- The Datazed of Data Excellence
- Posts
- Losing half the time, and still winning
I knew what I had to do... keep working. And keep competing.
In tennis, perfection is impossible... In the 1,526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches... Now, I have a question for all of you... what percentage of the POINTS do you think I won in those matches?
Only 54%.
In other words, even top-ranked tennis players win barely more than half of the points they play.
As a data leader or aspiring leader, we are measured on success. If we are rolling out a new initiative, project or programme, then it needs to succeed.
If it doesn’t, then that will reflect badly in our next appraisal, job application or client proposal.
So we feel the pressure.
And when it goes wrong (when, not if), we feel the pain.
Federer is one of the all-time greats in his field. He won 54% of this points, but almost 80% of his matches.
So clearly it’s not about how many points he won, but when he won them.
When you’re playing a point, it is the most important thing in the world.
But when it’s behind you, it’s behind you... This mindset is really crucial, because it frees you to fully commit to the next point… and the next one after that… with intensity, clarity and focus.
The truth is, whatever game you play in life... sometimes you’re going to lose. A point, a match, a season, a job... it’s a roller coaster, with many ups and downs.
And it’s natural, when you’re down, to doubt yourself. To feel sorry for yourself.
And by the way, your opponents have self-doubt, too. Don’t ever forget that.
But negative energy is wasted energy.
You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments. That to me is the sign of a champion.
As data people, we want things to be right and when they aren’t, we feel it.
Federer’s story teaches us about the importance of knowing when you need to win, and when you need to move on to the next point.
Takeaways
Understand the bigger picture of what you are trying to achieve. Small failures on the way shouldn’t push you away from your overall goal.
Encourage this mindset in your team - especially those who are new to the team, are more junior, or who have just been given more responsibility.
When things do go well, don’t celebrate too soon! If we are going to be calm when things go wrong, we shouldn’t go crazy even when they go right. Celebrate when the project has succeeded.
Free stuff
I’m doing a webinar on “Taming Your Data Risks” at 12pm London time on Friday 21 June. Register here.
I’ve added a new booklet on People Engagement to the Downloads Page.
Have a wonderful week,
Charles
Reply