, whether on the field, in the stands, from your lounge chair, or simply as a "Monday Morning QB" reading the Sports section, have you considered how running your business is analogous to running a sports team?

Whether you're building a company or coaching a team, the fundamentals of success look surprisingly similar. Both worlds revolve around people, strategy, discipline, and the ability to adapt under pressure. Some survive while others thrive. The leaders who thrive aren't the ones shouting from the sidelines; they're the ones who build systems, culture, and trust.

Recruiting Talent: Draft the Right Players, Then Invest in Them

Every great sports team starts with scouting. Coaches don't just look for raw skill; they look for fit, attitude, and potential. Are you doing the same?

In sports: Teams draft players who complement each other's strengths and fill specific positions. They also recruit for backups. Once recruited, they are matched with a coach to hold them accountable, develop them further, potentially cross-train them for an additional position, and teach them the culture. The recruit is also expected to train on their own, sometimes guided by the team trainer, sometimes on a personal regimen. But not training is never acceptable.

In business: Hiring isn't about collecting "top performers." It's about assembling a roster where each person elevates the whole. Like the athlete, they need to be coached and guided on an ongoing basis. And they should be internally driven to self-train, both to maintain skills and to improve. Employees who only want to tread water will soon have your company doing the same.

There is nothing wrong with recruiting a superstar. But if they don't fit the culture or accept coaching, they can tank a locker room, or your company.

Culture Is the Locker Room Energy

A winning team has a locker room where players trust each other, communicate openly, and share a mission. Why should your business not need the same environment? Teams with strong chemistry often outperform more talented opponents. Culture determines whether people collaborate or compete, innovate or stagnate. Culture is more than a few rah-rah posters on the wall or a motivational speaker at the company picnic. It is the daily habits, rituals, and expectations that shape how people show up. You and the leadership team should model these.

Strategy: The Game Plan Matters

No team walks onto the field without a plan. They study opponents, analyze data, and adjust tactics. The plan for offense is different from the plan for defense. Different units have different plans, but they all fit into the overall game plan. Sometimes it means moving players around or reassigning tasks. And many times, adjustments are necessary during the battle. Regardless of the outcome, there is a post-game analysis.

Businesses need that same strategic discipline. An annual business plan is necessary, with quarterly objectives, then by division and group, and finally by employee. Without a map to follow, it is easy to get lost. The marketplace will quickly devour those who are lost, or simply never find them.

Coaches design plays, but they also adapt mid-game. Business leaders set goals, but they must pivot when markets shift. Does your team have a functional "business GPS"? Effective strategy is a living document, not a one-time meeting.

Practice Makes Performance

Teams do not win championships by showing up on game day. They win through months of practice. Repetition builds muscle memory. Training builds confidence, consistency, and competence. Businesses often forget this. If you want excellence, you must invest in practice: training, coaching, and continuous learning.

Coaching: Leadership Is About Elevating Others

Whether internal or external, leadership is about elevating others. The best coaches do not just call plays, they develop people. They know when to push, when to support, and when to get out of the way. Great coaches turn average players into dependable contributors. Great leaders turn employees into owners of their work. Leadership is less about authority and more about unlocking potential.

Performance Metrics: Stats Tell the Story

Sports teams live by data: points, assists, turnovers, efficiency. Stats reveal strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. Businesses should be just as disciplined. KPIs do the same, if you track the right ones. You cannot improve what you do not measure. And if you do not measure it, what message does that send?

Handling Losses: Resilience Is a Competitive Advantage

Every team loses games. Every business faces setbacks. What matters is how you respond. Teams review film, identify mistakes, and adjust. Companies analyze failures, refine processes, and iterate. Failure is feedback, when you are willing to study it. More lessons are learned from failure than from success.

Celebrating Wins: Momentum Matters

Winning teams celebrate victories, big or small. It builds morale and reinforces good habits. There can be positives to celebrate even in losses. I recently watched my grandson's lacrosse team lose a game by one goal. They played man-down for 26 minutes of the game, six minutes of which they were down two. Drawing the penalties that create that situation is certainly not a positive. But losing by only one goal under those conditions is something to be celebrated, in my opinion. A locker room celebration boosts energy and unity. Recognizing achievements fuels motivation and retention. Most businesses need to have more celebrations. Celebration is not fluff. It's fuel.

Final Thought: Build Your Championship Team

Running a business isn't about being the smartest person in the room. Unless you can wear all the hats effectively, you need a team built to succeed. It's about being the coach who builds a system where everyone can win.

When you think like a coach, recruiting intentionally, practicing relentlessly, strategizing wisely, and nurturing culture, you stop managing a company and start leading a team.

And that's when the magic happens. Not just this quarter or this year, but year after year after year.

If this resonates with you but your "business check engine light" is flashing, a coffee chat with one of us at TCV Growth Partners is in order. Do you take it black, or with cream and sugar?

Rick@TVC-Growth.Partners