Business Lessons on the Links
I love golf; I’ve been playing the game since the age of three. One of the most important lessons I’ve learned is that it’s a game that you never truly master. It’s filled with ultimate highs and pretty disheartening lows. I’ve always wondered why the game has been so closely associated with business activities and events. Whether it’s taking out colleagues for a round, hosting a corporate tournament or inviting a potential client out to the links. There really isn’t any other sport that is used more in the business world than golf.
As I was pondering this I came to the realization that golf is quite like the business world. You have your good shots and your bad shots and sometimes you feel like nothing can stop you while other times you feel like anything can. However, the key in golf is to never give up and to learn from your mistakes. All of this sounds eerily similar to the business world. Sometimes everything is going well; your employees are executing tasks efficiently, clients are recommending your work and you’re receiving more leads than you can handle. Then the next minute one of your employees calls in sick, something goes wrong with a client and you can’t find a lead if it were right in front of you!
Such is life in the business world, however, here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure that you achieve higher highs and shallower lows.
Preparation
In golf, it’s always important to be prepared for anything, especially the worst. It’s the exact same in business as it is imperative to be prepared for anything that may be thrown at you. A potential client asks about your process during the initial meeting? Here’s our information sheet that explains everything. An employee needs to be brought up to speed about a certain project? Luckily you always tell your employees to save all of their project notes. A client is coming in to talk to you about how they can’t afford your payment plan? Good thing you have a list ready for the meeting of all the creative ways that you can make it work for both parties. If you don’t come to the office every day with a mindset of preparation then how can you expect to maximize your success? It’s like showing up to golf without having all 14 clubs in your bag! You’re just going to end up hitting roadblocks later on because you weren’t fully prepared.
Consistency
I used to play competitive golf and I had a pre-game schedule that I would follow to a tea before every tournament. Even when playing, I would go through a step-by-step pre-shot routine that would guarantee I was comfortable before each swing. Similarly in business, you should ensure that everything in your company is consistent. From your writing style to your marketing mix to how you respond to emails and even to how you and your employees answer the phone. All of it should represent and communicate to people who you are as a company because if you can’t consistently communicate that to consumers then how can they trust you to consistently deliver your services?
There are countless lessons that you can take from the golf course and transfer over into the business world and these were just two examples that show why businesses have been so keen on using golf as a way to do business for decades. Be sure to keep that in mind next time you hit the links and maybe you’ll learn a few more lessons of your own!