Chasing Jordan Birnbaum: Business Like A Sports Team

In this episode, Chad Sowash and Brian Johnson sit down with Jordan Birnbaum — a behavioral economist, executive coach, and I/O Psychologist — to unpack the surprising parallels between sports and corporate talent management. They dive into how lessons from the field — from role clarity and team chemistry to leadership and empathy — can transform how businesses build and lead teams. The trio explores the challenges of moving from star player to team captain, the role of culture in high-performing teams, and why clear expectations matter more than ever. They also tackle the promise and pitfalls of analytics in both sports and business, emphasizing that data alone doesn’t create great teams — leadership and accountability do.