January 24, 2023

"I have never missed a putt inside of five feet on the final hole in a championship event."?

Years ago, Jack Nicklaus was speaking at an event prior to a golf tournament. There was a big crowd, and most of them came to see Jack. You don't have to be a golf fan to know who Jack Nicklaus is. He's the GOAT. He won 18 major championships. For context, Tiger Woods has won 15. Sorry millennials. No one, even Tiger, has the record Jack has.??

During this talk, Jack said, "I've never missed a putt inside of five feet on the final hole of a championship event. Not once."?

A guy in the audience was incredulous. "Wait! Jack....you missed a putt inside of five feet on the 18th hole two weeks ago! And that was definitely a major championship event!"

Jack replied, “Sir, you’re wrong. I have never missed a putt of five feet or less on the final hole of a tournament.”?

The audience member offered to send him a videotape.?

“No need to send me anything, sir. I was there. I have never missed a putt inside of five feet on the final green of a tournament.”

After the talk was over, the audience member came up to Dr. Bob Rotella, a UVA professor and noted sports psychologist, and asked, “What’s wrong with Nicklaus? Why can’t he just admit it?”

Rotella, as he reports in his book?Putting Out of Your Mind,?asked the man if he played golf (he did) and what his handicap was (16 … an average weekend golfer), and whether, if he missed a short putt on the last hole of a tournament, he would remember it and admit it (of course).

Rotella said to the man, “So let me get this straight, you’re a sixteen handicapper, and Jack Nicklaus is the greatest golfer ever, and you want Jack to think like you?” The man had no answer.

Whether it's selective memory or positively delusional, there may be a lesson here for all of us.?

I have never lost a deal because of money.

I have never had a week where I worked out less than three times.?

I always deliver more than I promise.?

And so on.?

Instead of being so critical of ourselves, maybe we could learn a lesson from Jack. Replacing self-doubt and self-criticism with positively delusional chatter may be healthier.?

The Golden Bear celebrated his 83rd birthday this past weekend. A living legend, he never missed a putt inside of five feet on the 18th hole of a championship event!

Believe it or not.?

With that, here are a few things that caught my eye this week.

Willing and Able -?An important aspect of leadership is growing and developing others. To do this, good leaders are always assessing. I call it the GPS Model of Leadership. Where are they now (like the blue dot on your map app), and where do they want to go (the address you input into the app)? That gap is what you train and coach.?

A simple model for assessing people is to ask, "Is this person willing?" Do they have the drive, initiative, mindset, and goal focus? The next question is, "Are they able?" Do they possess the skills, competencies, and communication skills to be high-performers??

Great teams are filled with people who are?either?Willing and Able...or?on the path?to being Willing and Able. Identifying where your team members are can help bring clarity to the gaps.??

• Willing and Unable??I'll make sure they get training and mentoring.?
• Unwilling and Able??Coaching is required to figure out why they lack will. This can sometimes be someone who is coasting. They used to be great, but now, they are cruising.?
• Unwilling and?Unable??In most cases, these team members should not be on the team. Ask yourself, "How long is this person without the drive, effort, and skillset allowed to be on the payroll?"?You get what you tolerate.??

Now,?here is an example of what good looks like. This border collie is willing. Oh, watch him sprint! Nothing will get in the way of the mission. Is he able? Watch to the end. You tell me.?

Did you celebrate Quitter's Day? -??It may have come and gone without you even noticing. But last week was what some have come to refer to as Quitter's Week.?

Strava, a fitness app, determined that by the second week of January, 80% of the people had stopped their resolutions for the new year. This year, it was January 13.?

Are you still on the train? Has your willpower diminished? If you are still laser-focused, congratulations! You are in the top 20%! If you have fallen off the wagon,?here's an idea?that may be more doable.?

I like the idea of "turn up-turn down" lists. Do more of this, less of that.?

A leadership organization disguised as a restaurant-?I will occasionally train customer service teams. I ask them to share the company that does customer service better than anyone else.?Every single time,?they say Chik-fil-A. No exceptions.?

Here is an interesting interview with Dan Cathy, the chief executive of the world's favorite chicken store. There are a lot of great "nuggets" (I couldn't help myself!) around how his purpose and vision intersect with the day-to-day. I especially like his comments about purpose-driven leaders in the next to last section. He says, "...having good measurement systems is a part of discipline."?

Give this one a read...it's good.?

A Quote to Leave You With?

Have a great week!