Andy Murray has become the first Briton in 77 years to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon, with victory over the world number one, Novak Djokovic. With talk of knighthoods, multi-million pound advertising deals and the world at his feet, what lessons can business owners take from Andy’s amazing triumph?
1. Have a clear objective – Andy’s goal was to be Wimbledon Champion and his focus was exclusively on activities which would achieve this aim. Andy’s physical transformation and fitness was a vital factor, especially in view of the sizzling temperature and hard fought rallies. Do you know your key objectives and is your activity and energy closely aligned to these?
2. Find the right people to help you achieve your goal – Andy dedicated his victory to his coach, Ivan Lendl, who despite many victories had never won Wimbledon. So why did Andy do this? Because he was acknowledging the significant contribution that Ivan had made to his winning performance by learning from previous losses and translating these lessons into future wins. Andy also acknowledged during his speech the other professional team members who had played their part in achieving this goal. Murray’s tremendous victory showed that with the right people and planning, anything is possible.
3. Work hard and never give up – Andy sacrificed his teenage years to achieve his dream and has transformed from a scrawny youth to a strong and immensely physically fit athlete. Andy has also suffered his fair share of defeats and disappointments but he never wavered from his belief and determination to achieve his potential. We are all guilty of wanting to give up or throw in the towel at the first sign of failure but do you have what it takes to learn from these setbacks and build a robust plan to make success more likely the next time around? Having the right mental attitude and approach to your strategy is a formidable ally.
Well done Andy Murray and thank you for putting the ‘feel good factor’ back into the nation. He has proved that with hard work and determination, anything is possible.
By Bruce Ramshaw
Principal Consultant