Persistence in leadership

This past month I had the opportunity to head to the French Open and be a part of what is already being hailed as one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history: Carlos Alcaraz’s five-set defeat of Jannik Sinner at Roland Garros.

It was a thrilling match – everything you want from a Grand Slam final – and it’s going down as the longest-ever French Open final. The match required perseverance and every ounce of training the two players had ever received just to make it to the end, regardless of which side of the win they landed on.

Even watching along from the crowd in the arena, we knew that this was something special. Doubts cropped up along the way for supporters of both players but Alcaraz pulled off the win as if he’d never planned for any other result. It reminded me of the rocky process that leaders can face when they steer their team towards a new goal and what it takes to really stick it out and lead successfully.

Executing goals as a leader

Setting a goal for your team is one challenge, bringing that goal to life is a whole different ball game (pun intended!).

There is often a ‘reality gap’, where the big goal is backed by everyone in the team, but the process of getting there doesn’t match up to what your team, or other people from across the organisation, had envisioned.

Thorough planning, risk and/or change management, clear communication – all of these can help to execute a goal, but things aren’t always smooth sailing.

Containing doubts within your team

Charting the course of change is always a rocky experience, even when it goes as well as it can. Team members can feel uncertain or unconvinced of the end result when the process is challenging and pushing the team – or organisation – out of their comfort zone.

Even those who backed the goal at the beginning of the process can become convinced that a strategy or decision is the wrong path when you’re halfway through the execution.

These doubts are normal; we all have them even in our own lives with our personal decisions. Consider the process of moving house: the new house is bigger, it has every feature you want but, when you’re in the midst of taping up boxes and hauling them from one property to another, most people regret ever making the decision to move in the first place. Of course, all that doubt dissipates once every last box is unpacked and everything is in its place.

Staying the course

As you move your team and organisation towards a new goal, there will be a lot of different opinions flying around. Things might not go to plan. For a while, it might seem like the goal is out of sight.

These things alone aren’t indicative of a mistake. In fact, they might be signs you’re headed in the right direction.

Just like Alcaraz, you might be two sets down, seemingly defeated. It’s not a time to listen to the doubters in the stands. It’s not a time to throw all your preparation out the window. It’s not a time to give up and go back to what wasn’t working before. Instead, it’s a time to forge ahead, informed by your preparation, experience, and knowledge – like Alcaraz, hunkering down, putting in the hard work is the only way you’ll get to see the result you’re working towards.

The proof is in the pudding and with that hard work, you and your team will see the benefits.

Want to be a trustworthy, persistent leader? People Make the Difference can help. To find out more, visit www.pmtd.com.au or call us on 0412 333 415.