Can you get off the tee?
I have often thought that sports analogies work well for business. That being said, sports have seasons and
business is on-going. The time for training and practice is very limited as one
seems to always be in the game.
Golf, however, is a bit different. While you can practice at the driving range,
you cannot recreate the shots you actually face on the course. You must adjust and combine practice shots
within your actual round. As one that took up golf in his early 30’s, a young
professional’s rite of passage, I find golf to be relevant to many aspects of
business; especially in relationship building.
Golf is measured against par, the number of shots it should
take you to complete the hole. Typically
there are par 3, par 4, and par 5 holes on a golf course with the majority (10
of 18) holes being par 4. A par 4 hole
is usually around 360 yards in length. Your tee shot should get you somewhere
around 150 yards out from the center of the green. Your second shot should put you on the green,
and the next two strokes should be putts.
That being said, you probably do this in 3 strokes with a good finish; a
one-putt. If you don’t get on the green
in 2 strokes or it takes you 3 putts to finish you will finish the hole in 5.
You might be wondering where all this leading. The other day I was on the course and I could
not get off the tee. My tee shot never
left me in a good place to finish a hole in par or better. If you can’t get off the tee, you will almost
never finish well. Same can be said in
networking, relationship building, sales, or client relations. If your tee shot fades into the woods, you
will most likely have to take a stroke to get back on the fairway and then
proceed to the green.
To consistently get off the tee you must practice,
concentrate, and execute. And to build a
successful relationship or generate a positive result in your endeavor requires
that you also know how to not only drive the ball off the tee, but also hit off
the fairway, out of the woods, out of the sand, pitching and chipping, and
putting. Furthermore, you will probably
have to learn to “shape” your shots as well.
In light of all these shots you need to have in your “bag”, you need to
have a good tee shot, good short game, good putting, and hit out of the
bunkers.
Whether for individual purposes or for the betterment of
your firm, a professional development program will improve your business success
and get you off the tee.
