Leadership & Life lessons from Golf

I have recently taken up playing Golf and I am beginning to love the game and the virtues it teaches you when you are on the course. Many in business have always seen Golf as a networking opportunity, however on reflection I believe there are many important lessons that can be learnt from this game that can transcend across leadership and life in general. Here are the eight leadership and life lessons that we can all take away from a game of Golf.

1)      What you do away from the course is just as important as what you do on it. It is often said that golf is played on a 5-inch course, the space between your ears! Mentally prepping your mind for a round is unbelievably important, equally the way you spend your time while you are off work builds your character way more than what you do while you are working. Character is vital to leadership.

2)      You are often competing against yourself to be the best version of yourself. You must take that shot, you must sink that putt, others can advise, but they cannot do it for you. No matter how many supporters you have, if you do not believe in yourself, you will not go anywhere. Betting on yourself is the best motivation you can have.

3)      There will always be someone better than you – Do not be intimidated when you play against someone better than you. Stick with your game. Dance with the girl you came with. Often in leadership you will have team members that you lead that are more skilled, think more sharply, and communicate more clearly. Thank God that he is gifted your team with them.

4)      Sanity over vanity – Great driving is the ultimate vanity in golf, but all in the game will know that a two-foot putt is of equal importance as a 280 yards fancy drive. As a leader do not get wrapped up in the notion that little things do not matter, you have got to make sure we are doing the little things right consistently to achieve our goals.

5)      Sometimes you must grip and rip it – playing safe will not get you far. In golf and in life, sometimes you just must take risks. If it works, then you can reap the benefits. If it does not, then use the experience and learn something from it. Risks make life exciting and eventful. Success and glory cannot be achieved by just doing the conventional. Take risks and get ahead of the game. In leadership, sometimes we need to take some big risks and go big, the safe shot will keep you in play, but it is not going to get you the eagle you need to win the game. When the times come, you need to know it in your in your guts, and then grip and let it rip!

6)      Recovery is a big part of success. On the golf course, bad shots happen. The question is are you going to hit another bad shot because you are busy thinking about the shot before? Failure is a part of any strong leaders CV, if not, you either are not really leading or you have not been doing it long enough. In leadership and in life, you must quickly learn from your failure and put it behind you. If not, the mistakes can cost you dearly.

7)      Improvement & mastery is not the same thing. Neither golf or Leadership can be mastered, we are always striving for self-improvement through practice, action, and experience. Make peace with yourself that you will never master these fields, however, choose consistent improvement and enjoy the journey.

8)      Enjoy the game – Do not always take the score seriously, putting too much pressure to win on the course or in business will leave you burnt out and miserable. Life is a game, have fun and enjoy yourself whilst you work on your goals.