I recently saw Martina Navratilova was at the Australian Open, that great event in the heart of Melbourne. It got me thinking about two things. Tennis and Skateboarding! Yes the two were my life for the best part of 8 years.
During this time, I played with a beautiful wood Martina racquet (tucked a few tournament and Saturday championships in my pocket) And when I wasn’t playing tennis, I raced around our concrete tennis court, over the cracks and under the net like I was speed skating at the Olympics on my trusty bright yellow skateboard. As I look back, and my family will attest, I’m lucky there were no emergency trips to the hospital with all my skateboarding antics. A couple of skinned knees and elbows for sure.
There were lessons I learned then that I’m sure have contributed to my leadership. Here’s a round up.
1. Persistence – Keep your eye on the target. I spent hours hitting balls (volleys) against the 10th board of our weatherboard house. And weeks perfecting a fast corner turn on my skateboard.
2. Go for Better and Best – Erase expectations from your thinking. Improvement comes from striving to do better, not expecting or going for the win, but doing your best. The wins follow.
3. Technique Matters – Being coached is the way to go. We went to a tennis coaching clinic for country kids in the Summer holidays. I learned a technique for a slice backhand – awkward to start but pretty fast and effective once I got my eye in. Be open to change.
4. Capability – Know you’re enough just the way you are. Know what you’re capable of. How hard can you push yourself, how close to the line can you serve that ball and how close to the corner can you skate before having to turn it hit the grass.
5. Conditions – Know when the conditions are favourable and know when they aren’t. Have patience, your turn will come again. Sometimes you get one chance to make that shot – make it, even if it spins in off the edge of the racket.
Over to You
Do any of these lessons resonate for you and your job, business, leadership role today? Have you leadership lessons from when you were younger? How do they play out in your work and life today?
