When times get tough, a tennis player has been known to fire a coach. It is rare, though, that a coach fires a player. But, that was the case earlier this year when Simona Halep’s coach stepped away from the Romanian player.

The coach, Australian Darren Cahill, has an outstanding reputation. He coached Andre Agassi. When he agreed to coach Halep, Cahill was not aware of her complex personality.

Halep’s game did not cause any issues. It was her mental attitude. Yes, she is passionate, intense and downright demanding of herself. All of this, however, is a bad mix for tennis.

About 15 months into their partnership, Halep’s pessimism became too much for Cahill. At one competition, she called Cahill to the court for a pep talk, but she spent much of the time belittling herself.

Halep lost. Cahill pulled out, claiming her bad attitude was unacceptable and he needed to take a break from their coaching arrangement. The tough-love strategy changed the dynamic.

Halep realized she needed to reform. She pushed out the negativity and rushed in the positive thoughts. Cahill watched from afar. When, on her own with her new attitude, Halep reached the semifinals in a tournament, she placed a call to Cahill to ask him to return.

Working together again with Cahill, Halep defended her Madrid title and became a finalist in the Italian Open. She claims she now is confident and composed, indicating that her new attitude helps her see the game better. She plays relaxed and with a positive outlook.

Similar to a tennis player, each of us in business must perform, at times, a personal mental evaluation. We must shake off any negative attitude and rework our game plan. Whenever we do this, our foresight becomes a bit clearer, we become more relaxed and we are able to approach each day, each meeting and each roadblock with a positive outlook.

Brendan Steele is on the PGA Tour. During late 2016, while playing in the Safeway Open in California, he became concerned about his putts under the stress of competition. He wanted to correct the previous year’s failure that occurred during the same tournament.

Brendan had just three-putted the 12th hole, the same hole that started his collapse a year earlier. He immediately thought “let’s not go through this again.”

This time, Brendan experienced a different result. He made a clutch par on the 13th and then recorded birdies on his final three holes to win the open by one shot.

How did this occur? While on the course, Brendan addressed each question in his mind with a positive response. He became aggressive instead of conservative with his game. Confidence returned, eliminating any remaining doubts about his putting stroke.

Following that 2015 disappointment, the golfer had worked diligently with his putting coach and then he worked with a swing coach. With their support, Brendan also developed a plan that guided him through the 2016 Safeway Open.

During his reassessment a year earlier, Brendan realized that anger and frustration often took over his thoughts when things did not flow well on the tour. Now, he felt stronger physically and mentally to handle tournament situations. Rather than think that he was not in control on the course, Brendan learned to concentrate on the few things that he easily could correct.

When bad thoughts pop up, Brandan has learned to return to the blueprint. His philosophy: challenges must now be faced during equally good and bad days, so just stick with the plan to handle all situations.

We are in the midst of another competitive hockey season in this area so soon after the New York Rangers played an exciting 2013-2014 season that fell just a few games short of a championship. Leading the team is Coach Alain Vigneault.

Alain spent 36 years living, playing and coaching hockey before he accepted, during 1997, the most demanding position in the NHL. He became the second-youngest coach of the Montreal Canadians.

The Montreal position was his first head coaching job in the league. In three seasons, he reached the playoffs one time. Where Stanley Cup championships are measured not by the season but by the week, he was replaced quickly.

The experience validated his approach as a tactician and communicator behind the bench. The position reinforced his core beliefs that led to seven winning years in Vancouver and his successful debut season with the Rangers. The short time in Montreal, according to one player, put Alain through more than some coaches will see in an entire career.

Confident in his ability when he accepted the Montreal job, Alain also was smart to surround himself with established assistant coaches. With them, he planned practices that were weighted with instruction. The sessions were timed to the second. Hours were spent discussing tactics and devising game plans. He clarified every detail so his players clearly understood their responsibilities.

Alain always has employed a direct approach with his players—candid and respectful in closed-door meetings. He speaks in black and white, and players always know what he is thinking. During the game, no matter the situation, he breathes a calming influence on the bench.

Alain was fired from Montreal for what the team president said was an unacceptable performance. His boss did not take into account that Alain fought through three years of injuries that forced him to integrate minor leaguers who may not have been ready to play in the NHL. More likely, his boss understood the situation, but the pressure in Montreal to win is a daily event. Alain, as the coach, was on the hot seat and he was fired to release some steam.

Ever the diplomat, when he heard the news that he was out as coach, Alain said that Montreal was a great place to coach and that the place brought out the best in him. He took that experience first to Vancouver and then to New York, leading each team to a Stanley Cup Final appearance.

Alain’s philosophy is simple: “Everybody says to be yourself and to stick with what you believe in. If at one point you’re shown the door, at least you did it your way.”

Good advice for coaches and for those of us in business.

Jim

Confidence can be a funny thing. When you have it, you can “will” the body and mind to do things never considered possible. When you don’t have it, bad results quickly can snowball.

Rockland County high school student-athlete John Hartnett lacked confidence when he was bounced last year from a state tournament. He lost the first two matches.

“At states…I got knocked right out—like a one-two punch,” he said at the time. “Wrestling definitely showed me that I can compete with these guys—I just have to keep going to a level higher.”

He rebounded earlier this year, upsetting the second and third seeds on his surprise run to the state finals. Though he lost the last match, he realized that training and commitment got him to the finals. It also increased his confidence. He wasn’t done just yet.

“At one point, I was depressed for like three days,” said Hartnett. “I couldn’t talk to anyone in my house, and the only name that kept popping in my head was [that of the wrestler who defeated him].”

In recognition of his overall accomplishments during the wrestling season, Hartnett received a second wrestling life this year when he was selected as a wild-card entry for the New York State Wrestling Championships. He used the invite as an opportunity to redeem himself.

Hartnett and the wrestler who beat him a few weeks earlier, that name that kept popping into his head, each won their first-round matches. This set up a rematch in the 220-pound Division 1 quarterfinals. Hartnett regained his confidence and came away with a 6-4 decision.

The high was short-lived, though, as Harnett lost in the next round. But, he learned two things about himself. He was able to compete at a higher level, and he needed to continue to work hard to hone his athletic talent.

Confidence in sports, and in business, can be fragile at a young age and even when you are a seasoned pro. What you decide to do after you are knocked down determines if you will regain your swagger to compete at the next higher level.

Jim

Leo Schor recently earned a medal in a ski race. But, that’s not news to his family, because Leo has medaled in many other competitions.

Skiing is just natural for Leo. His parents first met on Mount Snow. Leo started skiing before he was two years old, and he has been on many New York slopes and even those in Utah. He still has a lot more to experience and accomplish, and he has the time. Leo just turned 13.

His most recent medal was bronze and he won it in the skiercross division during the Empire State Winter Games in Lake Placid. The medal odds were against him. A crash during a trial-run cost him the option to choose his starting position for the four-at-a-time, side-by-side races that included several jumps. Plus, his very first skiercross competition came only two weeks earlier.

But, Leo Schor certainly doesn’t lack the confidence in his ability. His goal was just to get on the podium. He’s done it before, he did it at Lake Placid and he will do it many more times. Leo just might be a name to remember for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Korea.

The Lake Placid competition involved 1,140 athletes of different ages across more than 10 different winter sports activities. The names of the participants mostly are unknown except to their small circles of family, friends, coaches and competitors. But, don’t be surprised when, within the next few years, you learn that a couple of rising young athletes competed in the 2014 Empire State Winter Games.

It is good to see that so many of our young people have the drive to compete. It also is refreshing and encouraging to learn that many of them already have confidence in their game.

Jim