Playing the Long Game: Leadership Lessons from an Undisputed Champion

Vasyl Khmelnytskyi is a Ukrainian entrepreneur and investor, founder of the UFuture holding company, and initiator of the Kyiv International Economic Forum

This year’s Kyiv International Economic Forum was dedicated to people, those who defend, rebuild, create, make political decisions, teach children, invest in entrepreneurship, culture, and new technologies, who grow every day and choose to develop Ukraine despite the challenges of the times.

During one of the panels, we had the opportunity to speak with Oleksandr Usyk – the undisputed world boxing champion, a person known to every Ukrainian and far beyond the country. But this time, we talked not so much about sports as about leadership. Because no matter the field, business, or the ring, the principles are similar.

Oleksandr said something important: success cannot be built quickly. We live in a world where everyone wants “results now” – to create a startup and sell it for a billion tomorrow, to buy a trendy asset and instantly multiply the investment. But real victories are born from routine, daily work. “We play the long game,” the champion says. And that’s the main principle of both sports and entrepreneurship. We are often tempted by quick fixes, as if results can be “bought” here and now. Yet real resilience is built over years — you invest in processes, people, and your own “armor”, a reserve of strength without which any accidental success ends quickly.

Another key trait is discipline. Motivation fades fast, but routine and consistency remain. In sports, as in business, victory belongs not to the one with the most inspiration or motivation, but to the one who is consistent. Usyk admitted: he wakes up at 5:45 not because he wants to, but because he has discipline and a sense of responsibility to his team. It’s not about emotion or motivation, it’s about the choice he makes every day.

We also spoke about failure. A champion is not afraid to lose – he learns. After every fight, Usyk reviews not his winning moments but his mistakes. It’s important to see mistakes as input data. After each attempt, you don’t look at the “best moments” but at what went wrong and fix it. This mindset is familiar to every entrepreneur: don’t fear trial and error, because that’s what shapes long-term success. In business, as in the ring, the one who stops loses.

Another key theme is the team. Behind every great victory stands not one person but the combined work of dozens of professionals – coaches, analysts, doctors. When fair rules and trust operate within a team, they multiply your chances in the long game. A strong leader is not the one who does everything alone, but the one who can unite strong people around them and delegate.

And, of course, character. Oleksandr said, “If you fall in the ring, you have ten seconds to get up. If you can’t, you lose.” This principle applies far beyond sports. It defines our future today. Ukraine has been living under constant trials for nearly four years, yet we rise, do our work, and plan for the future.

Leadership is not about status, it’s about responsibility. It’s the ability to take a hit, to act when it’s hard, and to create new leaders. We cannot predict what will happen tomorrow, but we can already create the conditions for growth and recovery. Then people will be able to fulfill themselves, earn with dignity, plan their future, and stay here, in Ukraine.

At the end of the conversation with the champion, we held a charity auction: Oleksandr Usyk’s signed boxing gloves were sold for 1,100,000 UAH. All proceeds went to the “Soborna Ukraina” foundation to support the children of fallen heroes.

The strength of Ukraine lies in the people who can rise after every hit and keep moving forward. They are the ones building our future.