A First Round match at Roland Garros or "an End of an Era'? On paper, yesterday's match at Court Philippe-Chatrier was just another First Round Encounter between one of the top seeded players in the draw and an unseeded opponent. However, for anyone who has not been hiding under a rock for the past 2 decades, this was far more. It was going to be either the start of another improbable campaign by an aging champion (Rafael Nadal) or it was going to be likely his last game at a major that he has dominated like no sports person has dominated any tournament (period). While Rafa lost the match, it was very much his day and it felt like an end of an era. Just about a week back, Luis Vuitton had released a video interview with Roger and Rafa as part of their core values campaign. That had us thinking about the greatness that these two legends have achieved and our favorite topic of drawing inspiration from such sporting greatness for the world of business. We highly recommend watching the interview for anyone who may have missed it. A few things stood out for us as the key themes from the chat:
Passion to keep improving all the time (Focus)
Feedback/Learning (Adaptability)
Right team (Mojo and Engagement)
As you can see, these align with FAME (Focus, Adaptability, Mojo and Engagement) and the "Venturis Mindset" that we believe is the secret to building great products. We get asked many times that why do you highlight the mindset? Isn't having raw product skills or talent critical for building great products? It certainly is, however, just like in Sports, it is not talent alone that makes champions. Champions have this unique combination of talent and a growth mindset that sets them apart. This is covered very elegantly in Chapter4 of Carol Dweck's Mindset. Inspired by that and our love of applying sports lessons to the business world, we had been working on a Venturis Talent x Mindset Map for Innovators. Rafa's emotional exit from Roland Garros prompted us to finish this and share it with all of you. So, here it is: Presenting the Venturis Talent x Mindset Map for Innovators.
Venturis Talent x Mindset Map:
Our Philosophy behind this 2x2 map is captured very well in the Magic Johnson qoute: "Talent is never enough. With few exceptions, the best players are the hardest workers". It is our belief that the same is true in business as well and success in any innovation journey requires a combination of talent and a mindset. Let's dive into this:
High Talent / High Growth Mindset:
Champions: These individuals possess exceptional skills and a relentless drive to learn and improve. They are the Federer/Nadal in the world of sports or the entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs. If you are already here and operating at this level, you are likely dominating your field just like the champions dominate their respective era of sport.
High Talent / Fixed Mindset:
Veterans or Plateaued Stars: These individuals may have impressive talent, but a fixed mindset hinders their growth. They are like the athlete who relies on natural ability but struggles when challenged. Nick Kyrgios (taking nothing away from him as a human being) comes to mind from tennis. In business, this is where most of the mature companies who struggle to transition to the next S-curve in the face of a disruption fall. This is where we have seen the struggle as an intrepreneurs in our past life and our intrepreneur's edge framework is designed to help move companies from here to being champions again.
Low Talent / Growth Mindset:
Rookies: These individuals may not have innate talent, but their relentless work ethic and continuous learning fuel their progress. Typical startup founders and entrepreneurs fall in this category - entrepreneurship by definition is something that requires embracing failures as "success in progress". So, requires the growth mindset, even to embark on this journey. Just like a Rookie can benefit greatly from an experienced coach early on their career - this is where we believe we can make the difference in an entrepreneur's journey to help them move from Rookies to Champions.
Low Talent / Fixed Mindset:
The Benchwarmers: In sports world, these individuals lack both talent and the drive to improve. In a professional world, this is the segment of niche players struggling to adapt to change. They will struggle to find success in a highly competitive environment. However, awareness and the need to develop the skills and mindset is the first step. Several resources exist and this is where formal product coaching and a drive to improve and learn and a disciplined consistent approach can help move towards one of the other quadrants.
Building Your Winning Team (FAME):
As "Core Product Thinkers" and "Sports Enthusiasts," we believe every winning team shares a common core: FAME (Focus, Adaptability, Mojo, and Engagement). Our mission is to empower teams to unlock their full potential by cultivating this FAME and navigating the innovation journey.
The Talent x Mindset Framework is a roadmap to discover your team's strengths and unlock true innovation. Are you ready to build your winning team?
What if talent (A=1) and mindset (B=1) passes through a bad opportunity / inopportune time (xor gate) resulting in an unexpected (Q=0) outcome ?
We have all faced this circumstance in our experiences.
What chart addresses circumstances ?
These quadrant charts are a good templatized construct; one can draw a representation of their position in the chart as an x-y coordinate in that instance of time. With time (and circumstances) and in the x-y-scatter plot, both talent and mindset can change. Winners (Champions) can become losers (you are kind in calling them benchwarmers <chuckle>) and vice versa. Maybe one should make these quadrant charts 3-D with time as the third dimension ? Nadal would come out the greatest of all time in that representation :) Vamos Rafa !!
Stay tuned for a podcast conversation where we explore this is further detail