Leadership lessons from the squash court
April 18, 2011 by janet · Leave a Comment
My muscles ache, I am short of breath, and my shirt is soaked with perspiration. No, I am not having a heart attack, it’s just my squash night.
But as I sit on the bench recovering from my game, I am not thinking about my aches and pains, I am thinking about leadership styles.
Everyone on the squash court has a different style. The young guys in court 1 are hitting the ball impressively hard and fast, while the older players in court 3 are playing with a much more seasoned approach. That seasoning means that they will be playing good squash long after their youth and power are gone.
Career success is like this too. It’s easy to command respect, authority and action based on power alone. But power is transient and not always in your control. You can lose it with acquisitions and re-drawing of organisational charts. You don’t control those. But you do control your style – your approach to the game. Here is what the squash court has reminded me about leadership:
1. Sometimes your best shot isn’t straight ahead of you.
A squash court is a 360 degree playing field, but I tend to hit most shots to the front wall. Seasoned squash players take advantage of the angles. Have you looked around lately? Is there a move you could be making to your left or your right that might serve you better in the long run? Use all of your walls. Instead of pushing relentlessly toward a single goal, take a minute to look around for a better path – something more motivating, more fun, or more strategic.
2. You don’t have to wait for the rebound.
There is nothing that irritates me more than watching that ball take a bad bounce and die at my feet. Why didn’t I just hit it sooner? Sometimes when I wait, it becomes unreturnable – what a wasted opportunity. When I just take a step forward, I control the outcome.
3. Never give up.
A bigger reach – a quicker sprint…I am amazed at the impossible shots I have actually hit when my brain doesn’t stand in my way. My body is capable of more than I give it credit for. When I change my mindset, I change the result. When I believe that anything is ‘gettable’, I return more shots.
What in life aren’t your reaching for? Go for it. It’s your game.
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