Leading With Emotional Courage

CHAPTER 25PLAY HARD: NADAL IS STRONG ENOUGH TO CRY; ARE YOU?

Rafael Nadal, who has won 14 Grand Slams and 69 titles during his career so far, is my hero.

His athleticism is extraordinary. His focus is awe-inspiring. His skill is, clearly, second to none. His will is unremitting. It's a joy to watch him in competition. Yet those are not the reasons he's my hero. In fact, it wasn't until after he won the 2013 US Open that he rose to role model in my book.

So what was it?

Immediately after winning, he fell to the ground, crying, then leapt for joy, then lay back on the tennis court, face down, sobbing. After a few moments, he got up and hugged Novak Djokovic, his opponent.

“Now that,” I told Isabelle, who was watching with me, “is what it looks like when you put your whole self into something!”

Where is that energy in our companies today? Where are the people leaping for joy, pumping their fists in the air, or weeping, either with happiness or grief?

I sometimes walk through the halls of various companies, looking at people working numbly at their desks or cubicles or nodding off in meetings, wondering, “where are the people?”

I'm not advocating for a workplace of loose cannons. I am advocating for a workplace of passionate, engaged, thrilled human beings, committed to a larger purpose, inspiring action to make our most important work happen.

Before his emotional outburst, Nadal played for hours, channeling the energy coursing through his body with controlled responses and deliberate, ...