We are now in peak golfing weather in
Arizona. We're always in golf season,
but the weather this time of year is perfect for being outdoors playing
golf. I recently read the book; Go for the Green, Leadership Secrets from
the Golf Course, by Don A. Sanders, Ph.D.
The book parallels golf and relates the challenges of the golf course to
leadership practices in our work and personal life.
There is a reason why business is
conducted on the golf course; why job candidates or potential business partners
are asked to play golf to discuss a potential job or to negotiate a contract. Golf is a game more women are playing because
they realize that it is a way to network and learn about others and how they
lead and react to challenges.
Beginning with the next issue of this
newsletter, we will play nine holes of golf at our own imaginary golf course.
As we play one hole per month you will begin to realize that how we respond to
our golf shots and challenges on the golf course is very much how we respond to
situations in work and life. Each hole will show a parallel to the game of golf
and leadership.
My coaching clients are amused when I
use metaphors of golf to allow them to view their own behavior or leadership
practices.Occasionally when I play golf
with them I see similarities on how they face challenges at work.
Even if you don't play golf, but
aspire to lead and manage, the practical advice in the upcoming issues will
help build your character and competencies to lead.
If you are a golfer you know that the
most difficult hole on the course is rated #1.
It is important to note that the #1 rated hole in leadership is
"change." Change is perhaps one of the
most difficult things for many of my clients to do. It takes courage, determination and skills to
change, just like it takes courage, determination and skills to play a great
round of golf.
So what we'll do in this newsletter is
get ready to play, or let's say, get ready to lead. It is always a good idea to warm up before we
play. Warming up is essential. We must be loose, flexible and in a good mental
frame of mind in order to play effectively.
We get ready by preparing ourselves; sometimes taking lessons and spending
hours on the practice range figuring out our strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps we're good at hitting the driver, but
need more work on the short game, or putting.
Whatever it is, we work on improving those skills we need, and maintain
those skills we are good at. Recently,
the mental frame of mind has become more important to how we respond to a bad
shot or how we prepare for a difficult shot over water. By studying the score card we begin to
develop a game plan and set goals. We
begin the process of eliminating negative thoughts from our mind. We start to welcome the challenge ahead of
us.
In leadership we have to prepare
ourselves as well. We have to develop that
path to leadership by taking leadership courses, observing leaders we admire
and many times simply by our own experiences; analyzing how we handled a
situation and learning how we could have done it better. These goals become mile markers by which we
check our progress and figure out how much more we need to do. Our game plan in life serves as an internal
compass to keep us on the path to achieving what we want no matter what the
competition throws at us.
So go warm up and practice your golf
and your leadership skills. The first
hole we will play next month is VISION. In golf we have a target, which is the flag
on the green. We want to get there in as few strokes as possible. We know how
well we want to play, but if we don't develop the skills we won't get there. In leadership we have to have a target; we
have to know where we are going. We
can't say "I am their leader, which way did they go?" No matter how good you are or how good your
team is, if you don't have a vision; don't know where the pin is; then you'll
wander aimlessly and hit the ball all over the place. Leaders need a well defined goal and a method
to get there.
Until next month, when we step up to
the Tee Box, stay well.
