Some of you might have heard me speak about this at Talent X or you might have even seen the video of Roger Federer talking about what makes the Top 5 Tennis Players in the world different to the Top 25.

And here’s the thing: technically, there’s no difference.

They all move like athletes. Hit like machines. Serve like snipers. They’re elite. But the reason five of them stay on top, year after year?

Resilience.

Not skill. Not stamina. Not spin.

The Shot You Just Lost? Let It Go.

That video digs into what separates the top performers and it comes down to how they respond when they lose a point.

They don’t unravel.
They don’t throw the racquet.
They don’t spiral into self-doubt.

They move on. Instantly.

Next point. Next serve. Next win.

That mindset – call it calm, call it unshakable, call it whatever you want, isn’t just a tennis thing. It can apply to any sport, any job and any relationship. And if you’re in recruitment, it’s everything.

Federer Said It Best

Roger Federer recently gave a commencement speech that perfectly sums it up. Here’s the gold:

“In the 1,526 single matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches.
But I only won 54% of the points.
Even top-ranked tennis players lose nearly half the time.
When you lose every second point, you learn not to dwell.
You teach yourself to think:
Okay, I double faulted. It’s only a point.
Okay, I got passed at the net. It’s only a point.
Even the highlight reel shots? Just a point.

When you’re playing, it has to be the most important thing in the world.
But when it’s behind you, it’s behind you.”

Recruitment is the same. You lose a deal. A client ghosts you. A candidate disappears mid-process.
It stings. You want to scream into a pillow. But after that?

You get back on court. You serve again.

Resilience = Progress

Federer didn’t become great because he won every point.
He became great because he lost a lot of points (46% in fact) and learnt how to handle it.

Same with top recruiters. They don’t close every deal. They don’t always hit target. They don’t place every candidate they send out.

But they know how to bounce back. And that’s the difference between someone billing $500k… and someone billing $1 million.

We spend so much time perfecting our LinkedIn strategy, our cold calls, our interview techniques.
But the truth? None of it matters if you can’t pick yourself up after a crap moment.

If you ALLOW a setback to wreck your day (or your week), you’re not hitting the numbers you’ve set for yourself.

One of my best performing podcast episodes is the one where I ask “Did you have a bad day? Or did you have a bad moment that you allowed to stretch out for a day?”. Think about that.

Stop Sulking. Start Swinging.

You’ve seen those salty old recruiters who just never seem rattled. The ones who stay level no matter what.

They’ve been around long enough to know: You win some. You lose some. Move on.

You’re not going to win every pitch.
You’re not going to fill every role.
You might only win 54% of the time.

But that’s enough if you don’t let the 46% destroy you.

So Where Do You Sit?

If you’re sitting there thinking,
“I’m good… but I’m not top five good,”
there’s a decent chance it’s not your scripts or your sourcing that need work.

It’s your bounce-back rate.

And the good news? Resilience isn’t just something you’re born with.
You build it. By pushing through. By staying calm. By not letting a single moment derail your momentum.

Start working that muscle. It’s more powerful than any sales pitch.

And next time a deal falls over?

Don’t mope. Don’t spiral. Just get on with it.

That’s how you go from top 25… to top five.

If you know someone who needs this message, someone letting bad moments ruin good days – send this their way

And as always, may all your deals (and tennis shots) come true.
Catch you next time.