Lessons from Sports for Business Leaders

The Sporting Conundrum: Chasing the Dream, by Krishna Kumar

Roger Federer shedding a tear is now passé. He did it after losing an epic final to bête noire Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon last year. He came close to it at this yearâ??s Australian Open while losing again to the World Number 1. But, why did Federer shed tears as the French Open champion while holding aloft the only trophy he had never won till date?

Were they tears of joy or of ecstasy? Or was it just a plain sense of relief of a man who achieved his dream of becoming a GOAT (Greatest of all Time)? A journey to reach a dream that, in recent times, was littered with seemingly insurmountable hurdles. In his post-match comments, Federer admitted that he could now enjoy playing out the rest of his career without the burden of expectations.

And this begs the question, what happens when you finally realise your dreams?

Sportspersons through the ages have battled this question. After years of brutal hard work, sacrifice and nerve-wracking courage a few achieve the pinnacle of success. They not only become world champions, but beat existing records to climb the highest peaks. In the process they set standards that ordinary mortals find difficult to comprehend. And, once they have tasted the heady elixir of success, it is not uncommon for them to find life at ground level unpalatable.

Modern history is replete with examples of champion sportspersons who have lost themselves to the perils of success. Alcohol and substance abuse, bad marriages and broken relationships, bankruptcy and ill-fame. This is often the other side of the coin, the shiny side of which is sporting superstardom.

History often labels such â??superstars gone badâ?? as people who were unable to manage the fame that accompanied their success. While this could well be true it is equally likely that they were â??magnificently unpreparedâ?? for the phase of life after fulfilling their dream.

A young Apollo, golden haired,
Stands dreaming on the brink of strife.
Magnificently unprepared,
For the long littleness of life.
                        - Rupert Brooke

Whatâ??s next for these great achievers who have fulfilled their dream? Should they not have planned for a life after their achievements? Perhaps, they could have set themselves another dream following the one that they achieved by traversing a back-breaking path.

Or, wishing to live a long, healthy and fulfilled life they can believe that sporting glory is but another step taken in the â??long littleness of life.â??

Dreams are the language of the soul, writes Paulo Coelho in his bestselling novel, The Alchemist. In the novel his protagonist, a shepherd boy called Santiago, seeks the help of many persons â?? a gypsy woman, a king, an alchemist â?? to help realise his dream of travelling to find an extravagant treasure.

The real world is filled with people who are searching to understand the language of their soul. Like Santiago, they too need to seek the help of friends, coaches, mentors and well-wishers to achieve their dreams. They require support to understand their dreams, define clear and achievable goals and develop a path to reach this peak with the minimum of obstacles. Most importantly these coaches are even more critical when the stars get closer to reaching their goals. For, they need to help the superstars answer a crucial questionâ?¦ What Next?

When Federer won the French Open two months ago, he achieved a career Grand Slam of titles. With this yearâ??s Wimbledon, he collected a record 15 Slams. It seems like the â??tears of reliefâ?? has had its desired impact as Federer was back to his composed self while getting the better of a resurgent Andy Roddick.

The Fedex has started rolling again... And Olympic glory at London 2012 could be the next stop!

Krishna Kumar is an engineer, MBA and professional tennis coach who combines
his academic and sporting achievements with his corporate experience
to develop mentoring-for-change programs for senior management
professionals in the information technology industry.
He is founder director of Bangalore-based Intrad Consult,
which has a strategic alliance with Brefi Group.

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