This past week, I enjoyed watching the Roland-Garros French Open Tennis Tournament. What an impressive set of tennis matches this year!
It reminded me of a powerful and prominent technique that everyone should apply to solve complex problems.
Let me briefly explain:
Novak Djokovic crushed records in modern tennis history. But the fascinating aspect is to see how he handled difficult situations – and he had quite a few!
A couple of times during the tournament, Djokovic suffered and was trailing two sets to 0. He was on the verge of physical and mental collapse.
Both times, he took a break, spent a few minutes in the cloakroom. Once back on the court, he was simply another man and started to play his best tennis ever.
Ill-intentioned minds would immediately think about performance-enhancing drugs! Nothing’s impossible, but controls are stringent there. Djokovic offers a different explanation:
The world’s #1 player evoked the psychological benefits of such a break. He didn’t do anything else than changing clothes completely and taking deep breaths. These few minutes gave enough time outside the court environment to reset his mind and turn him into a new player.
Eventually, he prevailed and brought the Trophy home for the second time. With that new title, Djokovic became the first player in modern tennis history to have won twice each of the four Grand Slam competitions.
Now, think of the times you’ve stumbled into heated conversations during meetings, feeling forced to make decisions on the spot because of the perceived urgency others imposed on you!
I’ve always made my best decisions by stepping back and looking at the problem with a fresh perspective.
If it means you need to leave the room for a few minutes or even adjourn the meeting, do it! Your decision-making will gain in quality, and your business will benefit from it.
So, next time you think like there’s no good solution to a problem at hand, and you feel the pressure to conclude, remember Novak Djokovic’s technique and take a break!
Alternatively, you can read one of my articles on problem resolution too!
And if you’re still stuck, let The Sherpa be your guide.