Tiger Woods’ memorable performance in last week’s U.S. Open Championship provided another example of what a special athlete, competitor, and role model he truly is. Defining moments in sports live through the ages and are replayed for years to come…Babe Ruth pointing towards the bleachers and then hitting a home run, Michael Jordan’s last second game winning shot against the Utah Jazz before his retirement with the Bulls, Joe Montana’s touchdown pass to Dwight Clark against the Dallas Cowboys, Mario Chalmers last second shot just months ago leading the University of Kansas to a NCAA basketball championship. Tiger Woods accomplished his championship and memorable moment while he was in excruciating pain and over five consecutive days.
The interesting storyline on Tiger Woods continues to be how he never just settles for continuous improvement or incremental improvement. He looks to transform himself or his game to set the standard for success higher and higher. Whether it is redefining his swing, improving his strength, or recovering from surgery to win a championship, he transforms himself and the game of golf to a much more elevated level of performance.
The question debated in stories all over the media is whether he did the right thing by ignoring his doctor’s advice and playing in the U.S. Open. Will the short-term success of the championship take away from the long-term success remaining in his career? Only time will tell but hard to ever bet against Tiger.
In business, the health of your organization may be easier to ignore than the physical swelling pain in your knee on the golf course. The symptoms that would normally drive you to a doctor or even have you see doctors for your annual physical exam many times are ignored. We’ve heard from leaders that business is hard enough just keeping up with customers’ demands, finding, motivating, and keeping employees, and just delivering the services and products. Having to listen to all of the things you should be doing as a leader to ensure sustainable success can be overwhelming…it doesn’t have to be and can actually help you sort out where you should be spending your time. By ignoring the check-up, you may cause your business to plateau or experience really difficult times.
Some things to consider determining whether you need a check-up from your (business) doctor:
- Have you experienced great success for an extended period of time? We believe this is the best time to evaluate your business and determine what you will need to do to transform your business to take you to the next level. The danger is riding the momentum of your success and realizing too late that what got you to the current level of success won’t be the same things that get you to the next level.
- Are you just beginning to experience success? Now is the time to be thanking your customers for their business and understanding why they do business with you and what you can do better for their business in the future. Start asking your internal customers (your employees) what you can do better to ensure they remain motivated and engaged in the business. Without this information, it is difficult to determine where to invest your time to ensure sustainable success.
- Has your business softened or is struggling? Many leaders avoid help during these times. They believe that getting help is a sign of weakness and hope everything will reverse and get better. If you are really lucky, it may for a short amount of time but eventually you will be right back in this situation. We believe a much better solution is working with someone to help you see your “blind spots” and together determine the paths to take your business to a healthier place.
It’s summertime. Why not schedule that exam for your business or for yourself as a leader? Visit our website to receive a free assessment on your strengths and opportunities as a business leader and request the article “Where You Are on the S-Curve” to understand more about the business life cycle of your organization.
Tags: assessment, coaching, golf, leadership, performance, Sports, talent, tiger woods
