Jim Kavanaugh says resilience drove his rise from soccer to tech

Jim Kavanaugh, the former U.S. national soccer team player who co-founded World Wide Technology, says resilience and work ethic matter more than natural ability in building a career. His argument carries weight because the Missouri-based technology company he helped start now generates $20 billion in annual revenue, according to Fortune.

Kavanaugh represented the United States at the 1984 Summer Olympics before moving into business six years later. He told Fortune that the habits required to compete in elite soccer also shaped how he built World Wide Technology into a large private tech company.

Kavanaugh said people cannot expect strong results from average effort. He told Fortune that success becomes more likely when someone works hard, keeps learning and applies that effort to work they care about.

From soccer setbacks to business lessons

Kavanaugh’s own path was not built on what he described as effortless athletic gifts. He told Fortune he was the son of a Missouri bricklayer and did not see himself as one of the players born with exceptional natural ability.

Because his family could not afford college, Kavanaugh saw an athletic scholarship as his route to higher education, according to Fortune. He played at Saint Louis University in the early 1980s, drew attention from U.S. national team scouts and later played in the 1983 Pan American Games and the 1984 Olympics.

He also faced repeated rejection. Kavanaugh told Fortune he was cut from teams multiple times earlier in his career, but kept training and improving. At higher levels, he said, coaches became more direct and demanding, and performance carried consequences.

Kavanaugh said those experiences taught him that the ability to respond to failure can matter more than avoiding failure. He told Fortune he now looks for whether young people move toward hard work or try to avoid it, calling avoidance a problem.

Messi as a model of leadership

Kavanaugh also pointed to Lionel Messi as an example of leadership through action. He told Fortune that Messi appears to raise the level of Argentina’s team, while he was less certain Cristiano Ronaldo has the same effect for his country.

His broader point was that leadership can take different forms. Kavanaugh told Fortune some leaders speak forcefully, while others set a standard through conduct. He described Messi as fitting the second model.

Fortune noted that Messi captained Argentina to the 2022 World Cup title. Kavanaugh said leadership, when done well in sports or business, can move teams and companies in a positive direction.

Long hours and timing

Kavanaugh, who is 63, has a net worth of $7.7 billion, according to Forbes, and is a part owner of St. Louis’s Major League Soccer club, Fortune reported. He told Fortune that rapid AI-driven change makes strong leadership and a team-oriented culture more valuable.

He also said work-life balance remains a goal, though building a company sometimes required demanding stretches. During World Wide Technology’s growth, Kavanaugh told Fortune he often worked 12- to 18-hour days for extended periods.

World Wide Technology has appeared repeatedly on Fortune’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, according to Fortune. Kavanaugh said opportunities do not always arrive on a convenient schedule, and that people sometimes have to act before those chances disappear.

This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.