Jeff Spain, former NCAA wrestler and now successful life insurance sales and marketing executive, shares his experience, observations and insights into the aspects that make individuals winners in athletics and in business in his brand-new book, "Wrestling With Business: How Success on the Mat Leads to Success in Business."
Meet Jeff Spain
Jeff Spain came into wrestling the way a number of athletes do: from another sport.
"Being short and not having the ability to jump, I discovered that basketball wasn't for me," Spain told InterMat.
In "Wrestling with Business", Spain writes about being on the bench of his junior high basketball team, having just fouled out. The local high school wrestling coach -- who was about to retire -- told him: "You are not a basketball player, but you will be a wrestler. This is the last basketball game you will ever play. Come to practice tomorrow."
Jeff Spain"I started as a chiropractor but suffered a hand injury. There's not much demand for one-handed chiropractors."
Spain went back to school to become a teacher at the high school and college levels, and, while he enjoyed it, he ultimately found it to be frustrating.
A friend suggested a career selling life insurance. "My business model was the same as my approach to wrestling: outwork the competition."
After surviving a cancer scare, Spain sold his insurance business and now works in corporate America… but still relies on the skills and experiences gained from wrestling to be successful in that career as well.
How the book came about
In the introduction to "Wrestling with Business", Spain states, "I first thought of sharing my background in wrestling and how it has impacted my business life after I read Steve Cooper's article in Forbes, 'Why Wrestlers Make the Best Employees.' Steve's article hit home with more than just me; several of my college wrestling mates sent me the article. Steve's focus on grit, determination, self-control, self-discipline, commitment, and drive reinforced that these are all characteristics that business owners, managers and leaders universally need and desire."
"Wrestling with Business" was inspired by Steve Cooper's article… and from a comment made by Jeff Spain's secretary.
"We have sales meetings every week," Spain said. "I do a weekly blog to inform our sales force. After typing up about 20 of these blogs, my secretary Judy said, 'You should put these into a book.'
"By the time I decided to actually write a book, it was pretty much half-done."
Spain had two distinct audiences in mind as he constructed "Wrestling with Business."
"I wanted to write a book that would be geared to the business professional," Spain told InterMat. "Not just for former wrestlers, but for anyone who had been involved in athletics in some way. To encourage these former athletes to draw on their experiences in sports and turn those lessons into success in their business careers."
"Any type of athlete can benefit from (the book)."
"I also wanted parents to see the value of wrestling for their children," Spain continued. "Young people want to be successful, to be champions. Wrestling requires sacrifice; wrestlers know it takes sacrifice to be successful. The wrestler's mentality is, 'I don't want a trophy for participation.' (Wrestlers) are accustomed to being held accountable. They know their own success is on their own shoulders. There are no substitutions in wrestling; the wrestler can't say, 'Coach, I'm tired. Go ahead and put so-and-so instead.'"
Jeff Spain and Dan GableSharing stories from wrestlers, coaches
Jeff Spain sees a key ingredient in his success is to surround yourself with successful people, and learn what made them successful. To that end, "Wrestling with Business" shares stories and situations from wrestlers and coaches that are applicable to business professionals. The book is collection of stories from some storied legends within the sport: Dan Gable, Mark Manning, Mike Denney, Jordan Burroughs, and Dave Schultz, just to name a few. For example, Gable's stories are the subject of two separate chapters: "Belief in Yourself", and "Being on the Offensive."
Each of these personal stories forms the core of a chapter. Each chapter is three to six pages in length. This format makes "Wrestling with Business" a very reader-friendly book for both the on-the-go business pro and the young student-athlete who has limited time (and, perhaps, a limited attention span).
As Spain points out in his book's introduction, there are four recurring themes that bring these stories together. The book is about attitude (the one thing a person can control)… activity ("it's what you do that determines what you get")… associations ("you are who you surround yourself with")… and accountability ("you are only accountable to yourself.").
"When you're coaching kids, you need their buy-in. That helps them find success," Spain told InterMat. "Same in insurance and financial services. You build trust with those you work with, which then leads to success."
"I'm sharing what works," Spain continued. "When you suffer a setback, you don't just give up and lose. You change your attitude. Wrestling taught me all that."
Weighing in at just under 100 pages, "Wrestling with Business" is packed with practical advice and guidance to help anyone achieve greater success, whether you're a young wrestler envisioning a state or national title… or a seasoned business professional who wants to work smarter, build stronger relationships with customers and co-workers, and reap greater rewards. Jeff Spain has come up with nearly two-dozen topics, each featuring the insights of some top-flight wrestlers and coaches (and a few others as well), written in upbeat, encouraging, motivating style. Each topic gets its own concise (3-6 page) chapter, making "Wrestling with Business" user-friendly and highly readable. It's the kind of book readers of all ages and backgrounds will turn to time and time again for inspiration and ideas.
To learn more about Jeff Spain's "Wrestling with Business: How Success on the Mat Leads to Success in Business", visit the book's official website. There you'll find direct links to order the book at Amazon.com as well as from Plains Trading Company, a local bookstore in Valentine, Nebraska.
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