Even Federer Had a Coach

Growing up, there are some great memories from my childhood.

This story is not one.

Well... it kind of is.

But as I've spoken about before, my perspective at the time drove my reality during it.

Mum and Dad worked hard to provide for us kids. Mum was a primary school teacher and Dad had recently stepped away from a lucrative sales career to take up a ministry opportunity that paid considerably less than his previous role.

This was right before "the recession we had to have" and skyrocketing interest rates.

Money wasn't exactly growing on trees.

So after many years of saving, Mum and Dad were finally able to take their first holiday together since before us kids were born.

They were going to Singapore.

Without us.

Rude.

Tennis or Boredom

Now, I loved my grandparents.

But like most 13-year-olds, I didn't particularly want to spend a good chunk of my summer holidays stuck at their house.

Alas, Mum and Dad's plans trumped mine.

And that's when I was introduced to the Australian Open.

My grandparents loved tennis.

I did not.

Over the next couple of weeks, I spent more time watching tennis on their 48cm television than I ever wanted to.

I didn't understand the game.

I had no desire to understand the game.

And back at home, my SEGA Mega Drive and NBA Jam were calling.

I needed to practise.

My older brother still needed to be beaten.

But at Nan and Pop's, my entertainment choices were fairly simple.

Tennis.

Or slightly more boredom.

Tennis won.

And somewhere amongst those endless matches, something must have stuck.

Because many years later, my wife and I started watching tennis together.

And what an era to start watching.

Federer.

Nadal.

Djokovic.

Roddick.

And plenty of others.

Some of the greatest players to ever pick up a racquet, competing at the absolute peak of their powers.

And as a coach, something eventually struck me.

They all had coaches.

Hang On...

Roger Federer had a coach.

Rafael Nadal had a coach.

Novak Djokovic had a coach.

Not because they couldn't play tennis.

Not because their careers were falling apart.

Not because someone had pulled them aside and said:

"Roger, we've noticed you're struggling with this whole tennis thing..."

These were some of the best players in the world.

Yet they still had someone watching.

Someone challenging.

Someone noticing.

Someone helping them make tiny adjustments that could make an enormous difference.

Because when you're operating at that level, improvement isn't necessarily about fixing something that's broken.

Sometimes it's about making something that's already very good even better.

And for some reason, we understand this perfectly well in sport.

But when it comes to leadership, we can see coaching very differently.

"But I'm Not Struggling"

I've encountered the perception that coaching is something you need when things aren't going well.

You're struggling in your role.

You've received difficult feedback.

You're not meeting expectations.

Something needs to be fixed.

And coaching absolutely can help someone navigate those situations.

But that's only part of the picture.

Some of the most valuable coaching conversations happen when things are going well.

When you've just been promoted.

When your team is performing.

When you're being considered for something bigger.

When the business is growing.

When you've achieved what you were working towards and find yourself asking:

What now?

Because success creates its own challenges.

The things that got you here may not be the things that get you there.

Good Is Not the Same as Finished

Imagine telling an elite athlete:

"You're winning, so you probably don't need a coach anymore."

It sounds ridiculous.

Their success is one of the reasons they continue coaching.

At that level, the margins become smaller.

A slight change in technique.

A different approach to preparation.

Something an opponent has noticed that they haven't.

A habit that worked brilliantly five years ago but is now limiting their game.

The athlete is still the one holding the racquet.

They're still making the decisions.

They're still playing every point.

The coach isn't there because the athlete is incapable.

They're there because even the best performer in the world cannot stand on the other side of the court and watch themselves play.

Leadership isn't that different.

Sometimes Coaching Is About What's Next

There have been times throughout my career when I've needed help because something wasn't working.

But there have also been times when I've wanted another perspective precisely because things were working.

I wanted to understand why.

What could be better?

What wasn't I seeing?

What had I become comfortable with?

What would the next version of my leadership require from me?

Those are coaching questions too.

Coaching doesn't always begin with:

"What's wrong?"

Sometimes it begins with:

"What's possible?"

That's an important distinction.

Because if we only seek coaching when we're struggling, we reduce coaching to a repair service.

Something we call when the warning light comes on.

I think coaching can be far more valuable than that.

It can be a place to deliberately work on your leadership before circumstances force you to.

To examine what's working.

To challenge what's comfortable.

To prepare for what's coming.

And to keep growing when it would be very easy to decide that you're already good enough.

Even Federer Had a Coach

Somewhere along the way, that 13-year-old kid sitting in front of Nan and Pop's 48cm television eventually learnt to appreciate tennis.

Although I'm still not entirely convinced two weeks of the Australian Open was better than NBA Jam.

But all these years later, tennis has also given me one of my favourite ways of thinking about coaching.

The presence of a coach is not evidence that you're struggling.

Sometimes it's evidence that you're serious about getting better.

Federer didn't need someone to teach him how to hold a racquet.

He needed people around him who could help one of the greatest tennis players in history continue to evolve.

And leadership is no different.

You don't have to be struggling to work with a coach.

You don't have to be broken.

You don't have to wait until something goes wrong.

Sometimes the best time to have someone in your corner...

is when you're already playing well.