Source: Fortune
Summary
Jim Kavanaugh, co-founder and CEO of World Wide Technology, shares his experiences as a former US national team soccer player and how it helped him build a successful business. He emphasizes the importance of hard work, resilience, and leadership in achieving success. Kavanaugh also discusses the parallels between sports and business, highlighting the need for effective leadership and a team-based culture in today’s fast-paced business environment.
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The numbers tell one story.
Jim Kavanaugh’s net worth is $7.7 billion, and his company, World Wide Technology, generates $20 billion in annual revenue. He credits his success to hard work and resilience, which he developed during his soccer days. Kavanaugh’s leadership style is more like Lionel Messi’s, who inspires through his actions, rather than Cristiano Ronaldo’s, who may not bring out the best in his team. The former soccer player believes that effective leadership is crucial in business and sports, and that it can “move people and organizations in a very, very positive way.”
Rejection and failure are part of the game, and Kavanaugh learned to respond to them by grinding through and getting better. He applies this lesson in the boardroom, emphasizing the importance of a team-based culture and effective leadership in today’s fast-paced business environment.
Great opportunities rarely arrive at convenient times, and Kavanaugh believes that sometimes work-life balance has to take a backseat when the opportunity is there.
Author: Evan Null
