Never Be Afraid To Get Fired

When Serena Williams bombed out of a Grand Slam in the first round for the first time in her career, she asked up-and-coming tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou for some advice.

“First of all, I think you’re an underachiever,” Mouratoglou responded to the 13-time Grand Slam champion. "You’ve won thirteen Grand Slams, which is fantastic, but maybe you could have won twenty-six”.

Mouratoglou told Williams that he’s seen her repeatedly show up to tournaments unprepared, that she doesn’t have a Plan B when things go wrong, and that she loses far too many matches.

That’s quite a thing to say to the person with (at the time) the fifth-most Grand Slam titles in history.

“I’ve never seen someone direct with her,” Mouratoglou says, “but I wasn’t nervous because I thought that was the right way.”

Williams responded by hiring him to coach her.

In his feature episode of The Playbook: A Coach’s Rules for Life, Mouratoglou argues that being afraid to be fired is a recipe for disaster.

“If you’re afraid to get fired, you’re always going to tell the player what she wants to hear,” he adds, before detailing another exchange with Williams that shaped their relationship.

In their first official practice session together, Mouratoglou says Williams arrived late, and went 45 minutes without acknowledging him or responding to his coaching.

“She likes to test people, and I think she was testing me,” Mouratoglou narrates.

At a drink break, Mouratoglou walked over and tapped the brim of Williams’ cap to grab her attention, before delivering some direct feedback about her disrespectful behaviour.

“Listen Serena, there are three rules,” he told her. “When you come onto my court, you look at me and you say good morning. And when I talk to you, you listen and answer. Am I clear?”

Laughing as he recalls the moment, Mouratoglou adds: “Do you know what she said? What’s rule number three?”

Mouratoglou says that interaction defined their relationship because he was not scared of her and he was not scared to lose his job. The pair had no more problems and went on to win ten Grand Slams in a decade of working together.

“A good coach should never be afraid to get fired. You have to take risks. You have to be free to do what you should do. If you’re scared, you’re not strong and the player will feel it,” Mouratoglou summarizes.

I wanted to write about this topic because fear is the prevalent emotion that I encounter in the coaching workforce today.

There’s the good fear: the natural self-doubt that leads to rational enquiry, sharp thinking, and strong leadership.

But I don’t see that fear very often.

I see the bad fear: the shrinking terror that leads to punishing others, agitated thinking, and wilted leadership.

Part of this can be attributed to the fear culture that head coaches operate in today. Win today, or be replaced. Sign this contract with no termination payout, or be replaced. Adopt mathematical formulas, or be replaced.

However, only by conquering our internal fear can we be best placed to start to rise above the culture of fear.

Hence why ‘don’t be afraid to be fired’ is such a crucial concept. It’s not really about what you’d say to Serena Williams or the tone you’d use with her, it’s about being in a state of inner serenity so that you can make the right choices for the situation in front of you right now.

In my estimation, this is why so many extraordinarily talented coaches are being chewed up and spit out. It’s not a lack of technical competence, it’s that they’re riddled with a disorienting personal fear that shrinks them and clouds their judgment.

Not only do their players see it and begin to doubt their ability, they’re also competing with other coaches who are free from that fear.

This is why personal craft is its own pillar in my model, and carries the same weight as your ability to navigate the game, the locker room, and the organization.

The way to move away from the bad fear and towards the good fear is to face your greatest rival — yourself.