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!!

"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.

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."

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.

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

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.

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Dr. Paula King, Golf's "Head" Coach®, is a licensed sports psychologist in private practice in Phoenix. Specializing in work with golfers her clients include tour pros, juniors and amateurs. Comments or Questions?