A Changing Of The Guard
This past Sunday David slayed Goliath as 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz defeated the man many considered the greatest tennis player of all-time, Novak Djokovic. Heading into their much-anticipated Wimbledon finals match-up, four-time defending champion Djokovic had not lost in thirty-four consecutive matches at the All England Club. Defeating him would require a Herculean effort but Alcaraz was up to the challenge.
Djokovic holds the record with twenty-three Grand Slam titles but after playing Alcaraz, he admitted, “I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest.” So what makes Alcaraz the top-ranked player in the world at such a young age and what can other young leaders learn from him to be successful in their areas of discipline?
8 Skills Young Leaders Need To Succeed In Today’s World
After reading Charlie Scott’s article recapping Alcaraz’s win in The Athletic, I gleaned eight skills young leaders need to succeed in today’s world:
Start Well
You never have to recover from a good start. Alcaraz did a wonderful job handling Djokovic’s serve. He would break Djokovic’s serve five times during their match. Interestingly, the reigning champion had previously lost only three games over his previous six matches.
From the initial serve in each match, Alcaraz performed with excellence.
Execute Under Pressure
Tom Brady said, “To me what separates really good players from great players – execute well under pressure. The biggest game. The biggest stage. That’s what playing quarterback is all about.” And it is what playing championship tennis is all about as well.
The championship match between Alcaraz and Djokovic was high-stakes to say the very least. However, during this pressure-packed event, Alcaraz hit sixty-six winners compared to Djokovic’s thirty-two. He executed under pressure.
For more leadership quotes from Brady, read 60 Leadership Quotes From Tom Brady And Peyton Manning.
Avoid Unnecessary Mistakes
The first part of learning how to win is learning how not to lose.
Young leaders are going to make mistakes. In fact, this is a good thing as it provides opportunities for learning and growth. However, it is reckless and unforced errors which you want to avoid.
During their match, Alcaraz made only five more unforced errors than Djokovic.
Relentlessly Work On Mastering Your Craft
Prior to Wimbledon, Alcaraz had only played three tournaments on grass, never winning a championship. However, the speed at which he has mastered the surface is stunning.
Alcaraz was committed getting in as much time as possible playing on grass. He said, “Every time that I get out to the court playing, it’s better for me. I get more experience, that is really, really important on that surface.”
The work Alcaraz put in certainly paid off. Djokovic admitted, “I thought I’d have trouble with you on hard courts and on clay but not on grass… I must say the slices, the kind of chipping returns, the net play; it’s very impressive. I didn’t expect him to play so well this year on grass, but he’s proven that he’s the best player in the world, no doubt.”
Add Value As Many Ways As Possible
It is nice to have a single marketable skill but having range makes you even more valuable as a young leader. People with the ability to do many things well and fill in multiple organizational gaps are in great demand.
As an example, what makes Alcaraz the current top player in the world is his ability to win on multiple surfaces. Djokovic said, “He’s playing some fantastic tennis on different surfaces and he deserves to be where he is.”
Press Into Pressure
Pressure is a constant in today’s world. It simply cannot be avoided. Therefore, young leaders must have the ability to deal with it.
Prior to their finals match, Alcaraz was asked what the hardest thing was about playing Djokovic. He said, “Well, the pressure. I would say the pressure that he puts on everyone — not only me, everyone — to play at their best for about three hours in a grand slam.”
Acknowledging pressure and dealing with it are two different things. Alcaraz made the decision to press into pressure rather than shrinking from it. He knew pressure is a reminder you are doing something meaningful and important. Alcaraz said, “I have to deal with that, but it is something that I really want. I hope to play a final here against him. For me, this probably is the toughest thing facing Novak.”
What was Djokovic’s thoughts of how Alcaraz handled the pressure of a Wimbledon final? He said, “Credit to Carlos. Amazing poise in the important moments. For someone of his age to handle the nerves like this, be playing attacking tennis, and to close out the match the way he did… I thought I returned very well that last game, but he was just coming up with some amazing, amazing shots.”
Be Resilient
Djokovic continued, “He’s got this mental resilience and real maturity for someone who is 20 years old. It’s quite impressive. He’s got this Spanish-bull mentality of competitiveness and fighting spirit and incredible defense that we’ve seen with Rafa (Nadal) over the years.”
For a deeper dive into the leadership lessons of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, read 10 Leadership Lessons From The Top 10 Men’s Tennis Players Of All-Time and 4 Things All Up-And-Coming Leaders Must Be Willing To Learn respectively.
Be Adaptable
Finally, young leaders simply cannot be rigid. They will be asked to do a variety of things to help the organization and a willingness to do so will set them apart from others.
In fact, adaptability is not only a current strength of Alcaraz but it is something which help him him develop a sustainable career. Notice these insights from Djokovic, “And I think he’s got some nice sliding backhands that he’s got some similarities with my backhands. Yeah, two-handed backhands, defense, being able to adapt. I think that has been my strength for many years. He has it, too.”
He continues, “I haven’t played a player like him ever, to be honest. Roger and Rafa have their own strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is a very complete player; amazing adapting capabilities that I think are a key for longevity and for a successful career on all surfaces.”
***BONUS*** Let Others Praise You
Just an observation from the quotes above. I was struck by the humility of the young champion. Did you notice now many came from Djokovic and few came from Alcaraz? Djokovic is quoted seven times in this article vs. only once from Alcaraz. 7:1 is not a bad ratio.
As a young leader it would serve you well to listen seven times as often as you speak. There is a difference between exposure and experience. Honor those who have gone before you by listening to their words, learning from their experience, and then implementing their advice.
Conclusion
If you want to be a successful young leader in today’s world, do the eight items listed above. And if you want to have sustainable success for the foreseeable future, develop amazing adapting capabilities. It worked for Acaraz and will work for you as well.
My latest eBook is available for download. The Top 65 Leadership Quotes Of 2022 Part 1 is a resource every leader should have. Great quotes bring clarity and put into words who we intuitively feel as leaders. They give us wisdom and insights which advance the mission and vision of our organizations. This eBook includes thoughts and insights from leaders like Warren Buffett, Nick Saban, James Clear, Dawn Staley, Jurgen Klopp, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Ted Lasso. This resource will take you about 10 minutes to read but a lifetime to apply. You will want to stop and ponder the implications of each quote. Click HERE or on the image provided for immediate download!