Tennis Hits the Books
Brad Gilbert is arguably of one of the best tour level coaches ever to work in professional tennis. Under his leadership, Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick rose to #1 on the ATP rankings list. Their success was in large part to Gilbert’s philosophy on winning. As it turns out, those ideas on performance are also applicable in a corporate setting. In 2005, Gilbert distilled his coaching wisdom into a very good book targeted at business leaders.
I’ve Got Your Back: Coaching Top Performers from Center Court to the Corner Office is a quick and entertaining read that efficiently delivers tremendous insight into the best coaching practices. Gilbert recounts the great coaches he worked with as a player in college and on the ATP tour that established the foundation of his philosophy on mentorship and winning. Gilbert is the tennis encapsulation of a “Lifelong Learner,” continuing to build knowledge and insight through the players he coached. You can still see that same quality expressed through his tennis commentary on television to this day.
Through a loss in the NCAA tournament championship finals, he learned a lesson on match preparation that forged him into the player and coach that he would ultimately become. Gilbert was known for meticulous scouting of opponents. He made it a practice to develop Plan A, B, and C before ever stepping foot onto the court in competition. The a black notebook Gilbert used to record his notes and observations is a famous part of his persona.
Agassi hired Gilbert because he needed a strategist. In fact, it was Agassi that recognized that Gilbert would be the perfect fit as a coach for him when they were both still competing on the tour. Armed with that insight, it is no surprise that Gilbert details many lessons he learned from Agassi over the course of their partnership. In turn, Gilbert’s influence propelled Agassi to the number 1 for the first time in his career.
For example, Gilbert shares how he learned the importance of being polite from Agassi early on in their partnership. The first time Agassi overheard Gilbert being curt with support staff at a tournament he quickly pulled him aside to emphasize the importance of being courteous and grateful. Defensive at first, Gilbert ultimately realized that Agassi had imparted an important life lesson on how to treat other people.
Agassi possessed some of the most perfect strokes that the game has ever seen. He also had the idea that if he played well then he would win and if not, well… that is just the way it was meant to be. Gilbert instilled the “Winning Ugly ” mindset in Agassi. Under his mentorship, Agassi learned to grind it out to win matches even when he wasn’t playing his best. It transformed Agassi into a “what might have been” into one of the greatest players to ever play the game.
I’ve Got Your Back is a business leadership book that uses tennis to illustrate the leadership qualities that are essential for success in the corporate world. Each chapter starts with the stories from tennis and then encapsulates what was shared into a singular key concept. For example “Confidence flows all too easily into complacency.” It is a valuable lesson both on and off the court.
I have long held that tennis is a great crucible for forging the skills required for success in life. That includes, but is not limited to, the business environment. I’ve Got Your Back: Coaching Top Performers from Center Court to the Corner Office is a valuable resource that illustrates that point. It might not make you better on the court, though it certainly will not hurt. However, what it will do is make you better at life. That is more important anyway.
 | I’ve Got Your Back |
