What is your connection point? The high-performance leadership and what tennis has taught me so far
I played competitive junior tennis in Brazil for a few years, and today I am pleased to have both of my children in the same game. And in that line of one thing pulls the other, recently my former Coach and family friend, who has lived in Florida for years, has contacted me again. And then I thought how tennis helped me a lot, both in the personal and professional fields.
What about you? Have you ever wondered about what sport (or hobby) can add value to your life? And in your career? What do you need to see in this, that you have not yet seen?
Practicing a high-performance sport is all about high-performance leadership in the corporate world, regardless of your niche. Let’s make a parallel here and check this out:
DISCIPLINE: Who agrees that discipline is one of the mains skills responsible for high performance sports? What about an organization? Does a high productivity leader have discipline? Of course, yes – and a lot! You may be an excellent professional (in the corporate world or in the sports world), but if you miss a meeting (or a tennis match, in the case) because you forgot, got confused or are simply running late, or because – somehow – the meeting wasn’t on your schedule… you already know the outcome, don’t you?
FOCUS: Does a high-performance athlete who gets distracted easily achieve (and maintain) positive results in his or her career? What about a successful executive? What will the success become without focus? The practice of mindfulness is an essential tool in coaching and in my leadership training the results have been amazing. What about in tennis? What would be of that nearly lost game, if it wasn’t a conscious breathing, and one point after another, with focus and mindfulness taking over in the background? Jackpot! The game has turned, and my two cents here is: never underestimate the power of growth mindset allied to the constant practice of mindfulness! Difficult? No question about it! But practice here is the key to success, or should I say, to win the match!
DEDICATION: Here the saying is of effect and it sounds like music to my ears: “no pain, no gain!” Do I need to say more? Certainly, those who do not dedicate themselves – you bet – will not receive the Laurels of Victory.
INTERPERSONAL SKILLS: among the social-emotional skills, one of which currently stands out in the corporate environment is the effective networking, which relates to the quality of your interactions and your level of engagement with others. What is the easiest and most genuine way of connecting that you are aware of? Allying your way of life and making a link to something that you and your contacts have in common is a good start, I would say. Besides being genuinely fun! My favorite sport is tennis, of course, but what matters is: what’s yours? Do you have a hobby? And what connection can you make in your own reality to make your network happen and expand?
I could continue talking about this for hours on end … What I want to leave here, however, is my small contribution that I genuinely believe in: mindset adjustments, high-performance training, including the social-emotional skills, in connection with your favorite hobby or sport, can change the individual, helping him/her achieve his/her best version through practice. Hello? Did someone say practice?
Ok, how about you, who are with me here, start today to improve your skills and achieve your goals, faster and better, enjoying the journey, connecting your hobby and your career and in practice join the dots to create and experience better results, without forgetting your values? Think about it, link the dots made in this article to your reality and make it happen, because in practice, it is up to you. Don’t you agree?
