Lacoste CEO Talks Leadership and Career on SiiLA NXT Podcast
- Former professional tennis player and current CEO of Lacoste in Latin America shares lessons from sports in an episode of the SiiLA NXT Podcast, hosted by Giancarlo Nicastro
What can tennis courts teach us about leadership? In a new episode of the SiiLA NXT Podcast, hosted by Giancarlo Nicastro, Pedro Zannoni explains how discipline, preparation and the ability to perform under pressure remain central to his routine as an executive.
Zannoni’s career has an interesting connection with Lacoste. At 17, he was sponsored by the brand as an athlete. Three decades later, he became the company’s CEO for Latin America. The path between those two moments, however, included an unexpected change of direction.
At 19, after facing difficulties on the professional circuit, he left competitive tennis and began teaching the sport. Although he gave up his dream of pursuing a career as a professional player, Zannoni says he does not look back with frustration.
“I don’t think I was ever frustrated, because I did everything I could. You become frustrated when you look back and think, ‘I didn’t try everything.’ In that context, I tried everything that was within my reach,” he says.
In his conversation with Giancarlo Nicastro, the executive also discusses personal responsibility. In his view, looking for someone to blame can consume energy that would be better used to move forward and find solutions.
Another key topic is the importance of teamwork. Although a tennis player is alone on the court during a match, performance depends on coaches, trainers and a range of specialists. According to Zannoni, the same principle applies to leadership: “Working with the team is essential. You need the humility to understand that you cannot make decisions alone.”
Guga Kuerten and Novak Djokovic also come up during the conversation. Zannoni recalls that Guga achieved the dream they both shared when they were young and points to Djokovic as an example for executives: even at the top, the athlete continues learning, adjusting his team and finding new ways to improve performance.
The full episode of the SiiLA NXT Podcast is available on major platforms:
