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August 2007
A Great Metaphor for Leadership

Last week I did something I hadn’t done in years.  Something I swore I’d never, ever do again.  Last week I . . . played golf.

This summer my 20 year old son has gotten into playing golf.  And when he asked if I wanted to join him, I decided, why not?

It’s true that years ago, I swore I would never play again.  I just didn’t have the time it takes to get better.  I’d never played much, only once or twice a year.  I don’t like doing things where I can’t make significant improvement. 

And, I had thought, there’s enough frustration in life without looking for it on a golf course.

But my round of golf, bad as I was, reminded me that golf is a great metaphor for leaders, for organizations, for life.

One reason it’s a great metaphor is because it’s all about improvement.  Ask a golfer about the best round he or she ever played.  Chances are the memories are vivid.  And I guarantee that the person never thinks, “I only want to play as well as I did in that great round.”

No, the person wants to improve.  No matter what the person’s best score was, the goal is always to do better than that score.

In the same way, we’re always striving to improve our own leadership, and make our organizations better.  A friend of mine, a successful entrepreneur, says that in business you have to play to win every day. 

That requires continual improvement, because if you’re not improving, you can bet that your competition is.

Whether it’s golf, coaching, or consulting, I want to do better today than yesterday.  And I want to do better tomorrow than today.  I’m passionate about improvement.

Another great thing about golf is that the objective is always clear:  Get the ball in the hole.  Do it in as few shots as possible.  I like that clarity. 

Whenever I start a coaching assignment, the first thing we always do is set clearly defined objectives.  This is so important that I put it in my standard coaching agreement.  (To get a copy of this agreement, see the end of the column.)

Clear objectives are extremely important for leadership, because most people don’t spend much time writing down their self-improvement objectives. 

They may have thought about objectives for improving their leadership, and those thoughts may have spent a lot of time rattling around in their heads. 

But until our coaching starts, and I require them to do it, they haven’t really written them down.  And once they write them down, the next step is clarifying and refining them.  It’s hard to clarify and refine if the objectives aren’t written down.

I also love the specific, measurable aspects of golf’s objectives.  Either you make par or you don’t.  Either you two-putt the green, or you don’t.  As long as you keep score, you know how well you’re doing versus the course today, and versus your previous round. 

It also helps if you’re honest.   One of the things I do as a coach is try to keep the other person honest about keeping score.

“I think I’m doing better” doesn’t cut it.  You may have what I call anecdotal evidence of improvement, but we want hard data to show how much we’re improving.

A final way that golf is a great metaphor for leadership is that both require practice.  Dwight Eisenhower said that leadership can be learned through studious reflection and practice. 

Another thing I do in coaching is insist that the other person practice implementing the principles we discuss.  This also is part of the coaching agreement.

In leadership, as in golf, it’s difficult to make significant improvement alone.  Last year one of my columns was about leadership being a solitary sport, and it is. 

But maximizing leadership improvement requires a collaborative effort, someone to help you along.  A coach, a mentor, a trusted friend, your team, or your spouse. 

Use a written agreement to define the parameters of this collaborative effort, and to ensure your improvement.

I was getting ready to hit a drive, and my son said, “Dad, try standing closer to the ball.”  I got closer to the ball, and I smacked that drive straight for about 200 yards, a beautiful shot and a tremendous improvement. 

Sounds like a coach to me.

What are you doing to meet your leadership objectives?

Until next edition, keep leading the way!

If you’re interested getting a copy of my standard coaching agreement, click here:

http://www.on2url.com/app/adtrack.asp?MerchantID=55031&AdID=332765

Copyright (C) 2007 by Terry Wall

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