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March Dates to Remember |
Learn how your business can get off the 1st tee, hit more greens and sink
more putts
Get your business off the first tee
by Randy Friedman
Company A is doing great with its record-breaking profits
this quarter, despite the economic downturn. Turnover rates are low and employees
are motivated. Company B, on the other hand, is struggling. Employee morale
is low, turnover rates high and profits are sagging. What could Company A
be doing that Company B is not?
Company A employees apply
the skills they’ve learned on the golf course
to their business. Not only is golf a great networking tool, but it also
teaches many important business lessons. Fortune 500 companies like FedEx,
Bank of America, Coca-Cola, Kodak and many others know the power of golf.
They’ve put their money into the PGA Tour for three main reasons:
- They realize the power of brand association consumers make with the winning values of
golf.
- They know the relationship potential golf has in the business world.
- They get the experience to play with golf professionals and corporate
executives.
So,
even if you’re not a golfer, how can you take the
lessons and skills learned on the course and apply them? Read on …
Anyone
can get off the first tee … the question is, how effectively?
Think
of the first tee in golf as the start of any project, job or business plan.
It’s where everything
begins.
It’s your business attitude that will either help you hit down the middle
of the fairway or slice it out of bounds. Your vision can give you a head’s
up on the competition. Here are some tips for creating a clear vision to
get your business team off the tee more efficiently.
- Create a mission/vision
statement, but you don’t have to reinvent the wheel. AutoNation is
an example of a Fortune 500 company that has done this well. It’s one of the leading car dealers in the United States
, selling new and used automobiles, car parts, vehicle insurance and warranty,
as well as doing repairs and other bodywork. Slogan/motto:
Driven to be the best. Mission statement: To be
America
’s best-run, most profitable automotive retailer.
- Work with your
caddy. In
business, this means sharing the vision with the rest of your company. You
are only as strong as the team supporting and cheering you on. Check in with
your staff members regularly and preferably on a weekly basis. Everyone should
be on track to complete his or her goals.
- Make sure your
equipment fits. In golf, it’s important that clubs fit you — not the
other way around. In business your processes, technology and equipment
should fit your needs and be up to date.
How
do we hit more greens in golf — and
make more “green” in
business?
It’s all about course management. In golf, it’s how to think your way around
the course. The better players take risks when it’s calculated in their favor.
They get back in play when a shot goes astray, and they score when they are
in position to take the shot.
In business, course management
is usually defined by the team leader or supervisor. Goals define your
direction, and sharing your goals with others will help you hit the small
targets to reach your ultimate goal. The company’s
bottom line changes when the smaller targets are hit and the goals become
attainable to reach.
Here are some tips on
hitting and making “the green.”
- Love every club in
your bag — and every member on your team. Each employee has
specific gifts and talents to bring to the table. If there’s a club in
your bag you never use because you don’t like it, it’ll bring your game
down because it’s giving off negative energy. It’s the same with your employees,
so you have two choices:
- Take it out of your bag and replace it with something you like. Remove
the negative employee and replace him with someone who brings positive
energy to the team
- Start thinking, “I
love this club.” Change your way of thinking
to focus on the positive “I may not love this person, but he brings
___ to the team … or she brings an element to this company we need.”
- Hit
the shot when you’re ready. Your pre-shot routine will let you know
when you’re ready.
If you don’t have a routine you have nothing to fall back on when the pressure
builds. In business, your pre-shot routine may be a short, motivational
meeting before your client comes into the office, or it might be the pep
talk you have with your sales reps when you go to a client lunch. It could
be a weekly meeting with your staff to check on company goals. Whatever
it is, create a routine and stick to it.
- Take enough clubs. Your
pre-shot routine will help you regulate your game. But if your ego gets in
the way, you’ll start to believe you can muscle your way around the course.
Most amateur golfers think they can hit the ball farther than they do. They
will come up short, finding themselves in the water or in a bunker. Think
things through; let your team help. Ask your colleagues for input, research,
talk it through and get outside opinions.
How
to sink more putts … or
in business terms, how to close the deal.
In
golf, you have 18 chances to make a mark, sink the putt and get ahead of the
rest of the field. In business, it’s essential to take the shot when
you are in the right position. Here are some ways to sink more putts:
- Get
off the driving range, and focus your time and energy on the practice
green. Did you know 50 percent to 60 percent of the game takes place in
the short game? Putting is the one part of the game that requires brains
over brawn. Similarly, in business, much of your success is about making
sure the little things get done. Your business goals are made up of smaller
goals or targets. If you’re not hitting the smaller targets first, then
you can’t make the bigger goals happen — then, you’re defeating the team.
- Love
your putter. If you say you hate your putter, there’s no way it will
work for you at optimum performance. The moment you love the tool you’re
using it becomes even better in your hands. Love elevates your emotions
and feelings unlike any other thought. Similarly, you must love your product,
service and company. Even if you’ve had a bad day at the office, think
positive thoughts about your situation and elevate your actions with the
power of your mind.
- Visualize yourself
making the putt, making the sale or seeing your client happy. Acting
as if you’ve already seen the outcome is a powerful tool top athletes use
in every sport. Tiger Woods, the ultimate visualizing machine, is a perfect
example. Why? He’s been doing it for so long. Woods worked with a sports
hypnotist as a teenager to see himself holing every putt he looked at.
Can you tell by his unwavering confidence?
- Believe you are the
best putter or salesman in the world. It is this inner belief in yourself
that brings you success in all you do. Your inner attitude will help you
sink the putt, close the sale or make the deal that drives you toward success.
Getting off the first
tee, hitting more greens and sinking more putts begin with an inner belief
that says, “I can do this.” The most successful companies
in the world know this … just ask Nike.
(Randy Friedman is a corporate golf professional,
speaker and founder of Golf Mind Power. For more information, visit www.GolfMindPower.com or contact her at randy@golfmindpower.com or
[203] 240-7828.) 
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