I am, without any doubt and by any measure, the world’s worst golfer. Ever. Ever ever ever. Ever*. But no one, and I mean no one, has more fun or derives more pleasure playing golf than I do. And while often as not I am constantly relearning, and immediately forgetting, the techniques I should be using to hit a little white* ball with a large metal mallet*, I have taken into the professional world any number of lessons. Lessons that have well and truly helped me build the life I love.
Keep Your Head Down
It’s one of the very first things anyone tells someone new to golf. If you follow your natural inclination to follow the flight of the ball you (think) you’ve just struck, you will invariably mishit that ball. Badly. You will hear your playing partners start to whisper things like “shankapnomous”. But by keeping your head down as you swing through the ball, you greatly improve your chances of not just hitting the ball, but actually hitting it in a generally forward direction.
Same at work. My wife and I have never ceased to be amazed by two things:
- Showing up no later than on time and leaving no earlier than quitting time, and working in between, yields positive results. Those of you who know me know that I will never be awarded a MacArthur Grant, and yet I’ve built an awesome life, have a wonderful home, and get to drive my dream car every day.
- Those who consistently show up only barely on time, or late, and leave early are ALWAYS surprised that their jobs never become careers, and they are often asked to take their “talents” elsewhere.
Keep your head down, put in the effort, and try not to be too smug when your career advances.
Follow Through
Yep, this is the second thing experienced golfers advise novices. Your swing shouldn’t stop immediately after you’ve hit the ball. Without the follow-through, the shot will never have the flight and ultimate distance it could, and will more likely spray left or right from your target line.
When collaborating with colleagues, and especially with supervisors, follow-through is key. If fear is the mindkiller*, assumptions are the trustkiller. Having asked for, or made, a commitment, communication is as important as the work deliverable itself. If you run into a roadblock or are unsure how to proceed, and you’ve explored as many options and resources as you can think of (this step is critical!), ask for help. Outline the situation, summarize your efforts and attempts, and leverage the guidance of your colleagues or supervisor. Similarly, if you’ve asked for someone on your team to take on a task or project, build into the work cycle both formal (regular stand-up meetings, project review sessions, etc.) and informal communications (the drive-by “Hey, how’s it going?”). And make sure your part of the work effort and deliverable is done, done well, and on-time.
Slow Down
Golf swings are as nearly unique to an individual as their fingerprints or DNA. But many of the best swings are slower than you might expect, given how well the ball is struck and how far it carries. In the military there is a phrase often taught to newer squad members: slow is smooth, smooth is fast. This is key to get new troops focused on taking the time to perform the task correctly, which yields the desired outcome much more effectively that trying to rush is reaction to perceived pressure. In golf, slow is smooth, smooth is far. Tempo if far more impactful that speed or “power”.
If you’re going to follow through, you need to take a moment to evaluate the ask that is being made (or that you are making of another). Do you have a clear understanding of the objective(s), resources required, and the timing? Can you articulate these to another member of the team in a manner that they understand? If no, it’s key to dive deeper and ask the clarifying questions necessary to provide you with as full and complete understanding as possible. More often than not, you’ll be in a position where you will need to begin without having all of the details. Some of them can’t be available or revealed until the work begins. In other cases, the time available isn’t sufficient to have every single “t” dotted and “i” crossed. Take the time to take a breath, put your head down and make the best effort. You’ll be surprised how much you can accomplish. I always am.
Hit the Clubhouse After the Round
Commiserating after a round that did not go the way you planned is as necessary as buying the house a round after you hit a hole-in-one*. Blowing off steam a little bit, relaxing with friends and playing partners takes this sting out of the enormous amount of time I spend hacking away from the rough. It also gives me time to recall the shots I hit exactly as I planned, the puts I nailed, and the joy at realizing not only did I not lose my ball in the three-feet-tall wildflowers the other side of the fairway on the hole opposite the one I was playing, but that I found a brand new Titleist Pro V1!!!
Taking time to celebrate the wins, and the good efforts and hard work (win or lose) is just as vital. As a species, we tend to only see the fault, the gaff, the omission. And there are always lessons to be learned from the fails, for sure. But celebrating the wins, and if not the wins the work and collaboration, is also a tremendous source for insights. Celebrating the win and reflecting on the good helps to make a habit of the worthwhile. One of my favorite writers noted that, “Shared pain is lessened. Shared joy is increased. Thus we refute entropy.”* Celebrate, and return to the game with a fresh attitude.