Lessons from the Links

iUniverse, Inc.

Contents

Preface...................................................................ixMaking the Date...........................................................1It All Starts at the Bag Drop.............................................7First Hole: Penciling in Your Score.......................................13Second Hole: Playing from the Right Tee Box...............................19Third Hole: Communicating to Avoid Hazards................................25Fourth Hole: Playing with the Right Team..................................31Fifth Hole: Even Golf Is about the Brand..................................37Sixth Hole: Even the Best Clubs Don't Sell Themselves.....................43Seventh Hole: Dealing with Hazards........................................49Eighth Hole: You Can't Buy a Game.........................................53Ninth Hole: Winners Never Stand Still.....................................59Tenth Hole: You've Gotta Play by the Rules................................65Eleventh Hole: Finding the Time to Play...................................71Twelfth Hole: You've Gotta Keep Score.....................................77Thirteenth Hole: Even the Pros Have Pros..................................83Fourteenth Hole: Why Players Have to Believe..............................89Fifteenth Hole: Why Business Is Only a Game...............................95Sixteenth Hole: Finding the Balance.......................................99Seventeenth Hole: How Leadership Drives Success...........................105Eighteenth Hole: One Is the Loneliest Number..............................111Nineteenth Hole: Putting It All Together..................................117About the Authors.........................................................125

Chapter One

Penciling in Your Score

As they got back into the cart to drive from the practice range to the first hole, Matt looked over and noticed that Elizabeth had taken the scorecard and penciled in a score for the round. As she put it back on the steering wheel, he looked at the score she'd written on the card. He remembered that she was a pretty good golfer, but the score on the card would be a stretch for her.

As they waited on the tee box, Matt's curiosity got the best of him. "Hey Elizabeth, what are you doing? How can you fill in your scorecard? We haven't even teed off yet!"

Having seen that kind of reaction before, Elizabeth was unfazed. "Don't worry; I won't cheat. I'll count every stroke, but that's what I hope to shoot today. I've been playing pretty well, but I'm always trying to get better. I've found that writing down what I'd like to shoot before every round has really helped my game. Once I've put it in writing, it's like a clear vision. It sets the bar for the day."

Matt still looked puzzled.

"Once I've decided what I want to shoot, I try to picture what I need to hit on each hole to get there. I know that I won't score as well on the longer holes as I will on the short par fours, so I have to develop a different strategy for each hole. If I beat my plan on a hole, great, I have some cushion. If I miss my goal on a hole, I've got my work cut out for me and I change my plan for another hole—not necessarily the next hole, because that one might not be the one on which I can most easily shave off a stroke."

"That makes sense."

"I do the same thing in my business. I opened my business because of this vision I had. I knew that it would take a long time and a lot of work to get there, but knowing where I am headed has made the long hours and the hard work easier. I can really feel what it's going to be like when I cross the imaginary finish line I've pictured all this time. I can taste that success."

"I get it," Matt said. "The score you decided you'll shoot today is like that finish line."

"Sort of. But like in my business, there's no guarantee that I'll get there easily. You know how unpredictable golf is, Matt; it's tricky."

"Yeah," he said, "the little pond on the ninth hole at my club is like a magnet for my ball. It doesn't matter what I do—I always seem to go right to it."

"That's the advantage of having a vision. It's sort of like using that yardage book you bought. You focus on the big picture and the end result instead of on the obstacles in the way. And if you dunk one and take a penalty, you know what you have to do to make it up and reach your goal for the round."

With a slight grimace Matt admitted, "That sounds a lot more sensible than throwing a club and having a small tantrum."

Elizabeth went on, "In my business, every day is different. We don't always have record-breaking sales each month, and an economic downturn hits us just like everyone else. Golf is the same way. Sometimes, the longest par five plays better than the easiest par three."

"It's harder to get a hole-in-one on a par five, though."

Elizabeth laughed and said, "You're right, but the point is that I don't worry about any one shot or any one hole on the course. I focus on playing to get to my goal. Doing that keeps me from getting rattled or giving up. I also don't get caught up on how the others in my foursome are playing. I'm playing against myself to get to the score I've decided I can shoot for that day, and I keep focused on that end.

"I run my business the same way. I've got a lot of competitors, and it seems like new ones keep popping up every day. Many of them are bigger than we are, and some of them seem to have an unlimited supply of capital."

"That's exactly what I'm facing right now. It feels as if there's someone new opening up every day."

After commenting that the flowers next to the cart path on the way to the first tee box were in full bloom, Elizabeth responded to Matt: "You can't spend your time worrying about your competitors' game plan. It would be like letting one bad shot or a double bogey ruin a whole round of golf. You've got to play your own game. You've got to keep concentrating on what you do well and trying to improve your skills."

She went on, "I've been studying how the tour pros play. I think the biggest difference between the best and the rest is consistency. The winners don't change their games based on who they're paired with. They play their own games all the time. They don't let up when they're ahead, and they don't quit when they're behind. I think they must envision wearing the green jackets or taking home the big money. And that makes them the competition—the ones to beat."

Matt took his driver and walked up to the tee box, nodding. He liked Elizabeth's outlook and the way she seemed to approach her business. It made a lot of sense. He was thinking about visions and goals and playing his own game.

He paused for a minute, staring down the fairway, and seemed almost in a trance as he looked toward the green. Matt put his ball on a tee and without even taking a practice swing hit a long, straight drive to the middle of the fairway. His drive left him with a short easy second shot to get to the green.

"Great drive," Elizabeth said as she walked to her tee box. "I thought you said you hadn't had time to play lately."

"That's true, but I think I've just remembered something important about this game. Instead of just bashing the ball, I created a picture of where I wanted it to go. Somehow, the ball got the message and landed right where I'd hoped it would."

Elizabeth smiled. "I don't think the ball got the message, Matt. I think you did."

Elizabeth's drive, although not quite as far as Matt's, was also solidly in the fairway.

When she got back into the cart, she saw that Matt had turned the scorecard over and entered his hoped-for ending score right under hers.

First Hole: Penciling in Your Score

1. Vision defines your finish line. You can't get there if you don't know where you're going. Develop a personal and a business vision.

2. Vision helps set short-term goals. Set goals and objectives to help you move toward your vision.

3. Put it in writing. The difference between a dream and a vision is the ability to clearly articulate your end games.

Chapter Two

Playing from the Right Tee Box

As Matt reached for his driver at the next hole, Elizabeth said, "I'm glad to see that you're playing from the front tees today, Matt. Last week I played with a couple who'd just started playing. The guy walked to the back tees every time he hit off. At first I thought he didn't know that he could go up to the front tees, so I told him the difference."

"Did he get it?" Matt asked.

"No, he just shrugged and said, 'Well, I'll have to play from back here sometime, so I might as well start now.' It took him forever to get to the green."

Matt parked the cart next to the tee box. "Well, I've played so little lately I know I'd never get to the green from the back tees."

"You're better than most, Matt."

"Some golfers don't understand that the different tees are to help make you successful at the game—you should always try to play to par, and your handicap determines which tees give you the best chance at getting there," Matt said.

"Yeah, I guess it's ego. If you think you're a better golfer than you really are, you'll want to hit from the longer tees, but in reality that gets in the way of getting to the green in regulation," said Elizabeth.

Matt nodded and said, "You know, ego can be great and it can be the worst part of us. Our egos make us try new things that would be daunting if we always thought we weren't good enough to do them. On the other hand, overly inflated egos have caused lots of people to fall. And when they hit bottom, they hit hard."

"There's a big difference between ego and self-confidence. You need them both, but you need to understand how they work together. Our best sales associates are plenty confident. They take time to get to know their customers, and they match our products to their customers' needs. They can get pretty competitive when a big deal is on the line. But for the most part, knowing their weaknesses helps them keep their egos in check. I think ego can be an appropriate expression of your self-esteem, but it can just as easily become an inflated opinion of yourself." Elizabeth explained.

"I know exactly what you mean. In business, you see big egos all the time. I have one client we always call Mr. Big. Every time one of my folks calls on him, Mr. Big goes on and on about his big deals and the great vacations he's going to take and the terrific things he's doing in the community. It's all about him," Matt said. "But the true picture of Mr. Big comes out every month when he's late in paying us. He complains about his cash flow and tries to get extended terms."

"Yeah, as business owners, it's easy to believe that you're more important than you really are. We have to keep it in perspective—our jobs, businesses, and careers are what we do, not who we are," Elizabeth said.

"It's good to have confidence—we have to believe in ourselves. Without some degree of self-confidence I think we'd all just stay in bed. And it's important to celebrate our victories. At the same time though, we have to make sure that we're not overly confident." Looking a bit sheepish, Matt went on, "I guess that's why it took me so long to see that I needed help and to reach out to you. We invest so much of ourselves into our businesses it almost defines us. It's no sin to ask for help—in fact, I'm starting to think it's kind of courageous."

Matt winced as his drive went straight for the bunker on the right.

"So okay, Matt. I know your ego's in check, but do you have the confidence to get out of this sand trap and onto the green?"

Unable to find a rake near the trap, Matt stepped in as gingerly as he could. "Sure; it's a piece of cake. Well, maybe not that easy, but I'm going to give it a try." Matt smiled and walked into the bunker.

Second Hole: Playing from the Right Tee Box

1. Don't be afraid to play from the forward tees. Admitting your weaknesses helps overcome them.

2. Ego and confidence are both important human drivers. Beware of over-confidence and over-inflated egos.

3. Our careers are what we do ... not who we are.

4. Asking for help is courageous. Seek out a mentor, a trade association, a buying group, a consultant, or a business associate.

Chapter Three

As Matt got back into the cart after hitting his drive he asked, "So, Elizabeth what else makes your business tick?"

"Hmmm ..." She thought for a minute. "It took me a while to realize its importance, but communication is one of the real strengths in my organization."

"You mean the way you talk to each other?"

"No, the way we listen to each other."

"Listen?"

"Yes. Even in golf—one of the most individual sports around—you can learn a lot by watching how the pros interact with their caddies. Good pros really listen to what their caddies have to say."

"Sure, I've seen caddies suggest a club to their player, Elizabeth, but in the end it's the pro who makes the ultimate choice."

"Yes, but they use all the help they can get. A caddy is more than a person who carries a player's bag. They usually give insightful advice and moral support. A caddy is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the best strategy in playing it. They'll know the overall yardage, where the hazards are, pin placements, and club selection."

"Hmmm. I've never played with a caddie, but I can sure see how they can help play a better game."

"I don't know about that, but your business might be better if you used your 'caddies' more effectively. I'm sure you've got folks on your team with years of experience. I bet if you'd give them a chance, they'd be happy to help you turn your business around."

"I've been afraid to tell them too much. I don't want them to think that we're going under. I don't want them talking to our suppliers or our customers about our problems."

"Don't kid yourself. They know exactly what's going on."

Elizabeth went on. "Joey Sindelar's caddy, John Buchna, has been with him a record-setting twenty-three years. I know Sindelar's had a lot of ups and downs on his way to winning seven PGA Tour events and over $11 million. Sindelar has said that his relationship with Buchna has lasted this long not only because John pulls the right club for him or because he reads greens so well but because they read each other's emotions really well. If it were just about carrying clubs, they'd start using carts on the tour."

"Okay. So, do I need more meetings?"

"There are hundreds of ways to get your message to your staff and for them to get their input to you. You need to use all the weapons in your arsenal.

"Sometimes I meet one on one with my staff, and other times I blast a message through our company intranet. There are also times when we hold group meetings—like the weekly meetings my sales team has. Every meeting has an agenda. Since it goes out a few days in advance, participants can add things to it. They're also prepared when they get to the meeting."

Matt shook his head, "We used to have a regular meeting schedule and everyone participated, but after a while our meetings got to be so stale that I finally quit having them. It seems like we kept rehashing the same issues every week. If I think about it, I guess they were more of a monologue than a real conversation. I told them what I thought they needed to know, and they nodded."

"That's why most meetings are so unproductive, Matt. You have to have a concrete reason to hold one—an expected outcome. If you just want to hand down information, put it in a memo and save everyone time."

"Maybe that's what we should do. People hate spending time in meetings."

"Only if they really are a waste, Matt. If people don't feel like they have any role in the meeting except for being spectators."

"I probably could do a better job of making my associates feel more comfortable about sharing their ideas with me, but I don't want to get too close to my people. Some of their ideas just aren't realistic. If I keep my distance I can keep my perspective."

"You don't have to act on everything your team suggests, but you have to actively listen to them. Make them feel safe in coming to you, and go out and ask their input whenever you can. If you really want to show them you're listening, carry a notebook and write down what you hear them telling you. They'll feel important, and you'll do a better job of hearing what's being said."

"There are other tools I have to communicate with my team members. I should probably update things like our policy and procedure manual and our job descriptions too," Matt said.

"Sure, Matt. The best way to get buy-in from your team is to have them create the updates. Let them review their own job descriptions and add or delete things as needed. If you have them help update the associate handbook, they'll remember things about the company they haven't thought of for a while."

(Continues...)

Excerpted from Lessons from the Linksby Elly Valas Mark Mayberry Copyright © 2011 by Elly Valas and Mark Mayberry. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse, Inc.. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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