THE BUSINESS OF GOLF
“Show me a person who is a good loser and I’ll show you someone playing
golf with their boss!” Anonymous
Succeed in golf!
Succeed in business!?
George, a sales representative for a local company and a 15
handicap golfer, came to a recent mental skills session and began to describe
how he had become the top sales person in his region.
And, no, it wasn’t by losing to his boss!!
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“It used to be that whenever I picked up the phone to do a cold
sales call I’d feel uptight, and sometimes even kind of angry. I’d be telling
myself that I wasn’t very good at this, I hardly ever had success, and no one
was going to buy from me this way, so why bother?”
“But after learning about the power of beliefs, attitudes, and
actions on the golf course I began using those same ideas in my job. I’d never really considered or known that I
could choose who I
wanted to be. I really didn’t even
notice before what was going on inside myself, except for my feelings.”
“I had always said, ‘This is just the way I am,’ and that was the
end of it.”
“Knowing that if I believe I can or I believe I can’t, I will be
right either
way, has helped me to actively choose who I want to be in order to
create the results I want. I also
learned to be patient with myself as I developed a new habit. It was real easy
to fall back into the old ways.”
“Now when I pick up the phone I smile as I hold it to my ear. I imagine the person on the other end and
they appear eager and excited to talk to me.
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They have a need to be filled and I am the person who can give
them what they need. My voice is
friendly and upbeat instead of tight and strained,
I’m more inviting.”
“I’m well trained, I know what I’m talking about. I feel confident that I know my product and
what it can do.”
“I actively remind myself that I believe in my product and the
benefits it provides to my customers. I
am excited to offer this person the opportunity to experience my product. I remember that even if they say no to me
that is about where they are and doesn’t really say anything at all about me or
what I have to offer them.’
“I am not defined by the result of my sales calls!”
“There’s no doubt in my mind that success in golf and success in
business have a lot in common!’
Tammie Green, LPGA player, said,“The way you are on the golf course is usually the way you are in
life.”
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How many times have you heard this statement or one close to
it? Many
have said that the person you are on the golf course reflects the
person you are in the rest of your life.
And one of the differences between golf and other sports is that
in golf there is extended time between each “moment of performance.” which
provides an opportunity for all of who you are to show up on the course and
impact what happens out there.
In fact some companies have been known to use the golf experience
as an
informal tool for hiring decisions. The theory is that you can get to know more about a person,
particularly how they handle pressure, by spending
four hours with them on the golf course than you can by almost any
other means.
And there are other ways in which the experience of golf and the
experience of business relate to one another.
If you look closely you will discover a set of beliefs, attitudes and
actions which are common to both success on the golf course and success in
business.
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Success in Golf and Success in Business are Alike in that:
1. Change is constant
and inevitable
2. There are many
outside variables that effect results
3. Small changes can
have a big influence on outcomes
4. We want to “play
in the zone” and it is up to us to create the environment in which it emerges
5. Strategy and
‘course management’ are essential
6. Equipment
selection and staying up with the newest technology impacts overall efficiency
and effectiveness
7. You can do
everything ‘right’ and still the outcome is not guaranteed
8. Cycles are
inherent in the process; there will be times of stability and times of
transition
9. Trusting yourself
and your skill is essential to success
10. Success requires
creativity, patience, practice, persistence, and a belief that it’s possible
and acceptable to succeed
11. Personal mastery is
required; the mental skills necessary to be creative, flexible, and trusting of
yourself to handle whatever comes your way
12. Personal beliefs,
as they emerge in thoughts, dreams, visions, images, and goals, are the
creative source behind any action
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George and other students will tell you; “Learn the mental skills
needed to succeed on the golf course and you can use them to help yourself
succeed in business or any aspect of life.”
Gary Player said, “I”ve found that to be truly successful in
the world of golf one must first come to accept himself as a human
being who has the inner capabilities to improve and become a better person.”
Golf is the business of life being lived out one stroke at a time
and success lies in actively choosing who you want to be in each moment of the
process.
Dr. Paula King, Golf’s “Head” Coach®, is a licensed sports psychologist, specializing in golf, based in Phoenix, Arizona, and can be reached at (602) 862-0032. E-mail: paula@drheadcoach.com