7. Mitch Williams: Telecommunications executive, former professional racquetball player on the power of adaptability, finding your way to win, measuring what matters, doing less is more

Grand Slam Journey

Today's episode is with my friend, a former colleague, and a professional racquetball player, Mitch Williams.

Mitch and I started at Ericsson at the same time and on the same team. Much of our telecom journey to date has been very similar as we seemed to make similar moves at almost the same time and in a similar direction. I had a lot of fun speaking with Mitch about many topics related to sports, cross-pollination of sports, how sports shaped us, including the joy and pain we get from winning and losing. We discuss the painful transition from the sport we loved into what I call the normal civilian life and the mindset we have learned by playing the sport, and how we are now applying it in the next chapter of our lives.

Mitch shares many fun stories from his upbringing, racquetball journey, and his current life of being a dad to three young daughters and the only male in his house - living in Arizona with his wife, three young daughters, and two female dogs.

Other topics covered in this podcast:

• Mitch gave great examples of strategic alliances and having a network of people who helped him get to different positions.
• The importance of timing in life, measuring what matters, and focusing on the things that make a difference.
• The importance of knowing yourself, knowing what drives you, and being self-aware of where one finds purpose, fulfillment, and career/ job-fit.

Article about Mitch and his racquetball retirement

Some of my favorite quotes from this episode:

Winning and losing:

• "I learned in racquetball; there is a lot of different ways to win. You don't have to win just by doing this one thing."

On the transience of a loss or a win:

• "That's the hardest thing to tell a kid that you coach: It doesn't matter how you win the game today. You win. You are going to play tomorrow. And tomorrow, you can wake up and have the worst game of your life, or the next hour or the next match, it all disappears."
• "I love sports. I love the immediate response of a win or a loss. That's the greatest equalizer in life."

Racquetball and sports in general:

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