I have written much about Apex Leaders. These individuals have reached the top of their professions and are the best at what they do. The interesting thing about Apex Leaders is they have practices average people like you and me can incorporate to get better ourselves.
in the August 28th edition of Sports Illustrated, writer L. Jon Wertheim wrote an incredible profile on an Apex Leader named Roger Federer, the best tennis player in the world.
As I read Wertheim’s article, I gleaned 11 Practices Of Apex Leaders you can incorporate into your own leadership:
- Apex Leaders Produce Superior Results – Federer has won a record eight Wimbledon championships and 19 majors overall.
- Apex Leaders Are Creatives And Artists – Federer performs tennis more than he plays it.
- Apex Leaders Keep Non-Essentials To A Minimum – Federer’s decision-making style is efficient and maximizes output. Great leaders have a utilitarian nature about them.
- Apex Leaders Ruthlessly Self Evaluate And Make The Necessary Changes To Continually Improve – After going 17 majors without a title, Federer made changes with rackets, coaches and playing partners.
- Apex Leaders Are Risk Takers – To gain his winning edge back, Federer also took the risk of beginning one-hand backhands.
- Apex Leaders Understand The Value Of Self-Leadership – Federer takes a long-term view as he manages his playing time so he peaks at the right times.
- Apex Leaders Fight Complacency With Competition – Steve Jobs had Bill Gates. Amazon has Google. Tom Brady had Peyton Manning. Federer embraces rivalries because they force him to continually improve his considerable skills.
- Apex Leaders Respect Their Competition – Federer sees his opponents as “colleagues” rather than “enemies.”
- Apex Leaders Have A Sense Of Peace And Calm – Federer plays in an unruffled manner and often has a smile on his face. This type of behavior brings security to those you lead in times of crisis.
- Apex Leaders Are Thermostats, Not Thermometers – They set the temperature rather than reflect it. Because Federer plays which such class and dignity, it has trickled down to the majority of players on the tour and forced them to conduct themselves in a similar fashion.
- Even Apex Leaders Can Place Their Families First – Federer lives a balanced life and devoted to his family.
What is one thing you learned from Roger Federer that you can incorporate into your leadership?
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