Janet’s career as a software engineer appeared to be stalled. She completed each low level assignment competently, but felt ineffective in team meetings. When Janet asked for more challenging work, she was ignored, while other team members made similar requests and got the choice assignments.

Janet struggled along as best she could and tried hard to support others and be a good team player. She kept wondering why no one took her seriously. She had no idea that her team leader believed that she was always whining, and not really committed to her job.

Frequently, Janet wondered what was wrong with her. Others just seemed to know what to do to get ahead, and she was afraid that she would never discover their secret.

When a friend suggested working with a personal coach, Janet first dismissed the idea: “I’m well trained; I should be able to figure out what to do myself.” However, she was so frustrated that she was considering changing jobs, and finally decided a professionals perspective might help.

Janet quickly learned that being coached in personal skills was similar to being coached in tennis (her favorite sport). Although the coach could not observe her “game” directly, Janet’s reports of her behavior patterns at work and her actual behavior with the coach gave them plenty to go on.

She admitted to the coach that she had experienced similar problems in other situations, and they decided together that changing jobs now wouldn’t solve anything. Janet decided to use the current situation as a laboratory where she could practice new skills.

Their discussions also touched on several seemingly unrelated areas of Janet’s life. How did she manage her other relationships, what did she want to achieve in her life, how did she handle stressful events, how did she manage her personal space and financial affairs?

After Janet completed a series of self-assessment inventories about these issues, they identified several patterns that Janet wanted to modify. In several important areas of her life, including her job, Janet saw that she was doing just enough to get by.

Her coach challenged her to change the pattern. Janet identified three specific “extra” things that she could do at work that would have an impact on the project she was working on, and she did them.

She found it hard to admit that she really had ignored opportunities to polish her performance, until she realized that she was angry that she was not getting the kind of immediate feedback on the job that she could get from her coach.

Assured that her desire for feedback was normal, and recognizing that it really wasn’t available on the job, Janet made agreements with her personal coach to report on her progress at work. She also reported on her progress in reorganizing her apartment so that she could really enjoy the time she spent at home.

As they continued to work together, Janet realized how unsupported she had been feeling in most areas of her life. Her belief that adults aren’t supposed to need help (except in achieving athletic success) gradually shifted to the recognition that high achievers need coaching to attain superior results.

As Janet continued to recognize and do the important little things on her job, her team leader did notice. Three months after starting to work with her coach, she did get a more challenging assignment; the team leader even commented on how much she had changed. When he was promoted several months later, she was offered a better paying position on his new team.

Tennis pro Roger Federer awed crowds at this year’s Wimbledon to win his fifth men’s finals, casting a ray of sunshine into a stadium nestled beneath gray and cloudy skies. The 2007 Championship matches saw invigorating and exciting plays made by names who have become household words across the globe, among them Rafael Nadal, his rival for the win. Nadal, originally from Mallorca, gave Federer quite a handful in the final as their volleys matched power and technique that kept fans riveted.

Federer, the 26-year-old from Switzerland, turned professional in 1998 and is currently ranked number one in singles play. He holds the second position for the ATP Championship year. Federer seems to play better alone, for in doubles competition he holds the 24th position. As a singles player, Federer shines with 48 titles. Since he began his gifted career he has won over 500 matches and has earned over 30 million in U.S. dollars.

The man who’s given him a run for his money this year, rival Rafael Nadal, was born in Manacor, Mallorca, in 1986, and is five years younger than Federer. Nadal, a left handed palyer, currently ranks number two in singles play. He holds the number one spot for the ATP Championship position and has over 200 match wins under his belt since he turned professional in 2001.

The breathtaking final between the two took almost four hours, with Federer finally winning 7-6; 4-6; 7-6; 2-6; 6-2. The match pitting two such gifted players against each other proved one of the best matches crowds at Wimbledon have seen in a while. The match drew a standing ovation upon its completion, and both Federer and Nadal can be congratulated on outstanding play as crowd favorites for 2007.

Federer with this win earned his fifth title championship, and the opportunity to compete with tennis great Bjorn Borg, who also won five straight tennis championships. This was a lifetime achievement for Federer, who all but collapsed due to the physical and emotional conclusion to his awe-inspiring play at the end of the match. Borg, watching from the Royal Box, was among those who stood to congratulate the exhausted player after completion of the final.

Once it was over, Federer honored his rival with the words, “It was such a close match. I told him at the net that he deserved it as well. I’m the lucky one today.”

Luck may have a little something to do with his win, but skill and determination takes precedence over Federer’s excellent play. It was a very tough match for him, but his refusal to crumple and his determination to excel kept the crowd on the edge of their seats for the duration of the match.

The competitive rivalry between Federer and Nadal will more than likely continue to draw crowds, as this Wimbledon match has gone down in history. Two extremely gifted and dedicated players; both Federer and Nadal honor their home countries with their skills, competitive spirit and sheer joy of the sport.