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What kickboxing can teach you about business (and life)

Kickboxing star Gjermund Nesland shares how to get a leg up no matter what the arena.

A former Norwegian Champion and internationally renowned athlete in kickboxing, Gjermund Nesland is the manager and sports director of the Norwegian national team in kickboxing, currently ranked as the second best team in the world. With interests in IT, economics, investment analysis, and project management, he’s also had a varied career in both IT and oil, and as an entrepreneur he has started companies in a number of different industries. Here, he shares what each arena has taught him about the other – and why kickboxing is getting a leg up around the world.

GQ: Recently, kickboxing has experienced a surge in popularity on a global scale. What do you think has increased its popularity?

Gjermund Nesland: Kickboxing is a great sport that challenges you physically and mentally in more ways than a lot of other sports. And even though it is an individual sport and a contact sport, it is also a very social sport. In kickboxing you get fit while you also learn self-control, self defence and build your self-esteem. Also, kickboxing is getting even more attention around the world and the number of nations that recognise kickboxing within their National Confederation of Sports is increasing. This year the global kickboxing association WAKO will apply for a membership in the International Olympic Committee (IOC), getting us one step closer to becoming an Olympic sport in the future.

GQ: You are one of the driving forces behind the rise of kickboxing in Norway. To what do you credit the success of the sport in this region, and how does it feel to know that you have had a hand in effecting its growth?

GN:  I believe that the success that we’ve had with our top Norwegian kickboxers is a result of dedicated and systematic work done for more than 15 years within the national team and in some clubs. Norway as a nation has in many ways an elite sport culture. Since we are only 5 million people in whole of Norway, we cannot expect new sports talents just popping up from nowhere. Therefore we are dependant on building cultures and systems that foster elite sport athletes.

GQ: You’re also a successful business entrepreneur. How difficult is it to balance your life as a sports manager and a businessman?

GN:  It does require some extra work and effort to perform in both the position as national team manager and as a businessman and entrepreneur. I am driven by taking on challenges and having the feeling of performing well in the areas where I take upon a responsibility. Therefore, as long as I enjoy the challenges and the main tasks within each job then I have the energy to balance several jobs and perform well. The work within the different jobs or roles is also diverse and I use somewhat different skills in different roles, so that helps create variety during a long workday.

GQ: What’s the kickboxing scene in South Africa like?

GN:  South Africa is actually doing quite well in kickboxing. It is one of the strongest nations on the African continent, and at every WAKO World Championship there is always a team from South Africa that proudly and skilfully represents the nation.

GQ: How has your background in kickboxing helped you in the business world?

GN: It’s given me a competitive instinct and a fighter spirit that helps me in pushing myself towards success in business. I did not enjoy defeats in kickboxing and I do not like defeats in business. The values of respect, ethics and fair play that I got through kickboxing have also been important to me in business. Kickboxing has also given me a great network of friends and connections all over the world that can be helpful in my international business life.

GQ: Similarly, have you learnt anything from working in business that you’ve been able to apply to your career in kickboxing and/or sports management?

GN:  During the financial crisis in 2007-2009 it was tough to be in the real estate business. Here, my business partners and I had to do several difficult priorities and decisions. I think this experience made me more capable of dealing with tough decisions in my later sport management career. Also my years as project manager have helped me in my work with managing my kickboxing team. In sports you learn to listen to your coach. In business you learn to listen to and learn from a larger network of people. Your kickboxing coach is most likely very skilled in kickboxing, but he or she is not necessarily the best person you know when it comes to endurance training, strength training or sports psychology. So I have in both my kickboxing career and sports management career tried to work with experts from different fields depending on what I wanted to achieve.

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