This year’s U.S. Open was destined for Serena Williams. The entire world leaned in to watch her inevitable possession of a calendar-year Grand Slam: an accomplishment that, in the history of singles tennis, has only been achieved six times. With unsurpassed strength, speed, power and experience, William’s victory was deemed a sure thing– in fact, for her not to win seemed a comic improbability. Yet in tennis as on Wall Street, things can change.
Roberta Vinci, an unseeded player from Italy, scored the biggest upset in tennis history when she defeated Williams in the U.S. Open semifinals. This victory came as a surprise to everyone, including to Vinci herself, as she was up against some outlandish odds (300 to 1). She clearly was no match for Williams by way of power, skill or raw strength. So what exactly gave Vinci her winning edge?
Find your unique advantage: There it was, in the middle of the second set: a power shift. Where Williams staggered through several misses, unable to recover her focus, Vinci was masterful at being present. She continuously analyzed the ball and her opponent’s reactions searching for any small window of weakness or opportunity. Where William may have had a clear size and power advantage, Vinci was small, crafty and fast. Utilizing her fierce doubles skills, she would slice and lob the ball just beyond her competition’s reach.
Be instinctive: In all fairness, perhaps Vinci’s greatest advantage was having a strategy formulated upon her pre-game expectations. She had no thought of winning against such a powerful adversary, which gave her the flexibility to play instinctively –unburdened by fanfare or a fear of failure. Instead, she was pragmatic yet reactive to the situation at hand, continually telling herself, “Don’t think — run.”
Vinci’s master stroke may have been more in her mind than on the court that day. By focusing on her performance alone, she was able to execute a game-plan that was brilliant in its simplicity. Vinci told herself, “put the ball on the court, don’t think about that Serena is on the other court. And run. Put the ball and run… And then I won.”
Stay on task: In effect, she distilled the game down to its basics: simply return the ball and run. She did not focus on accruing points, winning sets or even on the size and strength of her competition. She focused solely on her game and what she could do to maintain her competitive advantage.
Roberta Vinci’s simple 3-point strategy readily showcases how some small companies are able to out-maneuver businesses 4-5 times their size. Clear-headed execution of a simple process, instinctive reactions, and fortitude formulate the blueprint for small business success. The nimble under-dog often creates the entrepreneurial strategy that wins in today’s fast moving, competitive marketplace.