A Business Coach and Golfer speaks out

The Business Golfer….
This is another in a continuing series of articles relating the similarities of being a good golfer to those of a being a good businessman. The author is Jim Masters, a FocalPoint Business Coach and Area Developer in Omaha ,Nebraska.



Imagine your image!


Recently, I attended a networking event. A woman I had only met briefly was telling a group how she had been in line for a promotion to a new position at her previous workplace. During the interview process, a corporate outsider interviewed for the same position. According to the woman, he got the job because the owner was shallow enough to think that an outsider would bring in more expertise. Six months later, she was “let go”. She was quick to point out that this was purely political and she and almost everyone at the place she worked thought a terrible error in judgment had occurred.

Now, after several months of looking, she was pleased that she found a position with a new firm and “she” had been selected to make a significant presentation at an upcoming meeting. As she talked, it was apparent she was still extremely bitter at the first employer. Further, her speaking style was painfully rapid and every sentence began with and included several “uh’s”. (I counted 12 in a 30 second time period.)

As a veteran member of Toastmasters, I am very aware of the image I project when speaking. Good speakers measure their pace carefully and are focused on avoiding “audible pauses.” Knowing, this presentation will certainly be an important event in how she will be perceived by the new organization, I invited her to come to a Toastmasters meeting and practice her address. She looked at me incredulously and dismissed the offer by saying, “Oh, I speak fine, I don’t need that”!

As the reader of this article, my question to you is this….”What kind of image do you think she is presenting to those around her?” Right, wrong, or indifferent, every thing we do or say creates an impression in those around us. The woman’s previous employer may very well have made a mistake, but does it enhance her image to keep bringing it up? In actuality, the more she talked, the more I found myself thinking the previous employer may have had a point!

Also, as we go further up in an organization, the ability to present and communicate well becomes more critical. When one does not “recognize” a potential career limiting flaw, what kind of message does that send to others…especially those in higher positions? Lastly, we often encounter opportunities where others offer their assistance, what kind of perception do we create when we slap such offers aside? What is the likelihood that someone offers advice or assistance in the future?

Brian Tracy, world renowned author and business coach often mentions that image can be a “success accelerator.” In his book, “Million Dollar Habits” Tracy says this about image: “One of the most important million-dollar habits you can develop, which can have an inordinate effect on how fast you move onward and upward, has to do with your personal appearance and image. One of the rules for success is that “everything counts!” Everything helps or hurts. In the image that you project, everything counts as well.”

Many of you are probably now asking, “So, Jim,….how does this image thing have anything to do with golf and how successful golfers are similar to successful business people”? It’s really quite simple. Golfers are unique to athletics, in how far they go to present a well-crafted “image” to the public, to the media and to their fellow competitors. Compare any football, baseball or basketball player being interviewed to a golfer. Have you ever heard a golfer say “Ya know,” in an interview? Golfers cultivate an image of being well-spoken and under control. Naturally there are some exceptions, but by and large, and this has been confirmed in studies, professional golfers come across as more educated, refined and trustworthy than other athletes. It doesn’t hurt that golfers act as their own “referees” and police themselves on rules!

Another important factor that cannot be overlooked is the impact that image has on reputation. Image and reputation go hand in hand One of my career mentors put it this way: “We are all born with a good reputation. The actions that we take in life, however, add or take away from this reputation….and once you lose it, you can almost never get it back.” There is a fellow I know at our golf club who has the “reputation” of being a sandbagger (someone who can routinely play better than their handicap) and from conversation with others, he has a very negative image and this perception has also transferred over into his business activities. “If he cheats at golf, why would I want to do business with him?” People choose friends, the people with whom they do business and the people they trust…..image is a key ingredient in the selection process.

And while we are on the topic of image, do not underestimate the impact of personal appearance. Brian Tracy has often stated that we form our first impressions of people within the first four seconds of meeting them and finalize our conclusion about that person within the first thirty. What kind of “image” are you projecting with your grooming habits and your clothes? Professional golfers, just like successful business have a reputation for being well dressed. Harvey Penick, in his “Little Red Book” admired the way Ben Hogan dressed. He even tells a story about Hogan: “Hogan used to start off a merchandising speech wearing rumpled clothes. Halfway through the talk, he’d leave the stage, only to reappear in elegantly conservative attire. “Who’d you rather buy from-that first guy or me?” Ben would ask. Think about this “image”(rumpled vs. well-dressed) the next time you are preparing to meet a client or make an important presentation.

Here are my suggested “action steps: As you are watching a sporting event, think about the image the athletes are projecting. Next, watch a golfing event and compare the golf professional’s mannerisms, actions and verbal skills. Who would you rather emulate? Finally, take time to really perform a critical inventory of the type of image you project. Imagine your image….do you exude confidence and professionalism? Are you articulate? Can you present your ideas effectively? How do you think others perceive you? Have you asked others you respect for their opinions? If you find you have some image deficiencies, take action to improve it. Upgrade your wardrobe, go to Toastmasters, enhance your vocabulary, further your job-skills, ask for and welcome constructive criticism ….the list is virtually endless. Just imagine the image you want!

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And, if you'd like to know more about Jim......

ABOUT THE COACH AND AREA DEVELOPER
Jim brings a wealth of sales, service, operations, associate development, team-building and leadership experience to his role as business coach and area developer. In his career, he has worked for and with all types of businesses, from large international corporations, to locally owned entrepreneurship's. He has been a consultant, served as an executive for a company with revenues in excess of $1 billion and was elected President of a non-profit enterprise with a budget of more than $3 million. Throughout he has learned the key factors to success in any sized businesses and is dedicated to creating time and money for his clients. Contact information:
Jim Masters
FocalPoint Business Coaching
402-331-7000
jmasters@focalpointcoaching.com