“Growing up I wasn’t the richest, but I had a rich
family in spirit. Standing here with 19 championships
is something I never thought would happen. I went on
a court just with a ball and a racket and with a hope.”
“I don’t like to lose — at anything… Yet I’ve grown
most not from victories, but setbacks. If winning is
God’s reward, then losing is how he teaches us.”
“With a defeat, when you lose, you get up, you make
it better, you try again. That’s what I do in life, when
I get down, when I get sick, I don’t want to just stop.
I keep going and I try to do more. Everyone always
says never give up but you really have to take that
to heart and really do never definitely give up. Keep
trying.”
“I am lucky that whatever fear I have inside me, my
desire to win is always stronger.”
“The success of every woman should be the
inspiration to another. We should raise each other
up. Make sure you’re very courageous: be strong, be
extremely kind, and above all be humble.”
LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM THE
LIFE OF SERENA WILLIAMS
fear and they win despite the
fear.
Great women are self-
confident women. No
woman wins at anything in
life unless she is confident
that she can. Serena
Williams is a confident
woman, or she would never
have survived racism and
body shaming to get to
the top. Those who are
consumed with what others
think of them can only go so
far.
Great women are
determined women. Serena
Williams is nothing if she
isn’t a determined woman.
She was determined to be
the best tennis player in
the world and today many
would describe her as the
greatest female tennis
player of all time. It took
determination to arrive at
this place of honour and
prestige in her career.
Great women are full of
hope. Many times, they don’t
know how their dreams will
materialise or if they will materialise, but they
step out every day in the direction of their dreams
hopeful that they will materialise. We see from
Serena’s life and quotes that she is a woman full of
hope. Great women are not destroyed by setbacks, and
this is because great women can see the blessing
even in contrary situations. Serena says she has
grown from setbacks.
Great women understand failure and its
relationship to the success they strive for. So
although they play to win they also understand
that sometimes they will lose and they’re okay
with losing. They learn from their losses. A time
of loss is a time to reflect and to improve, and they
seize this opportunity. Hence they can rise from
defeat to win again. Great women know when to pull away. Serena had
to pull away from tennis at some point to focus on
herself. She needed this time out, and we all need it
but knowing when to take it is crucial to our ability
to win again.
Great women have a strong desire to win. If you
are going to win in life, you must desire to win.
Great women do not succeed outside of fear. Yes,
fear is part of every great woman’s success journey.
Like everyone else, they feel the fear. Do you think
they act because they are unafraid? No! Look at
Serena’s quote on fear. Great women act amid the
DOZ Magazine | December 2018
shutterstock.com
Great women are those who know how to bounce
back from a setback and rise from the ashes.
Serena slipped from number one to number 139
and bounced back to take her place as number one.
What a woman!
Great women inspire others. Their story gives hope
and sends across a simple message, one that says,
if I can so can you. And as Serena has said, “The
success of every woman should be the inspiration
to another.” The story of Serena Williams says to
others that they can get back up and win after a
loss and win against the odds.
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