The Power of a 'Jolt'

After the ASB Classic and now the Australian Open - it’s been a proper tennis month! And too add to the excitement, I’ve also been watching Gods of Tennis this week.  Highly recommend!  What an era, truly watching greatness unfold in real time.

There’s a moment in the documentary where Billie Jean King talks about stepping in to coach Martina Navratilova later in her career… Martina was still extraordinary. She was disciplined and deeply committed and at an age when most have long retired. Yet she remained because in her mind she wasn’t done.

But she was loosing. She was being beaten by younger players, newer players seeing the game through a different lens, playing faster and outplaying her. She was feeling dejected. But had a deeply personal goal, she wanted a 9th Wimbledon title.

What Billie Jean goes on to describe was how she was brought in to work with Navratilova as a ‘jolt coach’, and this really jumped at me. She was not called to replace her team or her coach, but to add to it.

She didn’t arrive with brute force, try and change her game or “fix” anything. All she did was simply remind her of who she was. 

They say the game is all in the mind, and Billie Jean questioned the narratives Martina was carrying about her age, relevance, and what was no longer possible… and helped her see the game again, and herself, and her skills, with fresh eyes. She offered a different perspective.

This subtle but powerful shift in thinking restored her belief, sharpened her focus, and re-ignited her momentum.  She started winning, again, this time with renewed power that fuelled her determination once again.

Martina went on to win her 9th Wimbledon title… 👏 and the rest, well it’s history.

The reason this moment in the documentary stayed with me was because the ‘jolt’ coach felt like an honest mirror for the work I'm called to do.

When plateaus or downturns happen they don’t announcement themselves loudly, there’s a quiet loss of confidence and belief, and something feels flat. The work still looks competent, and the experience is still there, but something is amiss. 

Oftentimes, that’s when a subtle shift might be all that’s needed. A fresh perspective that makes visible what is no longer noticeable from the inside. The ‘jolt’ that helps reveal what the business has grown too close to see themselves.

I loved that term 'jolt coach'. I'm often called in to restore clarity and momentum when things get too complex. The challenge usually leads to uncovering opportunities hiding in plain sight that drive evolution and unlocks unrealised potential.

I believe there’s always invisible gaps to be tapped into, where growth and evolution can be rebooted. When we find it, it feels freeing and re-energising for everyone. 

And if there’s one thing Billie Jean King has always embodied, on and off the court it’s this → the courage to challenge the game as it is, so others can play what comes next. 👏