Into the stadium he strides, resolute. A raw-boned Scottish man, fire in his eyes — and flaming hair to match. Armed with a gut-strung racket, like William Wallace sword in hand, he’s ready, today, to take his place as champion in the high temple of tennis, Wimbledon.

Yes, it’s Wimbledon time and I can’t resist writing a post that revolves around a sports analogy. Forgive me Grantland Rice.

I’m a tennis fan. I particularly like watching the big Grand Slam matches. If you follow the game you are aware we are in a kind of golden age of tennis, with two of the best ever at the top of their game, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. One could wax poetic about either of these tennis assassins. This season Novak Djokovic has also been absolutely flawless and may soon be number one.

And then there is #4 in the world, Andy Murray.

He’s the British number one, and a proud Scottsman. I’m a fan — but the man breaks my heart every year. There are times when he appears to be rising above the crowd. He plays Federer, overall, about even, no mean feat. Andy seems to have it all. The big serve of course, he has booming and consistent groundstrokes to match. He’s considered the best serve returner in the game, and this is a key skill in “breaking” an opponent. He’s clever (at times) and he’s impressively fit and athletic, and yet — he can’t seem to win the big one. He’s yet to win a Grand Slam.

When you can beat Federer sometimes, but not when it counts, it must be more mental than physical. He’s clearly an emotional roller-coaster out there on the court. When he’s on a roll there is fire in his eyes and he’s what my step-son would call a “hench beast”. When things start going wrong, you can literally see the self-doubt creep into his head. Then more goes wrong, and he’s done for. Contrast him to Roger Federer who simply always keeps playing, staying in control, working like a Swiss watch. They say Murray is aware he needs to be tougher emotionally and we’ve seen some signals he’s working on it. I’m hoping this is his breakout week at Wimbledon, but the odds are against him. Keep your head Andy!

Now to the parallel with creativity and innovation.

It’s not enough to be very good and self-expressed, like Andy Murray, that’s creativity.  To win the big ones you have to keep your head, be deliberate, take calculated risks, and have faith in yourself — that’s innovation. Many organizations “just miss” with innovation efforts because they:

• Don’t make deliberate, persistent, formal, innovation efforts — they let emotions rule the day
• They snatch defeat from the jaws of victory — by not risking enough, or when they should
• Compete head to head with the best instead of finding new market opportunities

Is your organization the Andy Murray of your industry? The good news for Andy is he’s making millions whether he wins a Grand Slam or not. In a sense, he’s already won just by being there. If you’re the #4 player in your niche, chances are you’re in grave danger. If you are, well, it’s time to up your game, or better yet, play a different game. Then the tenor of your story will go something like this:

“…and after the most exciting match in modern tennis history, Andy Murray receives, with tears in his eyes, and joy in his heart, the appreciation of his fellow British citizens. Holding the cup over his head, he’s now the first British Wimbledon Champion since Fred Perry in 1936.”