Leadership Development: Fundamental skills underpin superior performance.

How good are you at leading and managing others? What are the factors that determine competence and success in this area? What sets you apart? Why do you succeed where others fail?

These can often be difficult questions to answer because we just ‘do it’ or we’re more ‘motivated’. Ultimately, all managers and leaders succeed, that’s their job. Some succeed more effectively than others.

In golf everyone succeeds. Eventually the ball ends up in the hole. How the ball got there and in how many strokes is another story! The golfer’s goal is clear, as is the manager’s, although this is sometimes (often?) not the case. So, what influences how you get there?

When a golfer sets up to hit the ball, the trained eye can predict the direction and flight of the ball. The golfer is focused on the target, yet the way they have set up can give them little or no chance of executing a good shot. The same can be said for a leader. The way they will achieve results is also predictable. They are focused on the objective, know what has to be done, yet their decision-making, their quality of communication, the way they influence others, their capacity to motivate will severely hamper strong progress.

What is the common denominator unifying success in any discipline in life whether it be business, golf or some other pursuit?

It is fundamental skills that underpin superior performance. If you can’t catch, you lose. If you can’t pass, you lose. If you can’t hold a golf club correctly, you lose (unless their grip is worse!). If the fundamentals of leading and managing people are not present, you lose.

We need to have a firm grasp of the factors that will influence the quality and effectiveness of our results. Without this understanding, without the competences developed, practiced and honed, we will be struggling even before we begin.

Of course, in business, one person acting and communicating strongly on their own is not enough. The whole organization needs to adopt, and become adept at, the fundamental skills for business success. If you were to pick one area to quickly help you see what the business ‘handicap’ is, consider the meeting culture within your organization. How proud are you of the way they run?

Fundamental skills underpin superior performance for better business, better golf, better life.

Better Business Better Golf improves personal performance in the board room and on the course by taking principles of best practice in managing and leading others and showing how the same principles apply in becoming a better golfer. It is a unique program because it is practical and you can use it to create results right away.

Insight; Inspiration; Improvement. That’s Better Business Better Golf

Entertaining Customers and Prospects at Golf

Entertaining customers and prospects on the golf course is one of the best ways to strengthen business relationships, instill trust and gain commitment. How many other meetings take place in pleasant surroundings on neutral ground over five to twelve hours?

Active Reference

The overarching objective of any business contact is to 'create active reference’. This means influencing people so that they will spontaneously recommend you and your company to others in the future. Active Reference is your goal when entertaining at the golf course whether the deal is sealed or not. In order to achieve this it is important that you plan your meeting to ensure you create a first class experience for your guests.

Which Golf Course?

This is an important consideration based on their game. The choice of golf course should cater to their handicap. You may think that inviting an occasional golfer to a ‘marquee name’ such as Pebble Beach or Beth Page Black will raise your standing. After a couple of 11’s and 5 lost balls the allure tends to wear off. Pick something that allows you to spend more time talking to them rather than looking for their golf ball. The same thoughts should apply if they are a better golfer than you are.

Send an Itinerary

Preparing your guests in advance with concrete information ensures that they are more likely to arrive in a relaxed state and in a good frame of mind. Let them have a set of directions and precise instructions as to how to proceed on arrival. If they are unfamiliar with the clubhouse tell them what to look out for, who to ask, what to do with their clubs and exactly where to meet you. They will also need to know if there is a particular dress code in operation.

Meeting at the Course

You should arrive at least 30 minutes before your guests. This will give you time to pay for the green fees, get scorecards, organize carts, find out where the first tee is and start ordering refreshments for your guests’ arrival. You may also wish to organize a credit account to be settled at the end of your round.

On the Tee

¬It is a good idea to decide in advance which color tees you will be playing off. Try and choose the tee boxes that will allow your guests to have the most enjoyable round even if you can hit the ball a country mile. Decide the format that you are going to play. Ask your guests if they have a preference. Here is a useful website to help you choose the most enjoyable format for your group:

http://www.golfalot.com/LucyLocket/Formats.aspx

Handicaps should have been declared before reaching the first tee and are really only important if you are playing for more than pride. Sometimes a guest will ask to have a wager. If it’s a small amount, nobody will feel disgruntled at the end if they have to fork out. If it is for larger amounts, I suggest politely declining since often neither party knows what the other is capable of. Some handicaps need to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Who drives the cart? Their choice.

Golf Etiquette

Minding your golf ‘p’s and ‘q’s is a critical area and you should be very familiar with course etiquette. Showing your ignorance can be a detail that loses the deal or leaves you open to question.

Here is some useful information from the United States Golf Association:

http://www.usga.org/playing/etiquette/etiquette.html

If your guests are less acquainted with form on the course than you, a polite request should be enough to make them aware what they are doing.

Business Talk

One of the great things about playing golf is that you really get to know a person after spending 3 or 4 hours with them. You see how they cope with success and failure. You find out how considerate they are, how gracious they are. You share some personal information, a joke, an experience. One of the things you don’t talk about is business. That is the last thing on the agenda. The business conversation takes place off the course over a cold drink. You all know that it is coming and that it is part of the day. The ritual of playing golf takes priority until the final putt is holed.




Golf is a management skill. It is one of the most powerful ways to build lifelong relationships. Done well, it enhances your reputation and that of your company.

How you are on the course is a reflection of your culture, your values and your integrity. If we look more deeply into the concept of golf as a management skill it is possible to apply success factors in playing golf well, to business and vice versa.

Better Business Better Golf improves personal performance in the board room and on the course by taking principles of best practice in managing and leading others and showing how the same principles apply in becoming a better golfer. It is a unique program because it is practical and you can use it to create results right away. To find out more contact:

service@betterbusinessbettergolf.com

Insight; Inspiration; Improvement. That’s Better Business Better Golf

Management Development through Golf

How good a manager are you? If you had a 'management' handicap what would it be? Are you off scratch or are you forever hacking through the undergrowth?

I'm amazed at how many senior managers I meet who have never had any formal management training and they are amazed at how much they learn. Organizations still believe that the title of manager or director imbues individuals with special powers and abilities. They must have a telephone kiosk in reception where people twirl around and become highly effective operators.

"It's common sense!" are oft repeated words around the art of management. If that's true, then there are a lot of companies out there without any sense. I say to people that management isn't common sense, it's good sense.

For the golfers amongst us, if you were asked by a friend for some advice about taking up the game of golf you would, in all likelihood, suggest they take some lessons. Why? Because it's important that they understand and learn the absolute fundamentals upon which golfing success is based. It will speed up their development in the game, improving their scores and contributing greatly to their enjoyment.

For somebody going into management 'lessons' are rarely the suggestion and it is possible to go through a whole career without any formal input and never discover that there is a 'right way to hold a golf club'.

At Better Business Better Golf I have developed a management development program that takes fundamental principles of success and shows how they apply equally in management and golf. You can take the same principles and apply them to any discipline and they will improve results and impact.

Most managers are experts in their field. They are a vital source of knowledge and experience that business cannot do without. They are not experts in management just as most are not expert golfers. We all need input and guidance if we are to improve.

Are you the perfect manager or can you learn more? Want to be a 'scratch manager'?