Marc Walder’s Post

Today's Thought: A Champion's Mindset A story from Roger Federer. "𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. In the 1,526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches. But what percentage of points did I win? 54% In other words, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐛𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲. When you lose every second point on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot. You teach yourself to think: 'Okay, I double faulted...it's only a point.' 'Okay, I came to the net and I got passed again...it's only a point.' Even a great shot, an overhead backhand smash that ends up on ESPN's top 10 playlist – that too 𝗶𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁. Here's why I'm telling you this. When you're playing a point, it has to be the most important thing in the world. And it is. 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 point after that with intensity, clarity, and focus. The truth is, whatever game you play in life, sometimes you are going to lose a point, a match, a season, a job - it's a rollercoaster with many ups and downs. You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments. That is to me the sign of a champion. The best in the world are not the best because they win every point. 𝑰𝒕'𝒔 𝒃𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒍 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒊𝒕." –Roger Federer, Dartmouth College Commencement Address

Roger Federer is my favorite tennis player. Here is what everyone should know: Despite winning 20 Grand Slam titles, and 80% of all the matches he played, 🎾 He only won 𝟱𝟰% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 he played. He is still the GOAT. 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲. I’ve often heard people say, “I wish my perfectionism would go away.” 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗛𝗢𝗪? If you’ve tried all the tips to overcome perfectionism and still feel stuck, I invite you to explore your underlying beliefs about perfectionism. “𝗜𝗳 ___ 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁___.” ❇️ How is this belief serving you? ❇️ How can you shift this belief into something more empowering? 🎾What does imperfection bring❓ 1️⃣ 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 What’s fun if you were already perfect and had nothing left to learn or improve? 2️⃣ 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 It is your superpower to build trust and real connections. 3️⃣ 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺 Letting go of perfection gives you energy back to take couragous and creative actions. 𝗖𝗧𝗔 – 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺? #perfectionism #leadership #selfleadership

LEARN FROM THE CHAMPIONS: ROGER FEDERER'S TENNIS LESSONS FOR LIFE. Discover this series of three unforgettable "Tennis Lessons for life" shared recently by the Swiss Legend during his inspirational Dartmouth College speech. LESSON #1:  EFFORTLESS IS A MYTH! "Here is the first lesson: Effortless is a myth! I mean it, I say it to someone who has heard that word a lot: effortless. People would say my play was effortless. Most of the time they meant it as a compliment, but it used to frustrate me when they would say: he barely broke a sweat or he is even trying. The truth is, I had to work very hard to make it look easy. I spent years whining, swearing, sorry, throwing my racket before I learned to keep my cool. The wake up call came early in my career when an opponent at the Italian Open publicly question my mental discipline. He said: Roger will be the favorite for the first 2 hours. Then I'll be the favorite after that. I was puzzled at first, but eventually I realized what he was trying to say. Everybody can play well the first 2 hours. You're fit, you're fast, you're clear and after 2 hours your legs get wobbly. Your mind starts wandering and your discipline starts to fade. It made me understand I have so much work ahead of me and I'm ready to go on this journey. I get it [...] So I started to train harder, a lot harder actually. But then I realized winning effortlessly is the ultimate achievement. I got that reputation because of my warm ups at the tournaments were so casual that people didn't think I've been training hard, but it had been working hard before the tournament when nobody was watching [...] Hopefully, like me, you learn that effortless is a myth. I didn't get where I got thanks to pure talent alone. I got there by trying to outwork my opponents. I believed in myself, but believe in yourself has to be earned [...] To amplify your game and expand your options, you need a whole arsenal of strengths. So if one of them breaks down, you've got something left. When your game is clicking like that, winning is easy, relatively. Then there are days when you just feel broken. Your back hurts. Your knee hurts. I had that a lot. Maybe you're a little sick or scared. But you still find the way to win. And those are the victories we can be most proud of. Because they prove that you can win not just when you're at your best, but especially when you aren't [...] Yes, talent matters. I'm not going to stand here and tell you it doesn't. But talent has a broad definition. Most of the time, it's not about having a gift. It's about having grit. In tennis a great forehand can be called a talent. But in tennis, like in life, discipline is also a talent. And so is patience. Trusting yourself is a talent. Embracing the process, loving the process is a talent. Managing your life. Managing yourself. These can be talents too." #winningmindset #workhard

Such an inspiring article by Ranjan Moitra..A must read..

Roger Federer from his commencement address at Dartmouth: "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. When you lose every second point, on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot. You teach yourself to think: Ok, I double -faulted. It's only a point. Ok, I came to the net and I got passed again. It's only a point. Even a great shot, an overhead backhand smash that ends up on ESPN's Top Ten plays: that, too, is just a point. Here's why I'm telling you this. 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. T 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. The best in the world are not the best because they win every point... It's because they know they'll lose... again and again... and have learned how to deal with it. You accept it. Cry it out if you need to.... then force a smile. You move on. Be relentless. Adapt and grow. Work harder. Work smarter. Remember: Work Smarter." So good.

“Even top ranked tennis players win barely more than half of the points they play” Mindset is everything in professional sport, business and life. It’s something I’m working so hard on with myself now. Wimbledon’s just started so this works well: In the 1,526 singles matches Roger Federer played, he won 80% of those matches. Now, what percentage or points do you think he won? Only 54%!!! When you lose that much, every second point it works out. You learn to not dwell on things. The content you post flops. You don’t get a call back. The email you send doesn’t get a reply. It’s only a point. Although each point has to be the most important thing in the world when you are playing it. When it’s behind you, it’s behind you. This mindset is crucial, it allows you to fully commit to what’s next. The next point. The more points you play the more chance you have to win one. Keep posting the content. Keep calling. Keep emailing. All about the next point. Harriet Dart match point video from last week on Center Court at the Eastbourne International.

Tennis and life lessons. From Farnam Street (and Roger Federer) Insights “Perfection is impossible. In the 1526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches. Now, I have a question for you. What percentage of 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. When you lose every second point on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot. You teach yourself to think, okay, I double-faulted ... it's only a point. Okay, I came to the net, then I got passed again; it's only a point. Even a great shot, an overhead backhand smash that ends up on ESPN's top 10 playlist. That, too, is just a point. And here's why I'm telling you this. When you're playing a point, it has to be the most important thing in the world, and it is. 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 point after that, with intensity, clarity, and focus. You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments. That is, to me, the sign of a champion. The best in the world are not the best because they win every point. It's because they lose again and again and have learned how to deal with it. You accept it. Cry it out if you need to and force a smile.” — Roger Federer

You can put a lot of effort into optimally positioning yourself in the wrong market domain. The "where to play" choice of strategy is about understanding your portfolio of addressable market opportunities, assessing their relative attractiveness and choosing between them. "Where to play represents the set of choices that narrow the competitive field," write A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin. "The questions to be asked focus on where the company will compete—in which markets, with which customers and consumers, in which channels, in which product categories, and at which vertical stage or stages of the industry in question." The “where to play” decision matters because it is usually hard to reverse and domains vary in their potential for value creation. McKinsey's Chris Bradley, Martin Hirt and Sven Smit illustrate the latter point with a sports analogy involving tennis star Roger Federer: "[W]hat if Federer played badminton? He would face Lin Dan, the champion in that sport. Each man may be the best ever in his respective game [...]. But Dan doesn’t make anywhere near what Federer does—and he never will. That’s because Dan has an industry disadvantage. A top-10 tennis player makes 10 to 20 times what a top-10 player in any other racket sport earns." #strategy

It's already been 6 months since I posted on LinkedIn... 📬 While I'll be back with some news very soon 🥁 I wanted to kickoff with some incredible wisdom from the best tennis player of all time 🎾 🏆 Here is what Roger Federer said about how to live life one point at a time, wether in success or defeat : "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. When you lose every second point, on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot. You teach yourself to think: OK, I double-faulted. It’s only a point. OK, I came to the net and I got passed again. It’s only a point. Even a great shot, an overhead backhand smash that ends up on ESPN’s Top Ten Plays: that, too, is just a point. Here’s why I am telling you this 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. The best in the world are not the best because they win every point... It’s because they know they’ll lose... again and again… and have learned how to deal with it. You accept it. Cry it out if you need to... then force a smile. You move on. Be relentless. Adapt and grow. Work harder. Work smarter. Remember: work smarter." Is there much more to add ? 🤯 Source : his graduation speech at Dartmouth College in the United States

Roger Federer is one of the greatest athletes of all time. His career is exceptional for many reasons, including its length. Many tennis players peak in their late 20s. Federer continued to be a dominant force well into his late 30s. Here's how—and what we can learn from it: Federer's trajectory wasn't straight upward. After dominating the sport for nearly a decade, he suffered a slew of injuries in his early thirties. He did not win a single championship between 2013-2016, and was forced to drop out of multiple tournaments. Many believed age was finally catching up to him. Then something remarkable happened. In 2017, the year in which he turned 36, Federer had an incredible season. He won 54 matches and lost only 5. It was the best winning percentage of his career. He captured 2 major championships and was ranked number 2 in the world—at an age after most pro tennis players retire. Federer's comeback and longevity are attributable to two factors: 1. His unwavering love of tennis and dedication to competition and excellence. 2. His ability to adapt over time. Most people reach a point in their careers when they become resistant to change. They are happy to keep doing things the way they always have. Federer is not like most people. To overcome his rough patch, Federer made a number of adjustments: -Focused more on rest and recovery. -Played at the net to shorten points so he wouldn't need to run for hours against younger opponents. -Learned a new one-handed backhand to conserve energy. -Switched to a new racket, abandoning the one he'd used his entire career. “The back injury in 2013 gave me the opportunity to look at the picture on a broader scale rather than just think I need to get my back straight and then I'll be fine again and we'll go back to the status quo," Federer explains. "You can be stubborn and successful or you change things around. For me, it's important to have a bit of both," says Federer. "Everything keeps evolving and changing. I've always been quite open about it." Here's the key lesson: Federer held on to his core values of competition and excellence, as well as his love of tennis. But when confronted with the inevitability of aging, he was flexible in how he practiced those core values. It's a model for all of us to follow. This post was excerpted from my book Master of Change. It's available wherever books are sold, and currently 40 percent off on Amazon. For more insights on performance and excellence, be sure to follow along here.