Roger Federer: Foundations of Leadership

I am a huge sports fan. If you ask my lovely wife, she will say that I probably watch sports 24/7 if possible. I grew up with sports, played sports, and have always loved the action and the stories associated with sports.

I am an avid football/soccer fan that loves watching Manchester United. I am up on weekends early to watch matches. I also enjoy watching MLS matches and hope that the league continues to improve and that one day we will have one system in the United States that includes relegation and promotion, but that is for another show. Besides soccer, college basketball and football are my next favorite sports. The desire and willingness to put everything on the line by the players and the unrivaled support of the fans makes each game so enjoyable.

I also watch many other sports, even curling, darts, and this summer was sucked into the America’s Cup competition in Bermuda where New Zealand literally sailed away from the United States with the trophy.

Wimbledon crowned their champions in the men’s and lady’s tournament in July. For the men, Roger Federer won his 8^th Wimbledon title and took his total of Grand Slam titles to 19, more than any other man in tennis history.

If you have ever had the chance to watch Federer, you have had the enjoyment of watching the beauty of an athlete in motion as well as the mental game that is needed throughout the match. Knowing not only what shots to make during each point but also making those shots, is beautiful to watch.

There are three things that I see as foundational pieces that not only make Roger Federer the greatest tennis player of all time, but are also foundational pieces to great leadership.

Humility

Roger Federer is considered by many as one of the most humble players on the tour. You might think he has always been on top but that is not true and that plays into his humility.

He became a professional in 1998 but his first tournament win was not until 2001 at the Milan Indoor Tournament. This was the beginning of an outstanding career and from 2002-2012, he won multiple titles each year. In 2013, he suffered a knee and back injury that kept him out of tennis and could have ended his career. However, he continued to work hard and relearn how to play following the injuries. He did not consider himself to deserve better treatment and got back to where he was before encountering more difficulties in 2016 with another knee injury. His willingness to continue to work hard showed in winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon in this year.

Today’s society often defines humility as being weak, but in truth humility is the willingness of a person to be in a place of continual learning and knowing you must work harder than others. A leader must truly take on the role that continues to work harder than others and to learn. You need to remember a leader is not there to be served but to serve others. This is a lesson that Jesus even stated when asked why he came, and he states, “I did not come to be served but to serve.”

Humility does not mean weak, a leader needs strength along with humility to continue to take the stands that are needed in an organization, to continue to learn and be aware of the trends in the world, and to continue to work harder than anyone else in the company.

Consistency

Roger became a professional in 1998 and has been continually ranked in the top 10 from Oct 2002 to Nov 2016. He is currently ranked 3 in the world. He has won at least one title in 15 consecutive years. He has reached the finals of 29 men’s singles Grand Slam events, which included 10 in a row from 2005 Wimbledon to the 2007 US Open. He has 93 career titles which includes the following:

Australian Open: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2017

French Open: 2009

Wimbledon: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2017

US Open: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

Consistency is a major part of leadership. An organization feels secure when the leadership is consistent in how they operate and perform over many years. This does not mean they are not innovative or do not change. It is often in consistency that most organizations are creative and innovative and open to change that needs to happen in order to be successful. When the leader operates in a consistent manner with fairness across the board, then an organization will continue to follow.

However, if you are a leader and you are not consistent in your values, your treatment of others or how you lead, then it causes division, and people do not feel valued. This leads an organization towards division and ultimately to failure.

Respect

Sam Querrey, an American tennis player that participated in this year’s Wimbledon Championship, on Dan Patrick said that other players will watch Federer’s match when they are in the lounge. He is a nice guy and very respected. Sam did wish Roger was a little bit of a jerk so you feel good when he loses.

As a leader, you need to have respect and trust from those you lead and from colleagues. Respect is not given it is earned. It is earned through hard work and consistency. When you do have the respect of your team, you must guard it because it is only given once and can be taken away very easily.

As Roger Federer continues his legacy in tennis, I would ask you, what do you want your legacy to be as a leader, or as a person in your organization? Are you willing to walk a life of humility, looking to continue to learn and discover new thoughts, ideas, trends, and to work harder than anyone else? Are you willing to be consistent in all you do? Not only saying you will do something but actually doing it.

If you are, then you will gain the respect of your colleagues, those who lead you and the team you lead. You will find it opens doors for you even when others are closed.

These three foundational items have been how I have tried to lead. I never think I am the smartest one in the room, because others have the intellect and talent that I do not possess. To be a great leader, I realize that I need those on my team more than I need my intellect and talent for some projects. And in it, I try to be consistent in my words, in how I treat people, and how I live my life. If I am able to do this, I am a better leader, and more importantly a better person. In the end, I found I have garnered the respect from individuals both in my industry and outside of my industry as well as in my organization and outside of my organization. I need to continue to be humble and consistent to keep that respect.

I challenge you today to begin your legacy. I believe in you and know you can be the Roger Federer of your industry and organization.

Leaders Need to Read: A Tool for Success

I recently started a podcast as another platform to discuss leadership, strategic foresight, organizational behavior, and innovation. It has provided a great opportunity to interview leaders in various industries and listen to their stories and what has made them successful. I believe as a leader you need to continually invest in your growth in order to move your organization to another level of success. Growth is vital as a leader because, as Marcus Lemonis states, "Leadership is about reinventing ourselves." This does not mean we change who we are but we grow and become a more experienced leader.

Not only is talking with other leaders a great way to grow, but something every leader needs to have in their tool belt to be successful is the desire or will to read. Reading is a great source for our continued development. Whether it is learning more about organizational strategies, leadership issues, personal development or to gain ideas that you can implement into your organization, reading is important.

As a leader, it is important to read books not only associated with your industry, but outside of your industry as well. I look to read books from different industries along with biographies, historical pieces, plus personal development books.

The following are books I have read that I would recommend. 

Team of Teams - New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World 

by General Stanley McChrystal

In a day and age when the old systems seem to continue to operate with not much success, General McChrystal writes about one the biggest organizations that is cemented in their ways, the military. He provides insights into the new type of organization needed to fight in today's world and how that can be translated into the business world. The chief issue that mires organizations in their failures is a lack of communication. McChrystal writes, "Most organizations are more concerned with how best to control information (internally) than how best to share it." 

Leading

by Sir Alex Ferguson with Michael Mortiz

As an avid Manchester United supporter, I have been a fan of Sir Alex for many years. He is the most decorated British manager in football winning 38 trophies in 26 years of management, which includes 13 Premier League Titles, 5 FA Cups, and 2 UEFA Champions Leagues. Sir Alex writes about want true leadership means to an organization. He writes, "My job was to make everyone understand the impossible was possible. That's the difference between leadership and management." This is one of many principles that can be taken an implemented as a leader. 

How Chance and Stupidity Have Changed History - The Hinge Factor

by Erik Durschmied

Erik Durschmied begins his book with an opening quote from Carl von Clausewitz in his book On War (1832). It states, "Chance and uncertainty are two of the most common and most important elements in warfare." The same can be true about business. As a lifelong fan of history, this book provided interesting background to a few of the world's most significant battles. It shows how little mistakes and chances can change an outcome, which can be the same in the organization you might lead. 

The Seven Decisions - Understanding the Keys to Personal Success

by Andy Andrews

The bookstores and libraries are full of the newest "self-help" books and how we can become a better self today. Andy Andrews goes beyond the subject of self-help and offers an outline, a foundation constructed from seven daily decisions we can make in order to be successful. Andrews believes that it comes down to two decisions, a committed heart or an undecided heart. "Most people fail at whatever they attempt because of an undecided heart. Success requires the emotional balance of a committed heart. When confronted with a challenge, the committed heart will search for a solution. The undecided heart searches for an escape."

Food - A Love Story

by Jim Gaffigan

Finally, you always need a "fun" book on a list to read. I am a huge fan of Jim Gaffigan and found this book a few years ago. If you have seen any of his stand=up routines, you will know that Jim enjoys food. This book provides you a little inside look at this favorite topic. Jim goes so far as to divide the United States into different "food lands." They include "Seabugland, Super Bowl Sunday Foodland, Seakland, Mexican Foodland, Easting BBQLand, Wineland, Food Anxietyland, Coffeeland, Blubberland, and Luauland." This is a light, enjoyable book to relax your mind and give yourself a rest.

You can see from this list, that they do not all come from the business section of the bookstore. However, each book has significant amount of information that can be related to your organization and your leadership. From team building and new operational process, to being more confident and being aware of the small decisions, these books become great tools for your development. Who knows, you might even be inspired by Jim Gaffigan.