Have you ever taken a second to think about just how much you’re learning while you’re on the volleyball court?

Sure, there are the obvious skills, such as serving, passing and spiking, but what other lessons are you taking with you that you will carry for the rest of your life?

GLC Solutions is a technology consulting firm based in the Fraser Valley. They believe many of the skills we learn on the volleyball court also translate to success in the workplace.

Identifying these skills is a key part to building GLC’s workplace culture, as well as, identifying talented employees.

“Athletes know what it takes to be successful in their sport and it’s not a whole lot different for people who are successful in the business world,” says Glen Lieuwen, owner of GLC Solutions and local volleyball coach.

“All the habits, team skills and self-discipline players learn while they are on the court are very transferable to being successful in the business world.”

Internal Motivation

One employee who knows first-hand how relatable the lessons he’s learned from playing volleyball are to the business world is former Fraser Valley Volleyball Club player and current Trinity Western University athlete, Kaden Gamache.

Gamache has interned at GLC for the past two summers and sees a connection to the internal motivation an athlete has to have to play at a high level with the same internal motivation needed to be successful in the business world.

“Without self-motivation, your growth and learning will remain stagnant and you will never reach your full potential,” says Gamache. “This is something that is so relatable to the sport of volleyball or any sport really, because regardless of how talented you are, if you can’t learn to internally motivate yourself to be better your performance will suffer.”

That internal motivation Gamache learned through sport is why he believes he has been able to play at the level he has played at, as well as, why he’s been able to continuously advance in his career.

Learning From Mistakes

Another who’s had the same experience relating his volleyball skills to the workplace is former Fraser Valley Volleyball Club member and current University of the Fraser Valley athlete Josh Fefchak.

Fefchak has worked for GLC as an IT intern for the past two summers and has seen first-hand how both sport and business are about learning from your mistakes.

“Every volleyball practice or game you will make mistakes, but how you choose to handle those mistakes, ie, take advice from a coach or teammate and respond correctly, makes all the difference in developing you as a player,” says Fefchak. “Similarly, at GLC, you will make some mistakes and it is critical that these mistakes are handled in a graceful way so that you learn from them and keep developing as an employee.”

Founded in 2000, GLC believes its relationships with the Volleyball community has helped give them competitive advantage over others in their field because of the shared experiences and values their employees have developed through sport. They know that what happens during practice and on the game court doesn’t just develop bump-set-spike habits, but it also prepares athletes for their integration into the business world and their eventual careers.

At GLC Solutions, they believe in building positive relationships with their clients and the community. Their core values revolve around:

• Continuous Learning
• Self-Motivation
• Value Focus
• Integrity Driven
• Share, Mentor, Inspire

They support authentic mentorship, co-op and internship programs for future leaders and they’re always looking for opportunities to give back. Read more about their internship program.