Success in business and three-legged tennis – a combination of reflexes, the ability to read your opponent and mental strength

Jacek Jakubczyk, founder and advisor to the board of ITBC Communication

Business and sports, although different at first glance, have more in common than you might think. Take tennis, for example. In both cases, determination and a long-distance strategy are key. However, it’s worth noting that when running a business, just as on the court, we should take care of our reflexes and gain the ability to read the reactions of other people, whether opponents during a match or business partners. The development of these competencies can enhance instincts and the ability to react dynamically to changes from both the entrepreneurs’ and players’ perspectives. At the end of the day, whether it’s a key match in the season or a presentation in front of a key potential client – it’s all about confidence and the ability to play under any conditions, which is why it’s so important to take care of mentality in both cases.

Note that it is the failure to take care of the mental and emotional state of a business manager or experienced player that can lead to a 180-degree turnaround of even a seemingly certain match. An example of an organization that experienced a crisis and competitive loss, through a lack of market analysis and the co-founders’ difficulty in adapting to the rapidly evolving smartphone market and the associated stress, was BlackBerry. The company produced smartphones with an alphanumeric +QWERTY keyboard, which were very popular in the early 2000s, but failed to meet competition from Apple and Google. Unfortunately, the owners did not show visionary leadership in running the business and additionally had difficulty managing the stress of increasing competition and market pressure. Their inability to make strategic decisions in the face of pressure left the company unable to adapt to new realities. In this case, the gravity of the situation and the inability to manage emotions led to a significant drop in the organization’s ratings. Staying in the IT industry – a similar crisis was experienced by Stephen Elop, who held the position of CEO at Nokia from 2010 to 2013. Faced with the organization’s crisis, he drafted a “Letter from the Burning Platform” dedicated to employees, comparing the company to a man standing on a burning oil rig, forced to jump into the cold sea to survive. The message was intended to be motivational, but ultimately caused panic among employees and a drop in their morale. In this case, the organization’s leadership problems and poor ability to manage emotions and stress had a huge impact on the company’s decline in market value.

Analogous situations occur on the court, more than once we hear comments about some player that he has a problem with closing the match. What does this mean in practice? He may have a big lead, a few won balls separate the player from victory and suddenly something jams. The fate of a match of several hours is reversed. What is the cause? Sudden emotion, which is caused by the importance of the upcoming plays. Stress that causes the muscles to tense up, fear of an open hit or play. It is the mentality that determines in professional sports the matches won and the place in the ranking. Technically the players are very similar to each other, but during a match it is the mental preparation that is crucial. It is the attitude and resistance to stress or emotional strain that can change the course of a tournament. Unfortunately, in the history of tennis, as in any other sport, we can mention numerous examples of players and players who, despite their excellent technical skills, lacked work on controlling their emotions. Such as Jana Novotná (Wimbledon 1993), who was on the verge of winning the Wimbledon final, but unfortunately, after taking a 4-1 lead in the third set, Novotná started making numerous mistakes and eventually lost the match. Similarly for Andy Murray, who had a chance to break Britain’s unhappy streak at Wimbledon and faced Roger Federer in the final. Unfortunately, he felt overconfident and, after winning the first set, failed to hold the lead. Pressure and mental blocks prevented him from winning – he lost in four sets. Mental problems in sports are common, and even the best players can have difficulty dealing with them at these most crucial moments. In tennis, there is often a challenge with closing out a match, this is most often due to the winning player relaxing, especially if he has a big lead. As the colloquial saying goes, “he is already saying hello to the goose,” or he starts thinking about his next opponent, recognizing internally that this match is already won. Nothing could be further from the truth – all it takes is a moment of inattention, a few lost balls in a row and the fate of the match can be reversed. After a period of weaker play, it is very difficult to return to the previous level of concentration. I know from my own sports experience that when in tennis we have a big advantage and we feel that the opponent has lost or is simply weakening – this is the moment when the most important thing is the ability to “tighten the screw”. There is no room for slowing down or letting go, such behaviour is a huge threat and in many cases ends up with problems with keeping the result and often losing the match.

And in business – during 25 years of work for many international companies, but also Polish ones, I saw from the inside very well-developing organizations that achieved market and financial successes, won numerous awards – and suddenly something went wrong. Very often too much self-confidence mixed with audacity and a sense of invincibility led to serious crises. Similarly to sports, in business the conditions prevailing on the market can change dynamically. Here, the lack of reflection and the proverbial “bang your head against the wall” will not have a positive impact on business. It should be noted that reflexes and precision are key both in business and in tennis. The ability to read the opponent and match specific actions to the prevailing situation – on the market and on the court – also proves irreplaceable. It is the right timing that can be the key to building an advantage. In both fields, success depends on the ability to react quickly to dynamically changing conditions and make good decisions at key moments. In tennis, players must react quickly to the opponent’s movements and hit the ball precisely to gain an advantage. In business, leaders must quickly adapt strategies to changing market conditions and precisely implement decisions to remain competitive.

Every entrepreneur should remember that pride comes before a fall. Similarly in tennis, and in business, a comprehensive strategy of action that takes into account many possible scenarios is key. Preparing contingency plans ensures flexibility and allows for speed of action, even in crisis situations in the organization. Current market analysis, receiving signals from outside and updating – even the already implemented – strategy can affect not only the final result of the match, but also the financial situation of the company. Many years of experience in business have also shown me more than once that it is the control of emotions, the ability to “read people” and reflexes that are the key to success.