Christopher V. Flett

As of late, I’ve been reminded of a lesson taught to me many years ago by a mentor. He was an avid golfer and as I was learning the game, my frustration would get in the way of my seeing the big picture. I would swing at the ball, miss, get really mad, swing again in frustration, only to watch my ball sail into the water hazzard. He pulled me aside one round and said, “Chris, don’t get caught up on each shot. Focus on the overall game. Some shots will be beautiful and others will have you begging for a mulligan. Approach each shot as if it were the first shot of the game. Winning or losing in golf (and business) is made up of learning your pace, your vision, and playing each shot where it lies. If you criticize yourself about the last shot, you won’t be ready for the next shot.

Although it took many rounds for this lesson to sink in, I now approach golf very differently. I still get myself in as many ‘challenging spots’ as I always have, but now I approach it without judgement and am curious if I’ll be able to get the ball back on a better path.

In business, you are going to find yourself in the ‘rough’ from time to time. You might be like me in that I’m quick to criticize my actions, but instead of going there, I’d encourage you to be ‘curious’ about how you can fix the situation to make it better. In business, like in golf, the more times you get into trouble, the more times you get to practice getting out. When you wake up each morning, look at where you ball (business/career) lies and rather than judging it, be curious on how to get it on a better course.

Remember, Tiger Woods is the greatest golfer or our generation, but he doesn’t win EVERY tournament.