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How to Succeed at Business…
This is the first in a series of columns to help women golfers of every
handicap have more fun, less stress, play better and build better business
relationships on the golf course.
How
to Succeed at Business Golf
Without Really Trying! by
Mark Oman
As
that very first great business golfer,
Plato, put it: "You can learn more about a person in one hour of
golf, than you can in a year on the internet!" All right. That’s
not exactly what he said. What he actually said was, "You can learn
more about a person in one hour of play than you can in a
year of conversation." He was right. Because how we play anything
is pretty much how we play everything. And the way some of us play
golf… that’s a scary idea!
For
a lot of women new to the game,
the desire to make a good impression and build business relationships on
the golf course can bring as much pressure as playing the game for its
own sake. Part of that pressure comes from the "unplayable lies"
we talk ourselves into. One of those lies is: "I'm not good
enough... I'll spoil the game for the good golfers I'm playing
with." After playing the game for 45 years I can tell you that
building relationships on the golf course has little to do with being a
"good golfer". I have had a great day on the course with
a business associate who shot 105 and was a joy to spend five hours
with, and played with another guy who shot 75 and was a pain in the
fanny for five hours. And that was on one of his good days! I hate
to think what he would have been like on one of his not-so-good days.
We'll get into this more in future columns, but the point is simply that
the golf course is generally NOT where the big business deals are done.
It's where you find out whether you ever WANT to do business
with the rest of your foursome. And whether any of them would want to do
business with you!
As
Michael Murphy writes in Golf in the Kingdom, "The game is an x-ray
into the soul."
Indeed, it’s worse than any IQ test. Golf is a 100-acre "I
AM" test. Because you can’t hide from who you really are on the
golf course. It’s going to come out – either willingly, or golf will
drag it out of you kicking and screaming!
And
what comes out is going to tell the rest of your foursome everything
they need to know about your competitive spirit, honesty, creativity,
flexibility, courage under fire, tolerance for risk, resilience, your
willingness to make a fool of yourself, laugh at the traps and hazards,
and still keep swinging! And that’s just on the front 9!
Whether
you are new to the game or have been playing golf half your life,
succeeding at this thing called "business golf" does require
some different skills than what you may be practicing on the driving
range. And that’s what this column is going to explore in the weeks
ahead.
Next
time we’ll tee off with the real S.T.U.F.F you need to have less
stress, more fun,
build better relationships and become a better Player in
business, golf and life. No unplayable lies, guaranteed!
Until
then… Have FUN and Keep SWINGING!
___________________________________________________________________________
Mark
Oman is
motivational business/golf speaker and best-selling golf humor author.
He delivers keynotes, seminars and entertaining banquet programs on
personal/professional development, communications, creativity… simply
becoming better Players in business, golf and life. For
information about Mark’s business and golf speaking services call
(831) 624-4386 or
mark@markoman.com or check the web
http://www.markoman.com
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