July 12, 2022 | Read Online

The Pep Talk in the Bathroom

Novak Djokovic admitted even he still has to routinely fight self-doubt. As has Stephen Curry, as has Tom Brady.

He was down big — and defeat seemed imminent.

So before the third set of his Wimbledon quarterfinal match, Novak Djokovic went to the bathroom, stared into the mirror and began talking to himself.

“Bathroom break was the turning point,” he would later say.

Djokovic dominated the next three sets against Jannik Sinner, and on Sunday, captured his seventh Wimbledon title. But it was those brief moments staring intently at his reflection that might be the most relevant for us.

We often like to believe that the elite in our industries outachieve their insecurities, that their victories have erased any lack of confidence that might've ever existed.

But it’s not really accurate. Despite his monumental accomplishments over a decade-plus, Djokovic admitted even he still has to routinely fight self-doubt. Stephen Curry has acknowledged this too, as has Tom Brady.

The inner battle is often the biggest that exists, Djokovic later said, and silencing the internal critic is frequently the crucial challenge for any leader.

Djokovic, however, clearly has a strategy for these self-doubt moments — and it's one we might be wise to apply too. When these instances occur:

1. Step away. Staring endlessly at a problem is rarely the way to solve it. We often have to remove ourselves briefly from what’s gone awry.
2. Highlight the issue. What is the real problem? Is there a tactical adjustment we need to make or is it simply regaining energy and shifting our mentality?
3. Create realistic self-confidence. Recall some past personal achievements or formulate some reasons for why we’re more than capable of getting through this current challenge.
4. Look for the minor breakthrough. When we’re facing hardship, we often just need something positive to happen for the trajectory to change. It could be an opponent’s mistake or just making incremental progress on a problem, but when we see something positive occur, we need to believe the tide of adversity is turning and that we now have an opportunity before us.

Whether we’re a CEO, a sales executive or a high school sports coach, we have an obligation to prepare our teams and ourselves for inevitable instances of self-doubt.

But the difference between succumbing to these and pushing through isn’t simply physical skill or a lucky break.

It’s an ability to get ourselves in front of the mirror and believe in its reflection.