The ball has dropped! What we can learn from Jordan Spieth's victory

I sometimes play golf, but I don’t usually watch golf – I find that people’s misgivings about golf can often feel most apt through the television screen. Nevertheless, having hooked and shanked my way around the course this weekend, I settled myself down to watch the one tournament I can just about stomach: The US Masters.

Lots had been made of this year’s tournament, and one man certainly made the most of it: a 21-year old Texan called Jordan Spieth, who yesterday became the youngest Master’s winner since Tiger Woods. I must admit at this point to the inevitable feelings of missed opportunity (a few more hours on the range and how different things may have been) and reflection…what exactly was I doing three years ago?

Regardless, I couldn’t help but take note of the incredible qualities he displayed on his way to the Green Jacket – a journey that pitched him against some of the biggest names in golf. 

Firstly, he didn’t let the disappointment of a year earlier eat away at him. It’s hard to imagine the devastation he must have felt coming so close in the final round of 2014 – on the 8th hole he held an impressive 2 shot lead, but a couple of wayward errors and it was gone. Second was impressive, but he wanted first. This was a disappointment, a defeat. Jordan, however, did not let the weight of failure bring him down, rather he learnt from his errors. “It stings right now”, he said, “and the only thing I’m thinking about is, when am I getting back next year? I’m hungry.”

There is a saying that ‘when you are green you are growing, when you are brown you are dying’ – and in business, as it seems in golf, the best people out there always remain green. They see failure as a great teacher, recognising the need to make certain mistakes, so as to understand how to overcome them and avoid them down the line.

Secondly, he was the master of his emotions. As I well know, in golf, it is a habitual reaction following a mishit to scan the environment for something, anything, to blame. That plane was awfully loud, wasn’t it? Damn that chirping bird! But over the four days of the tournament, Jordan Spieth was a vision of calm, constantly keeping his emotions in check. When things went wrong, he didn’t blame the wind, the crowd or his club – he was stable, a man in control. Golf is an up-and-down sport, but he was able to balance the good and the bad emotions with an admirable precision. Likewise we operate in an equally unpredictable business, where mishaps and speed bumps are inevitable. Nevertheless, remaining sharp and focused in the face of adversity is key.

For Jordan, keeping this balance was made all the easier by having a solid game plan. From the first drive to the last putt, he was a man with a plan. He had thought over and over again about the effects the wind may have, how the undulations of the green would play havoc with his putts and how a change in conditions may affect his play. He had considered the rhythm and pace of his game, so he didn’t feel the need to take unnecessarily risky shots. He did not win by fluke, nothing happens by chance. I read in an article recently that there are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what has just happened. Like Jordan, we have to make things happen – and that requires prior thought and some due diligence, especially when we exist in an environment as constantly susceptible to changing conditions as the golf course.

Finally, a great golfer is made ever greater by the team surrounding him – people who compliment and strengthen skills and abilities. Great leaders don’t shy away from people who are smarter, braver or wiser – but rather embrace them for what they bring to the table. Over the years a lot of focus has fallen on the relationships with caddies, with the break-up of Steve Williams and Tiger Woods perhaps being the most fertile subject of conversation. For Jordan Spieth, his caddy, Michael Greller, a former 6th grade teacher has proven a phenomenal support and source of encouragement, taming the somewhat fiery Spieth and walking with him every step of the way to golfing history.

But, perhaps what I found most striking was the immense humility Jordan showed as the final ball dropped in the hole. An extraordinarily subdued reaction, one that was wholly representative of the man – calm and thoughtful, driven but humble. We can learn a lot from the way he quietly stormed to victory: learn from failure, control our emotions and surround ourselves by smart, diverse people.

These views are entirely my own and do not represent Flamingo's point-of-view