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What Can A Businessperson Learn From The 2016 Masters?

I think just about everyone thought that Jordan Spieth (including Jordan himself) was going to win his second Masters and become part of golf history this past weekend. That was until the 12th hole and the longest thirty minutes of a young man's life. As the world watched him struggle on the back nine and make a valiant attempt to recover, some parallels between golf and business struck me.
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TOPSHOT - England's Danny Willett waves wearing his Green Jacket at the end of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2016, in Augusta, Georgia.England's Danny Willett won the 80th Masters at Augusta National on Sunday for his first major title. He was trailing defending champion Jordan Spieth by five strokes around the turn, but stormed down the back nine to overhaul the American. Willett is the first Englishman since Nick Faldo 20 years ago to win the Masters and only the second all-time. / AFP / DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
DON EMMERT via Getty Images
TOPSHOT - England's Danny Willett waves wearing his Green Jacket at the end of the 80th Masters Golf Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Club on April 10, 2016, in Augusta, Georgia.England's Danny Willett won the 80th Masters at Augusta National on Sunday for his first major title. He was trailing defending champion Jordan Spieth by five strokes around the turn, but stormed down the back nine to overhaul the American. Willett is the first Englishman since Nick Faldo 20 years ago to win the Masters and only the second all-time. / AFP / DON EMMERT (Photo credit should read DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)

I think just about everyone thought that Jordan Spieth (including Jordan himself) was going to win his second Masters and become part of golf history this past weekend. That was until the 12th hole and the longest thirty minutes of a young man's life. As the world watched him struggle on the back nine and make a valiant attempt to recover, some parallels between golf and business struck me.

  • Self-talk - Jordan could have easily let negative self-talk take over and give up but he did not. He kept battling and came back to tie for second. How many times have we faced an issue or a setback in business and simply thrown in the towel? The real estate between a person's ears can be your best friend when things are going well and your worst enemy when things start to go south.
  • Practice - Jordan has practiced, practiced and then practiced some more to become one of the best golfers in the world. He has most likely faced the type of shots he made on the back nine numerous times in practice and that helped him to recover. It's with practice and patience that we hone our craft and become the best we can be and in turn, we can break away from our competition.
  • Strategy/Plan - Jordan and his caddy had a strategy in place long before they ever stepped foot on the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club. They had a battle plan mapped out and knew where they were headed - no winging it for this young man! The number of times I have come across business professionals over the years who are flying by the seat of their pants continues to amaze me. How do you know what you need to improve or work on in order to up-level your business and make more money if you do not have a strategy or plan in place?
  • Golf is his business not a hobby - Jordan and most professional golfers treat playing golf as a business, it is not some hobby that they just pick up for a casual round once or twice a week. They live it, eat it, breathe it and sleep it. How many business owners can say the same thing about the way they approach their business? Take a good hard look at your own endeavors - are you a business owner or simply a hobbyist?
  • Analyze setbacks - Jordan and his caddy will be analyzing every bit of footage of his play they can get their hands on to find out what worked well, what did not and what he needs to work on to make sure this type of setback does not happen again. As a business owner, do you do the same type of analysis when something does not work out the way you thought it would? Do you stop and take time to determine what happened so you know not to make the same mistakes the next time?

Even if you do not personally play golf or watch the game on television these are universal principles of success that everyone benefits from being aware of and applying to their daily lives.

To Your Success!

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