From the Court to the Office

Written By Olivia DeBonte

Being a member of both the Germer International team and a member of the Ursinus College Volleyball (UCVB) team have taught me very similar and valuable lessons, in very different ways. At first glance, it seems unlikely that these two environments could possibly overlap, but they most certainly do. Your teammate is your coworker (and vice versa), and both teams are working collaboratively to see positive results as well as personal growth.

Two invaluable skills implemented in both scenarios are the skills of time management and the desire to work hard. Whether it is making sure you get to 6am workouts or a meeting on time, or even making a sale versus winning a huge conference match, these experiences all contribute to the bigger picture of how to be a good coworker and teammate.

Humility and learning to both lose and win gracefully are other tenets that I learned from my time on a sports team that easily transposed into the work I do here at Germer. As an intern, learning and adjusting to new routines and processes are a huge part of my daily schedule. Naturally, some degree of failure and frustration comes from learning something completely new. But, my time as an athlete in college has prepared me for moments like not being able to close a sale or forgetting a step in the submittal process. These things will happen, just like losing a “big rivalry game” happens, but with the fortitude and gumption learned from my sport, I am able to keep chipping away at the setback until I am ultimately successful.

The “1% Rule,” introduced by James Clear in the book Atomic Habits, is a central part of both the philosophy of Germer International and UCVB. Every day, you work to be 1% better than the day before through the strict implementation of small habits. Eventually, you will be the best at what you do, because of the groundwork of these small and habitual changes lay. I have seen how this rule has worked in real time, and the growth I have seen in myself, my teammates, and my coworkers at both Germer and Ursinus Volleyball is testament to the value of being on any kind of team, as well as the value of positivity in the face of adversity. This positivity, I have found, comes most purely from seeing my teammates succeed and the motivation only they can provide me with.