Jim Kavanaugh did not become a global football icon like Massey or Cro, but he had one thing in common with the two football superstars: they were all billionaires. After the summer Olympic Games in 1984, Kavanaugh replaced the football field with a board of directors, co-founding the technology giant World Wide Technology in Missouri, whose annual revenues in 2025 amounted to $20 billion. According to Kavanaugh, successful entrepreneurs have the same qualities as top athletes: a willingness to transcend the efforts of competitors.
Kavanaugh said: “If you want to be good, you can't put on average or below average.” In his view, those who had succeeded were those who had continued in adversity and could make the people around them better.
According to Kavanaugh, while Méxie's performance in Argentina had demonstrated leadership, Côte d'Ivoire had not always been able to do so. He noted that Merci had inspired his teammates through action, a leadership style that had helped Argentina win the 2022 World Cup.
Although Kavanaugh is now worth $7.7 billion and is part of the owner of St. Louis Professional Football Club, his success is not doomed. He grew up in Missouri and had long understood the importance of hard work and responsibility. He is not a natural sports genius, but rather a trained man who competes with talent.
In the early stages of his career, Kavanaugh experienced numerous setbacks in his postulation, but he continued to promote himself through his tireless efforts. In his view, resilience, not talent, was the key to moving people forward.
In the fast-changing AI era, Kavanaugh believes that effective leadership and team culture are more important than ever. He stressed that the work-life balance was not always perfect and that success often required full commitment when opportunities arose.
Kavanaugh concluded: “You need to seize the opportunity when it comes to it and the opportunity sometimes disappears.”