What every start-up can learn from Sergio Garcia

"I'm not good enough. I don't have the thing I need to have. I've come to the conclusion that I need to play for second or third place."

This was the taboo-breaking statement that Sunday's 2017 Masters winner Sergio Garcia uttered at the famous Augusta course five years ago. After 13 seasons of coming close but never quite delivering on his early potential, he appeared to be giving up. His nickname of El Ni?o had become an increasingly difficult burden on him.

It was taboo-breaking because athletes are supposed to be relentless in their ambition and self-belief, with doubts only confidentially shared with partners or sports psychologists. They are not supposed to show weakness or negative emotion. Yet Garcia is a player who lets you share his every moment of doubt, bewilderment and pain.

Groundhog day?

As I watched history appear to repeat itself yet again on Sunday evening, a couple of things struck me. Firstly, the crowd lived every moment with Garcia and was on his side. They were loudly willing him to win and suffering along with him when he appeared to be letting the famous Green Jacket slip out of his grasp again. Secondly, I realised that his honesty five years earlier wasn’t about giving up, it was about giving himself a break from years of crushing expectations on his shoulders. He hadn’t lost the will to win, as he brilliantly demonstrated on Sunday, but in order to win he needed to create space for himself to play.

Golfing lessons for entrepreneurs

I think there are many parallels between Garcia’s journey and life in a start-up. You are supposed to have relentless belief in your product and its chance of success. Questioning it can be seen as a negative and just as much of a taboo as Garcia’s “I’m not good enough” statement. But any progress can only come from questioning acknowledging weakness and openly addressing any areas of improvement.

There’s been much discussion of toxic bro culture in tech startups recently with its relentless, male sports-jock style. It’s all high-fives and youthful self-belief. For these businesses there’s little place for the experience and self-awareness shown by the 37-year-old Spaniard. And yet it is that emotional honesty, maturity and questioning that allowed him the time and space to complete one of the greatest sporting stories of all time with his victory in the 2017 Masters.

The final point I want to draw out is about the crowd. In any start-up, your supporters are not just important to your survival – they are vital. However well your business is doing, you will hit bad shots. You can pretend you haven’t and keep high-fiving, but the consequences of this can be disastrous. Or, you can be honest and open and show you have learned and grown from the experience. This will leave you and your business stronger and better equipped to deal with the inevitable bunkers we find ourselves in from time to time.

Open your story to all

Honest engagement with your supporters and advisors allows them into your story, making them emotionally invested in your success. When you finally win, they'll celebrate like they’ve won too, because they are now part of your story.

In Augusta on Sunday evening, Sergio Garcia wrote himself into more than just the illustrious history of the Masters, he wrote himself into the hearts of everyone who witnessed his humble, honest and ultimately human victory.