Chapter 3 did not really open many horizons for me, as it mainly speaks about things I have though of before and came about knowing earlier in my life. Though there is one thing the Professor Raymond brought up in class and that is an example of a tennis player. The example was about a tennis player that hits the ball without thinking where it would land, observing its landing location and adjusting his next shot. In short it is Shoot Observe Adjust. I thought about it a little and believe it is an amazing approach to many undertakings in your life, especially being an entrepreneur, who learn from their mistakes and move on. This strategy can give you time advantage among your competitors and allow for learning from experience, rather then from theory. Of course, it does not mean that one should not think or be prepare before taking an action, but once you’re ready and there is an opportunity, Shoot, if its slightly off, Adjust and shoot again!
That’s the approach!!!
The book I was referring to when I made this comment is “The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance by W. Timothy Gallwey, 1997. One of his primary observations was that judgment hindered fluidity and resulted in subsequent failure.
It’s not that he did not care about where the tennis ball landed; he made no judgment about himself when it landed, just observation, not: I’m good if landed where he wanted it to, and self-deprecating when it did not. (Ah, I am so good, or, I’m terrible, my grandmother could play better than I do.) The operative element is the lack of judgment.
He intended where he wanted a shot to go (he cared), and trusted he could make the shot, and took the shot. The key is that he observed where it landed without judgment, then thought about the necessary correction if it did not land where he intended, or either he accomplished what intended if he made the shot, both without judgment; and prepared for the next shot the same way.
Gallwey transferred this experience to business and management.