Chairman Hindustan Unilever Ltd, Independent Director Infosys, Board member at Heineken and Indian School of Business (ISB)/Former Chief People & Transformation Officer/Chief Operating Officer Unilever
I love sport and have been a Federer fan for years. I love cricket too but this post s not about the fabulous T20 win last Saturday. This is about a recent video I saw of Federer...no, not playing tennis but addressing students at a university. Highly recommended, if you can lay hands on it. One of the most telling statistic he shared was that over his entire career while he won 20 grand slams...and 84% of all matches, he won ONLY 54% of all points played! I must admit I was shocked by that statistic. That one of the finest players to have played the sport won just a little over half the points played. I would have guessed the number to be in the mid to high sixties at least. But then on reflection it brought home a few important points. - champions are champions because they they do things 'just a little better' than others. the difference between a little more than half the points and a little less than half is 20 grand slams! It is the proverbial, last quarter of an inch that makes all the difference. - But more importantly it drive the realisation that NOT ALL POINTS ARE EQUAL. Champions know how to win the points that really matter. The big points. The game changing ones! And interestingly that has to do with their mental strength. About will and belief and not with skill! Food for thought?
Another big takeaway was his integrity. What he has always been and what came out in this speech. I remember I too was struck by the 54percent statistic but even more struck that he spoke about it. None of us knew this, or needed to know it, but he stated it himself to de- mystify his success and encourage others. This is high level security and integrity. Character and integrity pays!
Nitin Paranjpe I was also awestruck by the Federer stat - only 52% ?!! As I have been thinking about it: It’s about the”right”, important, high stake and high pressure ones he won. I think it’s also about “moving on” and not ruminating about a lost point but rapidly switching focus to make sure he wins the next one. Do we do this equally deftly!
Thank you, Nitin Paranjpe sir. Important lessons drawn here. This quote from legendary basketball player #MichaelJordan is equally telling "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." Like you said, it's just that they kept trying and won little more than others.
**Marginal Gains and Mental Strength** I am sharing a small brief of what I have heard of Mr. Nitin Paranjpe, which mirrors his insightful reflections on Roger Federer. Mr. Nitin is a dedicated table tennis player who, during his college days, consistently rose to the occasion to win major tournaments. His confidence in securing championships when it truly mattered is a testament to his mental strength and understanding of crucial points. This same principle applied in his professional life as well. As the South Branch Manager, Mr. Nitin faced a significant challenge when traders in Kerala boycotted due to increased retail margins. His adept handling of the situation not only resolved the crisis but also set a benchmark for the entire FMCG industry. Had he not managed it well, it could have triggered a domino effect across the sector. Mr. Nitin's story is a powerful example of how marginal gains and mental resilience can lead to remarkable achievements, both in sports and business. ---
Wow. Amazing stats. Thanks for sharing this wonderful insight Nitin. Champions know how to win by being more smarter than their competition by choosing right points and move on to win one step or should I say one point at a time.
The 54% is not surprising and expected. Roger Federer always played against other world class champions. Hence the small difference. Had he played against a high school champ he would have won 100% of points. But he always played against players who were almost as good as him. He just maintained a “small” edge consistently over long run. That made him the champion. This small edge could come from more practise, great fitness or something as trivial as sleeping right, eating right all the time! The key is he maintained this small edge over years not days! This is also true for most other competitive situations in life.
He could have won 65% of the games, 75% of the sets and 85% of the matches. Constructing a win is more important. Like Bjorn Borg said you need to make sure you hit the ball one more time across the net than your opponent.
It’s such an interesting topic Nitin. It has a similarity to playing poker as the best tennis players know when to not waste their energy chasing points or even games that don’t really matter. They conserve their energy to get the break point or to save the break point. It’s all about playing tactical, strategic game play. Sometimes you have to put in the hard yards, the effort, and other times you can relax or let the odd one go for the greater good.
This is an amazing perspective Nitin. In this case it is 'Thoda Zyada' that makes all the difference. That thoda zyada can also mean the little differences one brings to the table.
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2wWhile I appreciate the powerful comparison, the statistic is not really surprising. In pro tennis the person serving has a huge advantage. Hence, most of the time, the person serving wins a game. So if you win slightly above consistently, it means that you will win the match. What do you think? (Not a expert in tennis at all but your statistics made me think)