Tennis and how leaders get in their own way

3 February 2026

𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝘀𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘄𝗮𝘆.  And brought to mind one of my leadership coaching heroes.

Not flashy.
Not a LinkedIn influencer.
An unlikely hero.

𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝘆 𝗚𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘄𝗲𝘆.

Back in the 1970s, Gallwey was a tennis coach in California. Like most coaches at the time, he relied heavily on instruction:

“Grip the racquet like this.”
“Rotate your shoulders.”

But he noticed something counter-intuitive.

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲. 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿.

They tightened up.
They overthought.
They lost flow.

That’s when he landed on a deceptively simple idea:

We all have 𝘁𝘄𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 at play.

• 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝟭 - the analytical, judging voice. Useful in planning and practice. 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗱𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
• 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝟮 - the intuitive, capable doer. It senses, adapts, and performs when left alone.

When 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝟭 got loud, performance dropped.
When 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝟮 was trusted, performance soared.

Gallwey captured it perfectly in The Inner Game of Tennis:

𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 = 𝗣𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 – 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲

Don’t add more instructions.
Reduce interference.

His players improved dramatically. So did their enjoyment.

The book sold over a million copies.  And Gallwey went on to apply these ideas far beyond tennis, from orchestras to boardrooms, working with organisations like Apple and Coca-Cola.

𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸

We 𝘴𝘢𝘺 we want empowered people.
But when results wobble, what do many leaders do?  They:

• Add more process
• Increase oversight
• Micromanage
• Double down on instruction

Which creates… more interference.

Anyone who’s coached kids’ sport recognises this instantly.

Yet we repeat it in organisations every day.

𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲. They:

• Create clarity of purpose
• Set simple boundaries
• Communicate expectations clearly
• 𝗗𝗼 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲
• But then, critically, 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘆

They quiet 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝟭.
They trust 𝗦𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝟮.

That’s where real performance lives.

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴:  Where might I be adding interference instead of unlocking potential?

Still one of the best leadership lessons I know. 🎾

Written by Jonathan Stern
ICF Certified Coach | Gallup CliftonStrengths Certified | Former MuleSoft ANZ Leader
I coach high-potential leaders and high-potential scale-ups.
Schedule a conversation