Lessons from Rafael Nadal
“I’m responsible whenever I’m in poor form, not my team,” tennis superstar Rafael Nadal said when asked why he has retained every member of his support and coaching team since 2007 by a journalist recently. Such a candid remark is rarely seen in the corporate or the business world where blame game begins the minute something goes wrong.
The hard-headed hire and fire style of American business is a fading art. Collaborative style of leadership is replacing the jingoistic style and people are becoming the best differentiators in an organization. Today’s technology is tomorrow’s commodity, the same cannot be said of people.
Nadal fought back his world number one spot in 2013 after a seven-month injury break in 2012. The injury was serious enough for tennis analysts to almost write him off. And if at all he was back, they thought he’d find it hard to find a place in the top 10.
Nadal’s return, like a raging Matador to the courts early last year, was a dramatic phase in world tennis. Without him the tournaments looked dull for many months. His contemporaries are good but don’t have the court presence like Nadal does, with the exception of Roger Federer.
Instead of expecting fans’ sympathy, he trained hard to give them the old Nadal back. The much-refreshed Rafa looked lean, mean and a bit more polished. Now he appears as if he is going to break everyone’s record in the next three to five years.
Nadal could be the sport’s best model for entrepreneurs – His is a never give up style of playing. He wins largely with aggressive defense, wears down his opponents, and rarely gets perturbed on the court. Off court he is magnanimous with his praise for his opponents.
If anyone is down on motivation and direction, think of Nadal.
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