Tài liệu Golf and the game of leadership 20 doc

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Golf and the Game of Leadership
ners picked up their bags and started to walk off the tee.
But not Charlie. He proceeded to hit a third, fourth, fifth,
sixth and finally a seventh shot. Seven balls in the water! All
the while, his playing partners are saying, ‘‘Take a drop,
let’s go.’’
Charlie slammed his driver in his bag and without a word
headed in the direction of where his last ball had crossed
the water. His partners headed down the fairway. To their
amazement, when Charlie reached the water, he took his
bag of clubs and pitched it as far as he could out into the
pond. He watched it sink, and without a word, or a wave,
headed for the parking lot.
Charlie’s buddies did what real golfers do under such cir-
cumstances. They played on. As they putted out on the
green, they saw Charlie heading back to where he had
thrown the clubs in the water.
Charlie strode to the water’s edge and, without breaking
stride, into the water. Didn’t take off his shoes or roll his pant
legs up. He was obviously trying to spot his bag. Then he
reached down and pulled the bag out of the water. His
partners cheered and applauded as the bag broke the
water.
Charlie held the bag in the air. He unzipped a pocket,
reached in, pulled something out, and stuck it in his pant’s
pocket. He lifted the golf bag over his head and once
again threw it out into the pond. Charlie turned, walked
out of the water, and headed back to the parking lot.
Golfers can be frustrated by new tee locations, tree plantings,
poor sand-trap maintenance, aerated greens, and so on, but most

adapt. They don’t let themselves become victims of the changes.
Leaders can be frustrated too by the pace of change on the Global
Leadership Course. There is a lot happening around them over
which they have no control. The game is more difficult, complex,
and competitive. You know, the last time you played the hole you
could hit it over the water!
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Accept Change: Adapt
To be sure, Charlie lost control. He let his frustration over-
come him. He lost the ability to laugh at himself. He just plain
failed to learn from his repeated missed shots. Fortunately, he was
able to retrieve his car keys!
You cannot afford to be a victim of change. You cannot throw
away the keys to survival in the global marketplace. In fact your
best defense against the inevitability of change is to go on offense,
that is learning to welcome change, seeking it out, being an advo-
cate of continuous improvement, and enjoying the challenge
change brings. Your positive example will influence your followers
and help them to effectively deal with change.
SARAH
The difficulty is not so much that change occurs. It is that many
individuals have difficulty in accepting and adapting to it, as with
the gravity feed system or a new tee location. People need help in
adapting to new circumstances. Changes run the gamut from the
very minor one, hardly even a blip on one’s radar screen, to the
significantly major ones that alter lives forever. In each and every
case, people react to change in a predictable sequence. It is impor-
tant for the leader to understand this sequence and to recognize
that it applies to all change from the most insignificant to the

most dramatic. It is even more important that leaders help those
in their sphere of influence adapt to necessary change. The se-
quence of emotional reaction to change is identified by the acro-
nym SARAH.
When Ann and I concluded that she was indeed pregnant
with Kevin after five children, and nine years since the birth of
Lisa, the youngest, we went into SHOCK. We both expressed
some ANGER that our settled family situation was about to
change. Of course we commiserated with each other and offered
up the typical, ‘‘this cannot be happening to us.’’ In other words
we went into REJECTION. As we worked on this ‘‘significant
change’’ to our family life, we got help from the rest of the family.
Ann began by telling each of the children that we were going to
experience a blessed event. Mark, the oldest at 17, was first. His
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Golf and the Game of Leadership
reaction was one of surprise but very positive. The others—Tim,
Kathy, Dave, and Lisa—jumped on board as well in word and
action. Kathy and Lisa went with Ann on visits to the obstetrician.
Mark subbed for me at Lamaze class when I was out of town, and
Tim served as the ‘‘family sitter’’ when needed.
In short, everyone was involved and ACCEPTANCE of our
family change went well.
Others use the SARA—without the ‘‘H’’—acronym to explain
the change process. Note that I refer to it as the biblical SARAH,
after our granddaughter, Sarah. And the reason is important. Let
me explain.
People naturally react to change in the manner described by
the SARA sequence. You should expect that they will. You need to

exercise emotional restraint and allow them to express Shock,
Anger, and Rejection on the way to Acceptance. Then, and this is
so important, as leader you must provide individuals the ‘‘H’’ in
SARAH, and that is HOPE. Hope in a future that will be better
than the present. Kevin gave that to our family in many ways. We
experienced SARAH and we adapted.
Golf: Thy Name Is Adapt
Golfers cannot be afraid of change. On the contrary, golf is a game
where the very best players engage in never-ending self-criticism,
self-reflection, and self-correction. They are also constantly adapt-
ing to changes in courses, conditions, equipment, or physical ca-
pacity. The best golfers spend a lot of time looking at themselves
in the mirror to check their swings. They may even have invented
the notion of continuous improvement. They provide the model
for the leader who must adapt in times of change.
As mentioned when we played ࠻8, Tiger Woods continuously
seeks to further perfect his golf swing. Tiger won the 1997 Masters
Tournament by 12 strokes and a record low score of 270. After
celebrating the win, he looked for any flaw in his swing and saw
about ten! He then took a year to overhaul his swing and in an-
other two years ‘‘played by far the best golf of my life.’’ The golf
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Accept Change: Adapt
swing is always a work in progress, requiring adaptation and con-
tinuous improvement to be the best it can be.
Leaders need to demonstrate the willingness to adapt and im-
prove their leadership skills, just as the golfer regularly checks golf
swing mechanics. In addition to providing and receiving feedback,
as discussed on hole ࠻14, you should make the deliberate effort

to seek it out. Such effort can lead to improving organization
processes, follower success, and your personal leadership success.
For help, consult with leaders whom you respect. Talk with leaders
who have a style different from yours and are successful. Seek out
those who want you to succeed and get their perceptions. And
finally, discuss your leadership with people who have observed
you in a variety of assignments over an extended period of time.
Listen, and hear what they have to say. Consider their inputs.
You’ll be reinforced in your leadership effort and have ideas to
consider for the adaptation and improvement of your leadership
swing!
Dead Horses Can’t Run
Our mission statement for the continuing education division at
The University of Toledo was ‘‘quality education for quality per-
formance.’’ If only leaders spent as much time as golfers in this
quest they would probably follow traditional wisdom, which says
that when you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strat-
egy is to dismount! However, the general lack of concern for de-
veloping leadership effectiveness within organizations—because
‘‘we simply don’t have the time or money to spend on ‘‘soft
skills’’—leads organizations to try these and other excerpts from
the anonymously penned ‘‘Other Strategies with Dead Horses.’’
1. Buy a bigger whip.
2. Change riders.
3. Say things like ‘‘this is the way we have always ridden this
horse.’’
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Golf and the Game of Leadership
4. Appoint a committee to study the horse.

5. Increase the standards for riding dead horses.
6. Appoint a team to revive the dead horse.
7. Create a training session to increase our riding ability.
8. Compare the state of dead horses in today’s environment.
9. Change the requirements by declaring ‘‘this horse is not
dead.’’
10. Hire consultants to ride the dead horse.
11. Harness several dead horses together for increased speed.
12. Promote the dead horse to a senior management posi-
tion.
The difference between those organizations that make it in the
‘‘new realities of global organizational life’’ and those that don’tis
the cultivation of leaders with the ability to facilitate transitions:
their own, the organization’s, and those of their fellow employees.
These leaders have the ability to adapt to new or modified sur-
roundings in the same way the golfer adapts to a swing change, a
new golf course, or changes in the weather.
As a leader, you also need to be proactive. Tiger Woods
changed his golf game after winning the Masters, causing people
to wonder, ‘‘what’s he doing?’’ You need to be careful of ‘‘if it
ain’t broke there’s no need to fix it,’’ just as our diesel engine
firm learned. They needed an ‘‘oil change’’ and didn’t recognize it
because everything was running so smoothly.
Today’s organizations need leaders who can make change
happen. Such leaders are the focus of this book. You, the leader
of people, can do the job. You have to be focused, flexible, and
adaptable. You need to understand and deal with the effects of
SARAH when change occurs. You need to be a realistic decision
maker who understands that people have to accept decisions in
order for them to really work. You are motivated by results just as

the golfer is, and you are dedicated to playing the Global Leader-
ship Course in par or better. Like all of us, you’ll need help along
the way.
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Accept Change: Adapt
Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if
you just sit there.
Will Rogers, humorist
Quick Tips for Improving Your Leadership
Game
Real leaders typically understand and model the following in their
day-to-day actions:
■
See adversity, bad bounces, and landing in divots as chal-
lenges to overcome.
■
In times of change be very proactive in communicating to
your people and dispel false rumors.
■
Reward innovative efforts aimed at continuous improve-
ment, even when they don’t work out well. Edison failed
innumerable times before succeeding.
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5
16
Caddies, Coaches,
and Teams
Life is tough but it’s tougher if you’re stupid.
John Wayne

‘‘Stupid’’ is defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary and The-
saurus as being ‘‘senseless, brainless, shallow, imprudent, illogical,
foolish, irresponsible, misguided, narrow-minded, irrational, and
unintelligent’’ and with other not so complimentary descriptors.
Stupid leaders are those who do not realize the value and contri-
butions of the caddie, the coach, and the team!
Here’s something to think about:
1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last three winners of the Miss America contest.
3. Name five people who have won either a Nobel or Pulitzer
prize.
186
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Caddies, Coaches, and Teams
4. Name the last five mayors of your town.
5. Name the last three Oscar winners for best supporting
actor or actress.
6. Name the World Series winners of the past decade.
How did you do? I did terribly! The point is, fame is fleeting
and we don’t pay much attention to the headliners of yesterday.
We’re talking about the best in their fields or competitions. They
fade away rather quickly.
Here’s another quiz. See how you do on this one.
1. Name three friends who have helped you through a diffi-
cult time.
2. Name a few people who have made you feel appreciated
and special.
3. Name the five best teachers you’ve had in school or in your
organization life.

4. Name the three best bosses you’ve worked with.
5. Name five people you enjoy spending time with.
6. Name the group of people with whom you have accom-
plished the most.
Easier than the first quiz? For your sake, I certainly hope so.
And the lesson is? The people who make a real difference to us,
and for us, are not the famous, the wealthy, or the award winners.
The ones who mean the most, the ones we have little difficulty in
remembering, the ones we never forget, are the ones who care
about us. The Global Leadership Course is a tough one to play,
and as a leader you have to go out and play it every day. You
shouldn’t play it alone. In fact, if you try to play it without the
support of caddies, coaches, and teams of followers you will not
succeed. You’ll also need to be a caddie, a coach, and a team
member.
Lead and Help, Help and Lead
On this hole we’re going to look at the help we get in leading and
the help we need to give as leaders. Here are some annotated
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definitions, with apologies to Webster’s New World Dictionary and
Thesaurus, to keep in mind as we discuss caddies, coaches, and
teams.
■
Caddie. One who attends a golfer [leader], carrying the
clubs [providing help and support, doing the heavy lifting].
■
Coach. An instructor or trainer [i.e., a vehicle to transport
very important persons from where they are to where they want

to be].
■
Team. Two or more horses [a workgroup] harnessed to the
same plow [goals and expectations] in cooperative activity.
Caddies First
Let’s begin with the origin of caddies. Piecing together history and
golf legend, here’s a story. Mary, Queen of Scots, lived in France
as a young girl for her education and protection. Her father, King
James IV of Scotland, was an enthusiastic golfer. Mary inherited
his love of the game and, while in France from 1548 to 1558,
went to school and played golf for enjoyment. She was properly
chaperoned as she played and was guarded by cadets from a mili-
tary school hired for the purpose. Mary liked this a lot, and when
she returned to Scotland (not a very good idea for her in the long
run) she took the practice with her. In French, the word ‘‘cadet’’
is pronounced ‘‘ca-day’’ and the Scots changed it to ‘‘caddie.’’
Adopting French terms was not unusual for the Scots. If you have
a better story let me know.
Each of you could develop an extensive list of people who
have ‘‘caddied’’ for you over the years. The list would include
relatives, friends, teachers, associates, bosses, and so on. The list
should probably include all those whom you have followed, either
because they were in authority, or because you were motivated to
do so. All have influenced you in some way. If I were to ask you
to list these people—especially your past bosses whom you served
for a sufficient amount of time—you could do it.
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I wager you could also describe them in a very few words,

like one or two. For example, my first boss was in the nursery/
landscaping business. I worked for him during summer vacation
when I was 16. He was ‘‘dishonest.’’ My last formal boss was ‘‘gut-
less.’’ In between, lest you feel sorry for me or think I caused their
poor leadership behavior, I was fortunate to have some very good
leaders as caddies and coaches. Develop your own list. You’ll have
fun doing it. It will tell you a lot about who you are and how you
got there.
Praise for Scottish Caddies
My friend, Mike Maggiano, and his golfing buddies went to the
United Kingdom for golf and to attend the last two days of the
2003 British Open Championship. I called him after his return for
a trip report. They had a great time. If you are a real golfer, you’d
enjoy knowing, or enviously knowing, they played Troon, Turn-
berry, Carnoustie, Old and New St. Andrews, and a course I had
not heard of, named Kings Barns. Mike described it as being
hailed as the finest new golf course in the world. Must be some-
thing!
Mike commented on the Scottish caddies who helped him
and his friends as they played these courses. In short, he said,
‘‘The caddies were great everywhere we played. They really helped
us to achieve the greatest success we could within our skill levels.’’
He said they demonstrated a confidence in their abilities as cad-
dies that you don’t see in the United States. ‘‘They kept us opti-
mistic about our play,’’ added Mike, ‘‘knowing we were nervous
about playing such historic courses. On every course, the caddies
were able to recognize our capabilities and then helped us to play
within them. They added immeasurably to the fun we had
playing.’’
How good a job do you do as a leader to ‘‘recognize (your

people’s) capabilities and then (help them) play within them?’’
How good a job does your leadership do in this regard?
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