5 Leadership Lessons from the Golf Course

Golf has never been a favorite sport of mine, and I mean never. Perhaps it is the tedious and technical nature of the game that never appealed to me. Maybe it was the lack of excitement in contact sports, such as soccer, basketball, and football that caused me to be a passive golf enthusiast.

As I enjoyed my monthly golf outing with my daughter, I started to see a lot of similarities between golf and leadership. Here are a few things I learned this past week.

1. Your current shot is impacted on your ability to forget about your last shot (this applies to both good and bad last shots.).
2. Sandtraps, and water hazards in front of you will kill your shot if let them.
3. Keep your head down throughout your shot.
4. Some clubs are better for your game than others. 
5. Your focus is your friend.

I don't know about you, but my leadership can be impacted by situations that I have no control over. I have clubs that never let me down while others seem to always hurt my game. When I focus on the sand trap or water in my way, I lose confidence in my swing before I even approach the ball. Isn’t that the same with leadership. Our head is sometimes our greatness asset and worst adversary. 

 Here's the deal, my leadership suffers WHEN I allow factors beyond my control to instill fear or doubt.  Conversely my leadership excels when I look beyond the barriers and set my sights toward the green. As leaders, we owe it to our organization to keep our eyes on the prize and not the obstacles. When we can do that, our swing will be strong, accurate, and ultimately effective, and followers will find confidence in our leadership. 

This week analyze where your swing is slacking. Identify leadership “clubs” (actions) that are hurting your game, and put in some time to get better at them. Finally, identify barriers, fears, and doubts that are inhibiting your game, and make a commitment to meet them head on with confidence.  Trust me. Your game will improve when you face your fears and view your weaknesses are opportunities for growth.