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[APPLAUSE] >> I'm standing at my position, glancing
around at my teammates around me, my heart is pounding, my muscles are tense.
I'm ready to sprint, the whistle blows, and the ball is in the air.
>> [LAUGH] >> My first international rugby game,
Luxembourg against Germany has started.
We tackle, we fall, we get back up, and we all gave our best.
So in the end, we celebrated ourselves together with the German team.
Why am I telling this story?
Team sports is about a lot more than just exercising together with others.
Team sports have great benefits for individuals, for
companies, and for communities.
So, what's in it for you as an individual?
We all know that regular exercise has physical and mental benefits.
So I don't need to go into detail for that, but I just wanted to say it anyways.
>> [LAUGH] >> But, did you know that,
three out of four corporate executives play team sports?
Look at the CEOs of HP, GE, Bank of America.
I'm not saying to you that team sports will guarantee you a higher salary and
a better position.
But I can tell you, that there's a great correlation between leadership qualities,
and having played on a team.
As I learned from former Dean Bob Josh,
great leadership is easy to recognize, but hard to practice.
Team sports give you a platform to practice these leadership skills.
Where else would you learn how to make decisions under pressure, inspire others
around you, learn to deal with failures, and take over responsibility?
And most of the time, you're having fun,
because you're not noticing you're learning.
So a team sports help leaders to hone their leadership capabilities, but
they also have been benefits for companies as a whole.
Let's have a look at my job as management consultant.
I was sitting at the laptop all day, and all night.
>> [LAUGH] >> Very far away from team sports,
that's what you think.
But then, our annual European soccer and volleyball tournament came up.
We organized ourselves and practiced regularly.
We didn't only get better as a team on the tournament,
we formed bonds with each other that go way beyond this tournament today.
Studies have shown that corporate leagues instill camaraderie amongst employees.
They improve the work environment and
ultimately lead to better company performance.
Active employees require lower health premium and have less sick days.
Corporate leagues make networking easy, especially amongst hierarchy levels.
Make a good position on the softball team, and then you might be invited for
the corporate initiative.
And I can assure you,
you'll have something to talk about at the next awkward company networking event.
So, as corporate leagues increase the bonds between employees,
city leagues have communities brought closer together.
It has been shown that people who move to new countries will find it a lot easier to
integrate when they join the local sports team.
Religion, race, background become irrelevant,
language barriers are overcome, because the team sport is the common language.
Many refugees are looking for shelter in Germany, so do they in my hometown, Essen.
The local soccer team's in Essen, as does my brother's soccer team as well,
have opened their doors for refugees to participate in the practice,
so that the refugees can meet the locals, and both groups benefit.
The refugees get to know a new culture, and they learn a new language.
The club members get to experience multiculturalism without having to buy
an expensive plane ticket to go somewhere else.
But, we don't need to go overseas to experience how team sports shapes
a community.
Let me invite you to a trip across the 101 to the East Palo Alto Razorbacks,
a local rugby team.
Former Stanford coach Rob Holder, has given the young men from
the former murder capital of the US, a reason to believe in themselves.
He's given them a perspective, and a motivation to stay out of trouble.
And he's given them the opportunity to win the the Division II National Championship.
>> [LAUGH] >> Most impressive is the story of
Folau Niua, a high school dropout with already some jail time in his youth.
Being part of that team changed his life,
now he's a permanent player in the USA sevens rugby national team, the Eagles.
And just last weekend, he played in Vegas for the big rugby tournament.
But now, the big question that I've been asking myself,
why aren't more people playing team sports?
A recent Harvard study has shown that after college,
there's a very sharp dropout, despite all these benefits.
Three out of four adults played when they were younger, but
only one out of four still play today.
I asked more than 100 of you, and the statistics are exactly the same.
We here at the DSP are not any better than the nation's average.
I'd like to acknowledge that people find it challenging, and
myself included to play team sports.
You might say, I don't have the time, you might say,
it's not flexible enough for me.
You might wonder, am I good enough to join a team?
You might say, I'm worried about my health, and you might wonder, Hannah,
where and how can I join a team?
Think about it, you're putting in so much money and time for
your professional leadership education.
What if you could get a good chunk of it just by joining a team?
So, what can you do as a future leader, what can you do for
yourself as an individual?
What can you do for your company, what can you do for your community?
I've got three recommendations.
First, join a recreational league team.
It's never too late to get back into the game or even try something new.
Silicon Valley hasn't stopped here.
There's apps for that too, so there's apps to find other players and
to organize pickup games.
But also traditional methods, as your local community newspaper,
a visit at the YMCA, or talking to your friends through word of mouth would work.
Second, start a corporate league team in your company.
This will help connect employees, and
create a more harmonious work environment, ultimately leading to better performance.
And, guess what?
You earn credit very early on.
Third, look for initiatives in your community that you can support.
Like the new grass field for the kids to play on, to stay out of trouble.
Or, support the local soccer club to give them new jerseys and equipment.
Coming back to my international game, we fought really hard.
We tackled, we fell to the ground, we got back up, we sprinted,
we ran up to the others, we gave our best.
And guess what, in the end, we lost, and we didn't just lose.
We got crushed, we got hammered, 100 to 0.
>> [LAUGH] >> But for us,
it was not about winning, it was about being part of a team.
It was about persevering to the very end,
it was about being united for a common goal.
I believe in the power of team sports to enrich each individual's life.
I believe in the power of team sports to create high performing organizations.
I believe in the power of team sports to make the world a better place.
Now, it's your turn to get back into the game.
>> [LAUGH] [APPLAUSE]
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