Certain graduation speeches leave a lasting impact on the students they are intended for, but also on all those who listen to them afterwards. This is the case of the one given by Roger Federer at Dartmouth College this year.

Of course, Federer spoke about work, effort, perseverance, stress management. Of course, he underlined the importance of one’s entourage, of having faith in oneself and the trust of others. But a particularly striking insight—and certainly a useful one in the corporate world—was the way he looks at his successes and failures.

Of all the points he has played, what proportion has he won? As surprising at it may be, that proportion amounts to just 54%—barely more than half! But it allowed him to win 80% of his matches, and to be world number one for nearly six years.

An invitation to not focus on our errors: the important thing is to know how to put them behind us (while reserving the right to draw lessons from them later, at the opportune time) and, especially, to play the next point without assuming that we will fail again.

Source : 2024 Commencement Address by Roger Federer, Dartmouth, June 2024.