Can you be too aggressive while trying to win?

Yes, and here’s why:

Last weekend, we hosted the So Cal Squash Doubles Classic, presented by Level Up With JD. Sixteen of the best male and female players converged on the Jonathan Club in LA for a mixed Pro and Pro-Am competition.

I get really excited about playing with pro athletes. Like Fletch daydreaming about his basketball greatness, I train and prepare and visualize hanging on court with the pros. I come out guns blazing, and then reality occurs — my ferociously hit balls appear as slo-mo powder puffs to opposing team Pros like Jordan Brail.

So what to do when my ego and aggression are powerless against a better competitor?

My yogi pro doubles partner Rachel Scherman suggested a different strategy: “dial back the aggression, play smarter, stick to a simple strategy, and strike only when we have an opening!”

The grown up JD followed her recipe: as one point after the next accrued to our favor, I noticed my ego / aggressive side wanting to sneak back into the game as if it knew better… but then one point after the next would tick to the other team.

This strange paradox shined a light on a dynamic which occurs for a lot of my insanely talented private equity partners. They have the IQ and desire to run through brick walls — and a demonstrated history of doing so.

Yet at the top of the PE game, it’s not always about peak aggression. It’s about having a consistent, repeatable process for sourcing a lot of opportunities, going through the motions and not getting too emotional about any one deal. But when the pitch looks good, it’s about harnessing all their power to pound the table with IC.

Are you furiously spinning your wheels in the sand and not getting very far? How often are you stepping back to assess your strategy? Does your ego like to come to work?

#privateequity #sdaprotour