What Roger Federer Can Teach Us About Leadership

Tennis lovers across the world will always remember the moment when Roger Federer played his last professional match at the Laver Cup in London in September 2022. Stepping down at the age of 41 after having won 20 grand slam titles and playing more than 1500 matches over 25 years, Federer had secured his place as one of the sporting world’s all-time greats. He had also made a reputation for himself as a leader with a difference. Here are five lessons in leadership we all can draw inspired by the legendary example of Roger Federer.

Be led by purpose

Over the more than two decades that Federer has been on court, he has unfailingly put tennis first. It has given him his sense of purpose. No matter his age, the court type, or opponent, Federer’s classic, precise and elegant game has been distinguished by his commitment to the sport.

As CEO of Mphasis, I relate this to our principle of Putting Mphasis First. To me it means being driven to always think of the company, its objectives, its interests, and its betterment above all else. It implies being able to prioritize the interest of the collectivity at all times and placing the company’s growth and advancement ahead of individual differences and ambitions. It gives every Mphasian their sense of purpose.

Internalize a growth mindset

From the time he first made his mark as a pony-tailed 19-year-old at Wimbledon to the last match he took part in at the Laver Cup in London this September, Federer has always strived to learn and grow. Whether it was beating the then reigning champion Pete Sampras in 2001 or tweaking his game when Rafael Nadal’s ‘rugged artistry’ began to challenge his supremacy, Federer has always demonstrated a readiness to learn through challenges.

As a leadership trait this relates to a principle I hold dear as Mphasis CEO, the capacity to be committed to imbibing a Growth Mindset. To me, this means the ability to always grow through change and take on challenges with an approach that is driven to thoroughly and successfully address them.

Take risks

Another competence Federer has demonstrated is an ability to take risks. He also has the uncanny ability to take this at precise points in the game when he has believed it would pay off. The Swiss tennis giant has prided himself on keeping a ‘young mind’ so that no matter who he has played at different stages of his career he has been able to take calculated risks to up his game and outcomes.

This characteristic of Federer’s in my view ties in closely with our company commitment to Ready, Fire, Aim, or in other words, to be prepared to take intelligent and calculated risks. For me this translates into being ready to push myself and my team beyond our comfort zones to learn new competencies, explore new markets, and establish new ways of making our customers’ business more innovative and successful.

Foster collaboration

In addition to being a gentleman on court and always gracious in victory and loss, Federer has demonstrated another great leadership quality—the effortless ability to collaborate. Nothing could illustrate this better than his pairing up with Nadal on Team Europe at his last game in London, with whom he has played 40 matches as chief rival and opponent for years. From ‘taking care of their rivalry’ with each other, Federer teamed up with Nadal to ‘take care of each other’.

At Mphasis the value, Work for Each Other resonates with this Federer quality. It implies knowing that we are all on the same team with a shared interest in lifting each other up. For me this means that I play my part as company head to always partner with my team, colleagues, investors, clients, and other stakeholders with the objective of always supporting and enabling what they do.

Enable commitment despite disagreements

Although Federer has never been known for losing his temper on court, he has on some occasions had differing views on issues regarding the game and his fellow players. However, irrespective of who has been involved, the Swiss tennis champ has always placed the game and its sanctity above differences.

To me, this is similar to a principle we uphold at Mphasis, Disagree, But Commit. From my point of view, I see how different opinions can shift one’s perspective. And allowing the space for that while remembering the need to remain fundamentally committed to company goals, team objectives, and growth targets is a sound way to lead an inspired workforce and business.

How has Federer’s leadership style inspired you?

Write in and tell me!

I have previously authored another article discussing the valuable leadership insights one can glean from Federer's career. You can read that article here .