What can Learn from Djokovic’s Journey
Nothing worthwhile is easy, and it can take many years to become an overnight sensation. Take the story of tennis player Novak Djokovic’s career as told by Stephen Duneier in his 2017 Ted talk, which has now achieved over ten million views on YouTube.
Djokovic began his professional tennis career in 2004. At this time, he was ranked 100+ in the world, his annual earnings were just over $US 300,000, and he won 49% of all the tour matches he played. Interestingly to win 49% of the matches he played, he also won 49% of the points in each match.
The next phase in his career ran from 2006 to 2010. He had risen to number three in the world by this time with annual earnings of $US 5,000,000. He was now winning 79% of the matches that he played. Remarkably, although the winning percentage had dramatically risen by 30%, the percentage of points that he won per match had not. To win 79% of matches, the points won had only increased by 3% to 52%.
The last stage of his career that Duneier examines is 2011 to 2016. Djokovic is number one in the world with annual earnings of $US 14,000,000. He is winning 90% of his matches, or nine out of every ten matches he plays. Intriguingly and anti-intuitively, the total points percentage won is only a further three per cent, rising to 55%.
I liken this journey to the entrepreneur’s journey. Small incremental steps applied in the moment that inch the organisation ever closer to a scalable business model. Like Djokovic on the practice court, no one tennis ball hit in practice can be identified as the one that makes the difference. However, when collectively applied, can lead to extraordinary outcomes. A swing of six per cent that saw a winning ratio improve by 41% and his annual bank balance by $US 13,700,000.
Welcome to the world of business. Small incremental improvements applied at the right time in the right way can unlock massive latent potential.
Where does the six per cent lie in your business that could unlock massive possibilities?