Whether you love or hate tennis, you’ve got to admire the focus, grit, tenacity and sheer determination to winroger-federer-davis-cup of champions like Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

All champions, regardless of the sport, exhibit similar characteristics when it comes to mindset.

Characteristics which are shared by all truly successful business people.

A recent interview with Federer after he’d lost in the third round of the 2015 Australian Open in Melbourne provides an excellent example of how a champion thinks.

Take responsibility for the outcome.

Ultimately, he’s out there facing his opponent, alone. The conditions are the same for both parties. The same sun, heat, shade and surface.

Federer never once blamed external circumstances for his loss. There was no “poor me” or victim mentality. He didn’t blame his coach, the umpire, linesmen or ball boys. Nor did he throw a tantrum as many others have been wont to do.

Get out there and do your best

While he didn’t feel up to the mark on the day, he still got out there and did his best. Something we saw with Djokovic in the final when at times it looked like he couldn’t stand.

Watch your mental and emotional state

Federer felt he’d put himself under tremendous pressure and made mistakes because of it. Sometimes you need to relax into the rhythm even though the stakes are very high. Being stressed inhibits your ability to think.

Take calculated risks

Federer felt he should have taken 80% of the risks he took and played it safe at times. Going all out in this case put more pressure on himself and caused more mistakes.

Business is no different. You need to calculate the risk/reward ratio and not let your emotions rule.

And finally,

Take time out to recoup and regroup

Federer talked about the need to step back and figure out what he needs to do to prepare for the 2015 summer season. Time off, intensity of training etc.

You need to work out the game plan before the match, knowing that you may have to be flexible and adjust depending on your opponent.

In business you need to step out on a regular basis, take a helicopter view and work on your plan. It’s very difficult to make good decisions when you’re in the middle of fighting fires.

There you have it. I don’t know if any of this resonated with you. Feel free to let us know.

Barbara & Rashid.

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