Game, Set, Match!
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.”
— Billie Jean King, tennis legend
Key Takeaways
- Tennis and business share the same winning traits: planning, strategy, adaptability, and discipline.
- Living JCCI’s core values, not just memorizing them, drives lasting success.
- Dan Rupinta’s three lessons (Prepare, Adapt, Recover) help professionals stay resilient.
- Every match, and every deal, is won one point at a time.
Welcome to Center Court
Our Van Gogh Room became a vibrant tennis court for the September Sales and Production Conference, themed “Sales Open.” Tennis rackets lined the walls, a net stretched across the center of the room, and court markings completed the look of a real tennis court. Attendees came dressed as their favorite tennis players, while others joined in as spectators. What followed was an afternoon packed with sales lessons from tennis.
To be honest, I’m not much of a tennis player. I grew up playing badminton instead. Still, I know some of the sport’s biggest names, including Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic, thanks to watching their matches on TV. And there’s something thrilling about the crisp sound of a racket striking the ball. It grabs my attention every time I watch a match.
Opening the Match: Lessons from Tully Moss
Enterprise Sales hosted the event, and Mario Biscocho, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, delivered the opening remarks. Carlo Lao then introduced our first special guest, Tully Moss, an experienced coach, consultant, and leadership development facilitator at John Clements.
Where Tennis Meets Business
Drawing on his years as a tennis player, Tully showed how closely the sport mirrors recruitment and business. First, he gave a quick overview of the game, including its four Grand Slam tournaments: the Australian Open, the French Open (Roland-Garros), Wimbledon, and the US Open. He also walked us through the playing surfaces used around the world: hard, grass, and clay courts.
Next, he linked the qualities of a great tennis player to the values that drive success at JCCI: energy, being target- and action-oriented, a passion for excellence, and being proactive to change. He also compared preparing for a match with preparing for client engagements. Both, he noted, demand careful planning, strategic thinking, adaptability, physical and mental discipline, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Winning in a Changing Game
Tully then pointed out that both tennis and business keep evolving. He reflected on how much the recruitment industry has changed over the years. Once, it was a market with few competitors and mostly retainer-based engagements. Today, it’s crowded with hundreds of competitors, foreign players, and contingency-based arrangements.
As a result, he stressed the need for a winning strategy, peak physical and mental condition, and the ability to adapt. Above all, he reminded us that lasting success comes from truly living JCCI’s core values, not just memorizing them. That, he said, is how we thrive in an increasingly competitive field.
Playing the Long Game with Dan Rupinta
Our second special guest, Dan Rupinta, is a passionate tennis enthusiast. His keynote, “Life Lessons from Tennis,” centered on focus, resilience, and playing the long game. Interestingly, Dan has a personal goal of traveling to every country in the world and playing tennis wherever he goes.
As a member of the Rafa Nadal Academy, Dan also shared the tennis icons who have inspired his journey: Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf, Billie Jean King, Novak Djokovic, and Alexandra Eala. Each of them, he explained, embodies discipline, perseverance, and excellence.
Prepare, Adapt, Recover
Drawing on his time on the court, Dan shared three key lessons that apply to both tennis and the workplace:
- Plan ahead, anticipate challenges, and always have a backup plan.
- Adjust to changing situations instead of relying on the same approach every time. Success, Dan noted, often comes from staying flexible and responding well to new circumstances.
- Tennis players must reset quickly after every point, win or lose. Likewise, professionals should learn from setbacks, avoid dwelling on mistakes, and refocus on what comes next.
In short, when we prepare well, adapt when needed, and bounce back quickly, we stay resilient and perform at our best, both on the court and at work.
Celebrating Excellence
After the keynote sessions, we honored August’s top performers:
Top Sales Consultant
Alice Llamas (Service Delivery Hub)
Top Production Consultant
Glenn Pollarca (EDI)
Millionaire’s Club
Kristine Brisenio, Roger Santos, Judee Labrador, Dea Cinco, Edgar Beltran, Tracy Piamonte, Alina Manaig, and Chesca Gardaya
A big congratulations to all our August winners! Your hard work, grit, and drive to deliver for our clients and candidates set the pace for everyone. Like true champions, you showed up, played every point, and finished strong. We’re incredibly proud of you, and we can’t wait to see you raise the bar even higher in the months ahead. Keep swinging!
A Winning Mindset
The Sales Open was more than a themed conference. Through the sales lessons from tennis that Tully Moss and Dan Rupinta shared, we were reminded that success on the court and in business takes preparation, adaptability, resilience, and a drive to keep improving. After all, just as every match is won one point at a time, every career grows through steady effort, smart strategy, and the will to keep moving forward.
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped make this event a winning experience for all!
To learn more about John Clements’ people development programs, recruitment solutions, and industry insights, visit www.johnclements.com.
