A professional tennis player, I am not. 

Okay, the rest of this blog won’t be written in Yoda one-liners. 

I’m much more likely to meet my Goodreads goal than win a tennis tournament, but I still enjoy the sport. USTA spring matches, Saturday morning drills, mid week rallies after work – I love these tennis routines. 

I always find it funny when I hear someone say they’d rather play singles because then they don’t have to worry about anyone else. Sure, I like to mix up my matches and play both styles, but when you sync with a doubles partner, you’re not facing added pressure. You get joy from heightened camaraderie.

The same can be said for work teams. We all can name a time when a coworker or entire team made a job experience extra challenging. But, if you’ve found a work team you sync well with, it heightens the pleasure from the job.

So how do we sync well with teams? Again, no Yoda-level wisdom here, but I’ve noticed there’s some similarities from lessons learned in doubles tennis that can be pulled into work.

Boundaries and Gray Area Can Exist Together

There are clear lines on a tennis court. You and your doubles partner cover certain areas of the court. Cool. But say mid rally a partner is in an odd position due to placement of previous strokes. It’s in your best interest as a team for you to temporarily assume a coverage area that’s not yours to allow your partner time to recover. Communicate along the way.

In business teams, sometimes we get caught up in boundaries and processes. You need these boundaries to function on a regular basis, but there are exceptions. If a teammate has a life emergency, you might need to assume their responsibilities until they can recover. If one person is overloaded with work, you might need to redistribute workload until a major project is complete. 

Yes, there are boundaries, but sometimes you need to temporarily work in the gray area. Don’t just say “It’s not my job” and let the team suffer. If possible, communicate before, during, and after assuming responsibilities that aren’t generally assigned. 

Overreacting to Errors Breeds Tension, then More Errors

When I play doubles with partners who keep their cool despite mistakes, my performance is better. This doesn’t mean ignoring errors. There are groans and apologies. However, there’s a big difference between a partner who verbally and physically dwells on errors and those who recognize and move on. Partners pick up on consistent tension from mistakes, and it can easily result in more mistakes. 

Not everyone is the same. Some people can block out internal or external critique of failure, but it’s often an added burden to a teammate. Whether it’s a tennis match or a business project, it’s much better to simply recognize the error, address what could be done better, then move on to the next point or project with calm and encouragement.

Go for It — Confidence Boosts Performance

Once you know your boundaries and feel safe to take risks in an environment, whether tennis or work, you gain an increased level of confidence. And, once you have confidence, you have increased effort to do what you can to help the team succeed. Less hesitation in spur-of-the-moment decisions and more forward-thinking ideas in those long-range strategy and planning sessions.

Team members with self-confidence contribute to team success. Confidence isn’t being cocky, and it isn’t being a micromanager. Increased confidence doesn’t mean you step out of line and take on everything. More on that in the next point. 

Micromanaging Helps No One

In tennis, sometimes there’s that doubles partner who constantly goes for shots because they trust their ability more than their partner’s ability or growth potential. At work, sometimes there’s that teammate or manager who relies on their own methods and experience without leaning on others and delegating.

In either scenario, the micromanager is at risk of burnout, poor decision making due to limited perspectives, and overextending in one area, leading to poor performance in another area. The person being micromanaged is at risk of discouragement, inhibited growth potential, and leaving the team.

Micromanagement doesn’t help anyone. For the sake of long term growth and satisfaction, you have to trust your teammates to do their jobs. Communicate when you feel something isn’t being handled well, but communication doesn’t mean consistently and completely taking over.

Positive Recognition Matters

Hearing your tennis partner or teammate at work recognize good contributions builds confidence. It’s easy to focus on our mistakes on the court or at work. To know that other people see your positive contributions, not just your mistakes, builds confidence and boosts overall team morale. 

Be sure to recognize the positive contributions of others. When it comes to teamwork, building your teammate up builds the team up. You want everyone to be able to perform to the best of their ability.

It’s Not All About Power. How’s Your Placement?

As a beginner, I thought powerful strokes meant you were a powerful player. Then, I played someone twice my age who ran me up and down the court with their perfect placement and easily won the match. 

In tennis and on work teams, it’s not all about power but how you place that power. And sometimes you don’t need to swing with all your might to win. It’s all about knowing what the situation calls for. 

When you’re working, try to think about who is involved in a decision or project, what their strengths are, and how much capacity they have. You don’t have to come on strong as the powerful leader in title and action all the time. Know what the situation calls for and place your power well.

You Can Change Tactics while Playing the Same Game.

Playing doubles tennis, or any sport really, requires changing strategy. You have to adapt to the opposing team’s ability, your teammates, physical injuries, the weather, etc. You play the same game with the same rules and ultimate goal but choose different tactics to get to the goal, communicating with your partner along the way.

Work teams can be very similar. Choose to adapt. If you always go back to a “this is the way it’s always been done” mindset, you won’t grow as a team. The ultimate goal can stay the same while you adapt your tactics  to reach that goal. As with every point, be sure to communicate any change in strategy to your teammates.

Communicate, Communicate, Communicate

My favorite doubles partners are the ones who communicate well before, during, and after play — whether it’s strategy, encouragement, or quick instruction. Throughout each of these points, communication has been an aspect of the lesson. In tennis and work teams, we can’t expect others to read our minds. We must communicate through body language, words, and actions to build strong teams.

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