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December 01, 2003
Golf as a Metaphor for Entrepreneurship
One of my favorite golf books that I read this past year was M Scott Peck's Golf and the Spirit. Peck talks about golf as a metaphor for life. I often look to golf as a metaphor for the entrepreneurial experience. Here are a few examples of what I mean.
Golf is often a game of luck. A bad bounce here or a good bounce there can sometimes make all of the difference in a round. However, even when you get a lucky bounce, you need to know what to do next to take advantage of the lucky break. The same is true in entrepreneurial ventures. Luck is often one of the most important sources of opportunity. But if you are not prepared to act when luck sends an opportunity your way, this lucky break, just like the lucky bounce, won't matter one bit. It will be wasted.
Ultimately, in golf you are on your own to call the rules. The same is true in your business. Most of the times when you can cheat, be unethical, or even break the law will happen when you are alone to make the choice on how to act. Just like the golfer who finds her ball in an unplayable lie and can make the choice of calling the penalty on herself or moving her ball when no one is looking, the entrepreneur has to make most ethical decisions with only herself to answer to.
Golf is a game that forces you to play your game within your skills. I don't hit a long ball. In fact, I don't even carry woods in my bag. So I have to rely on my short game to score. An entrepreneur likewise must learn to build a business that plays to his own strengths. He needs to learn to "play within himself" (sorry Ann!!!).
Golf is a game best played one shot at a time. Never get ahead of yourself in this game or it will cost you! The minute you start thinking a score you can shoot is usually when it all falls apart on you. View your business one day, one pay period, one year at a time. I have seen too many entrepreneurs planning, or even worse spending, fortunes that they have not yet earned. In the process they usually take their eyes off what is critical at the moment and can jeopardize the whole venture.
There are more of these comparisons, but that's enough for now...some day soon we can talk about "keeping it in the short grass", "putt like a kid", and many other truisms for golf and entrepreneurship.
Posted December 1, 2003 07:32 PM
Comments
I love this comparison of a golf game and running a business. As with business and a round of golf, there can be severe highs and lows. From following a birdie with a triple bogie, to landing a large account followed by encountering a cash flow crunch, can be very similar feelings (consequences typically more severe in the business reference....). With this in mind, one must take one day/shot at a time. Mentally, one must be ready for what is ahead, but cannot lose focus of the present. Once focus is lost, the fairways begin to shrink and the sand traps become larger.
Posted by: Mike W. at March 9, 2004 03:56 PM
Golf in a great comparison to business, but I would like to expand a bit on the luck aspect: While there are lucky aspects in both business and golf, I am firm believer that a person can put themselves in a position to be lucky. In golf if you hit fairways and greens your chances of getting a "lucky" break definitely increase in my mind. Business is the same; if you make good decisions and provide your business with a strong foundation your chances of being lucky increase greatly as well.
Posted by: John O'Bryan at March 19, 2004 02:45 PM
It's amazing how much more lucky you find yourself through an entire round the more you practice. Take time on the range to put yourself in difficult positions. Then experiment with sound techniques to devlop a successful shot out of the trouble spot. As you play, you will find this practice provides confidence for normal shots and tends to result in more lucky bounces than you ever had before. Planning is a necessity to a successful round of golf. The best planning is how to successfully maneuver through a hole to give you the best chances of high probability shots. Knowing your game through practice will help you identify those positions within a hole to get your highest probability shots. Then, the next level of planning is to review the entire course prior to playing it. Review each hole carefully to see how your game will best fit each hole. As you identify holes suited to the strengths of your game, you can plan ahead to take risks based on your strengths to excel. The metaphor here is success through careful planning based on practiced strengths. Know your game to help realize the opportunities best suited for you to succeed.
Posted by: Matson Sanderson at September 22, 2004 09:36 PM
at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. He consults with a variety of businesses on start-up and growth related issues, and with larger corporations on re-establishing entrepreneurial cultures within their organizations. Dr. Cornwall's current research interests include entrepreneurial finance and entrepreneurial ethics. He has authored or co-authored four books.
