Lessons from the rink that influence every decision I make as president of George Konik Associates
BY BRAD KONIK
George Konik playing as a Pro
For many Minnesotans, hockey is instrumental in teaching some of life’s lessons. For me, hockey’s impact has been profound. My earliest memories of growing up in Bloomington, Minnesota, were being on the ice with my father, former Pittsburgh Penguin and Minnesota Fighting Saint George Konik.
He was my father, my coach, and my mentor. From him, I learned the basics of the great sport, and I followed in his skate tracks through the college and professional hockey ranks and subsequently took over the recruiting and technical staffing company he founded in 1974.
Beyond the “work hard” and “no pain, no gain” generalities that every hockey coach imparts, there are four important lessons that my father, the hockey coach, taught me. This wisdom influences each and every business decision I make as president of George Konik Associates.
TREAT EVERY PLAYER AND EMPLOYEE EQUALLY.
My father was done coaching hockey almost 20 years ago, but to this day I still have former players of his tell me he was one of their greatest coaches and most influential people in their lives. As my coach in hockey and in business, he taught me to treat every team member equally, regardless of their role. Whether they were the leading scorer or hadn’t scored a goal all season, whether they were an employee celebrating their first anniversary or their 15th, on the ice or in the office, each member is a critical part of the team.
Lesson: Treat all team members fairly, with dignity and respect, and the results will come.
BE AS FEARLESS ON THE ICE AS IN BUSINESS.
I learned early and often in hockey that the best way to get hurt is to play with the fear of getting hurt. As soon as you let fear enter your brain, you are unable to make decisions properly. You hesitate, you are off-balance, and you shy away from the assumed danger. As soon as you do this, what you were afraid of happens. Boom! You get run over. The same is true in business. If you let fear enter into your psyche, you will start making defensive decisions, or you simply avoid making a decision at all. When you are faced with a challenge in hockey or business, meet that challenge head on.
Lesson: Identify your challenges and be fearless in how you approach them. In this way you can reduce the risk of your challenges overwhelming you.
ACCEPT THAT MISTAKES ARE PART OF THE GAME.
Hockey taught me that it’s not about perfection or being afraid of making mistakes. Instead, it’s about embracing that mistakes are part of the game — in both hockey and business — and how people respond to those mistakes is what separates the “haves” from the “have-nots.” The best part is that correctable mistakes reveal that your team has not reached its full potential. Mistakes will always be a part of the game. Evolving as a player, employee, or manager should be the goal. The exciting thing about making mistakes is it helps identify the areas for improvement and thus fosters team growth.
Lesson: Embrace mistakes as an opportunity to improve the entire team.
BE READY TO READ AND REACT ON YOUR SKATES.
Action on the ice and in business can be extremely fast and can cause decision paralysis. I quickly learned playing hockey that those players who were able to read and react quickly enjoyed more success on the ice, compared to those who were slow or unwilling to make a decision or adapt to unique situations that arise. Hockey and business are very similar in that it’s always good to have a game plan, but you need to adapt that plan to changing environments and situations as necessary, or the plan itself can lead to your demise. Players must read and react from shift to shift, period to period, and game to game.
In business, you must be able to read and react daily, monthly, and yearly. Become agile and use your gut instinct to capitalize in business and on the ice. Quickly gather information and make decisions with the best information available to you at that moment. Whether the outcome is good or bad, you can still be confident that it was an informed decision.
Reacting to paradigm shifts in the recruiting industry has allowed us to capitalize on emerging technologies such as mobile devices, social media, and job boards. LinkedIn was once viewed as a threat to our company, but we’ve instead turned it into one of our best tools.
Lesson: Be ready (and open) to change direction in a moment’s notice.
I am fortunate for the lessons that hockey (and my father) have taught me. As a hockey dad and coach myself, I hope to pass along the same wisdom to my sons.
Brad Konik is president of George Konik Associates. He played one year of pro hockey and was the 100th captain of Harvard University’s team. Today he coaches his two sons and serves on the