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That's the view of one of New Zealand's greatest rugby players and arguably the best centre we've ever had, Conrad Smith, who was the guest speaker at a recent DairyNZ and Dairy Trust Taranaki seminar for farmers.
The day long function was held in Hawera - Smith's birthplace.
He told the 200 people at the seminar that he's found, since playing rugby, everything you learn to be a successful rugby team in a high performance and high-stress environment can be applicable to all aspects of life - be it companies, organisations and other occupations.
He says in all cases, it's the ability to deal with the challenges and adversity you face.
Smith says that particularly within sport, he learned to successfully bounce back from a bad time.
"It's always about isolating the problem and not letting it expand, it's human nature to say when something is wrong and then everything is wrong, and you see that in sport.
"But if you can isolate it and focus on the things that you have done well to get yourself into your present position and that helps you get through.
"If you isolate the problem and fix it, and from there, focus on continuing to improve on the things you are doing well and you will grow and get better," he says.
Smith says it's important not to let stress get the better of you; in the high-performance rugby environment, that happens every week. He says after a game at the weekend, players get reviewed by coaches and it can be brutal and intense, with the ultimate risk of being dropped for the next game.
He says in most other businesses, people get reviewed every year. He says if people handle the review process well and don't get too obsessed after losing a game, and what they did wrong, but look at all the good things they did, then the process gives them something to build on.
Before his career hit its high point, Smith completed a law degree at Victoria University and had a lot of interests outside of rugby.
He says he didn't have any burning desire to be an All Blac and took success in his stride. He says he's not against the rugby academies that target young people at an early age and set them on the path to higher honours in the game.
But Smith says he personally gained a lot by having an initial life outside rugby.
He says if young people only have rugby, they miss out on other benefits.
The Rugby Man
In a stellar career, Conrad Smith played for the All Blacks from 2004 until 2015 and during that time they won two rugby world cups.
Nicknamed Snakey because his coaches said he slithered around the field, he made 266 first class appearances and scored 62 tries.
During his career he captained the Hurricanes and at the end of his career played in France. Today he is the Head of Rugby Operations at International Rugby Players and does some refereeing locally in New Plymouth where he lives.
Smith is also a qualified barrister and solicitor.
Advice to Farmers
Conrad Smith says he likes the idea of diversity in life and, for farmers, this means getting off the farm and into the community, which he believes will be of benefit to them.
"By mixing with other people, you can be diverse in your approach, and spending time off the farm could be a real value. Also, when dealing with issues and problems within a farm, the best thing you can do is to isolate them, not overplay them and be thorough about the things that you can control and fix," he says.
Smith says when it comes to leadership, which is a big part of managing a business, it basically comes down to experience. He says when he started out in rugby, he never though he'd be a leader because of his somewhat introverted personality.
"My idea of leading others was the last thing I thought I would do, but over time this came with experience, because once I had three or four years of doing it, I realised I could offer help," he says.
Smith says many organisations, including rugby clubs, get caught up on mission statements and values. He says while this is fine, it isn't enough. He says unless these are translated into meaningful actions for people, such high-level statements can be somewhat meaningless.
Smith says leadership is the same in all walks of life and once you are comfortable in your own skin and know what you are doing well, it's a natural step to offer that support to others. He adds that it helps you and reinforces the things that are important to you if you are able to talk about with other people.
