10 Leadership lessons from the US OPEN

A few weeks back I had the great pleasure to watch some fabulous tennis matches at the US Open. It is one of my favorite tournaments and I really was so happy to be there again in person this year. However, standing court-side about 2 matches into my day I started to realize that something had changed for me in the way I was watching these matches.? As a former competitive player myself, part of what I enjoyed about watching tennis was that I could put myself in the players′ shoes. I would play out the points in my head, and I admit that sometimes I would unconsciously even make a little preparatory hop when a serve would come over close enough to where I was standing. I was also ready to hit a winning return (in my head of course).? This year, what popped in my head during these matches was something completely different. I found myself thinking about the similitude between match situations and everyday situations that arise in business. This year I was watching matches not from a player′s perspective, but from the perspective of my work as an Executive Coach. These are 10 of the leadership lessons that I now take from the game of tennis.?

1. Show confidence in your game. If you watch the sport on TV you will often hear commentators mentioning that players come into a match either with or without confidence in their game. It′s not hard to pick out who are the players that believe in themselves and believe in their chances to win a match. You see it in their eyes, in the way they carry themselves, in how comfortable they seem to be moving on the court and in how clean and assertive they are with their shots. Confidence builds up point by point and it is something that both player and opponent can feel.? It sets a mood of positive inertia for that confident player while observing the display of confidence for his opponent can trigger an inner alarm that leaves him feeling a bit tense and on guard.??
2. Play your game. You craft a strategy and an execution plan for each match based on what type of player you are and who you are up against.? Don′t fall into the trap of losing your game plan to defend against someone else’s. You might stay in the match but it will be pretty hard to dominate the game psychologically or physically when you base your game on defending yourself from others attacks.? Know how and when to defend and when to take charge and be in control. Move back and forth between the two thoughtfully and decisively.?
3. Play to your strengths- Know your weapons and use them wisely. Doing more of what you do well can be a more effective strategy than trying to improve a weakness.
4. Play to your opponents weakness, but only if it doesn′t uncover one of yours.? If you try too hard to put pressure on a weakness you might just force your opponent to hit the ball back to a place that forces you to go for a shot that isn′t the best. Instead, keep the ball in play, rally a bit and wait strategically to set up the point. Then when it′s the right time go in for the winner.
5. Keep your eye on the ball! Focus on what needs your attention. If you focus on the ball you will get a better look at it and will have a better chance to return it with intention. If your eyes and mind are wandering off noticing all the other things going on out there on the court you could be missing out on some very valuable information that is actually right in front of your eyes. You are also probably wasting time on things that do not tell you what you need to know in that moment and that can inform you of how and when to best handle the ball to turn the point in your favor.
6. Break down big complex projects into manageable and actionable parts that you can complete with success. To meet the goal of winning a slam you need to win point by point( check), set by set ( check), match by match to keep advancing and then do it all over again as you advance through each round. Winning a slam means building on each small success until you′ve reached and conquered that last important milestone.??
7. Big picture vs. micro focus. A vision is a guiding force and an all so important north star to keep you on track, inspired and motivated to do what it takes to meet your goals. Combining the vision of adding your name to the coveted winners list with an actionable strategy and execution plan of how to navigate your way successfully through the draw is a grand winning formula.?
8. Learn to Iterate- things rarely go as planned. You are facing a hot new player for the first time and you don′t know their game. You are having an off day, a slight injury, a player has added a new and fierce serve to their game. Whatever the cause is things have changed and your initial game plan just isn′t getting you the desired results up on the scoreboard. What can you do about it? Once you′ve detected what′s going on you need to come up with some alternatives to try to see what if anything works. To handle that fierce serve try moving out farther to the corner on the service return, or perhaps come in closer to the baseline. Try out different things until you find something that works and go with it until it stops working. Then try something else.?
9. Be flexible.? Play evolves, technology improves the tools players have at their disposal and that means the way to play the game will also adapt. Having a big toolkit allows you to take what you need when you need it and staying up with the latest advances and putting a new spin on some things can give you an advantage in any match, against any opponent. Don′t get too attached to any specific style even if it is a winning style today. That could mean you lock yourself into losers trouble in the future.??
10. Focus on the Customer. Tennis is a competitive sport but as a professional sport it is also a form of entertainment for millions of spectators who pay top dollar to see a live match and those many more who tune in from the comfort of their homes via the channel that won the highly disputed multi-million dollar contract to televise in exclusivity the matches. Without the paying customer there are no huge $ prizes, lucrative mkt deals that turn athletes into spokesman and stars and very wealthy ones at that. Press conferences, autographs, after and before match interviews, nods to the crowd and thanks for their support, these are all ways that players focus on keeping their customers, the sports fan, happy and eager to come back for more.