How lessons from the links can benefit any business
Broadreach Public Relations
Linda Varrell is president and founder of Broadreach Public Relations in Portland.
Anyone who knows me knows that golf has been a lifelong passion. Following in the footsteps of my grandmother, uncle, dad, and brother, I learned how to wield a wedge before I even Iearned how to write in cursive. And today, from the time the clocks spring forward in March until the first snowflake falls, I get out on the links every chance I can.
The sport has helped me so much, and not just because the greens are an ideal venue to seal deals. Golf has been a bountiful source of lessons that have served me well over the 25 years I spent working in banking, and in the past 15 years I spent running a strategic communications firm. And I don’t think you have to able distinguish between a nine- and a six-iron, to appreciate them too.
Decorum matters
In golf, there’s no shortage of rules. You don’t talk while someone else is taking a shot, you don’t stand in someone’s line, and you always yell “FORE!” if your ball is heading in someone else’s direction. To keep all players safe and give everyone an opportunity to do their best, everyone must know, literally, where to stand.
The same is true in business. Whether you're inking a new relationship or ironing out the inevitable pain points that come up along the way, make it clear what the rules of engagement are, and where your limits are. That goes for big things — like articulating your policies, processes, and practices — as well as the seemingly-small stuff like setting agendas, documenting meetings, and explicitly outlining who is responsible for each to do. Hammering out the rules on the front end can eliminate so much ambiguity-induced agita in the long run. Sometimes that requires a level of candor that is uncomfortable for others. But ultimately, everyone will be able to relax a lot more if they know where the boundaries are.
Stay in your lane
Much like running a business, playing golf is an individual sport that you play alongside others. Yes, you’re looking to outperform other players, but you’re mostly looking to keep growing, learn, and refine your own craft. There is never any shortage of unsolicited advice about how you play and where there’s room for improvement. And yes, when it comes to your swing, stance, and getting the ball into that hole, some basic principles apply. But you can only achieve your own personal best by learning through experience how to make the most efficient use of your own unique strengths and weaknesses.
In business, tap into the wisdom that’s available all around you. But your ability to thrive will wholly depend on your ability to wade through other people’s opinions and trust your own gut as well as the hard-won lessons of your personal experience. That goes for every decision you make, including who to hire, what corner of the market you decide to go after, and how you define success.
Learn from bad shots and move on
If you stick with something long enough, you’re going to make mistakes. In golf, we account for this. When playing with friends we allow redos of the first tee shot so everyone can have a chance at getting a good tee shot on the first hole.
Both on the greens and in the office, you learn so much about your own game and the other players from how everyone responds to adversity. When the going gets tough, who gives up? Are tantrums and blame thrown around? Who shows humility and confidence to embrace mistakes as learning opportunities? Do you allow others to take mulligans when they make a misstep, or do you write them off? Do you give yourself the same latitude? So much character is revealed in the way people handle problems. That’s true on the golf course, and that’s true in business too.
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