executive coach

Banish doubt, tension and lapses of concentration on the golf course, and your score will show that you were fully present. It should come as no surprise that the same holds true in the boardroom.

Golf requires relaxed concentration and patience, and you must continually focus yourself in the moment. The more concentration you bring to each swing, the better your score—regardless of your skill level.

Randy, a successful marketing executive, recalls her first golf lesson: It was also the first time she had ever held a golf club. She’d just returned from a business trip overseas, so she was suffering from jet lag, and she had pulled the hood of a slicker over her head to block the light rain. Even so, she stunned the instructor and an old friend with her strong swing and how far she hit the ball. Several times, the instructor said, “I thought you said you’d never played golf before?”

But during Randy’s next lesson at the same golf camp—on a sunny day when she was more rested—her swing was off. She played more like somebody holding a club for only the second time. Why was there such a difference in Randy’s ability on those two days?

Her instructor and her friend speculated that being overtired had quieted any inhibitions or
performance anxiety she might have felt, and the hood of her jacket kept her head down, which impacted her form, her focus and her ability to be fully present, listen to the instruction and be with the ball—all without judging or critiquing her own actions.

Tim Gallwey, a former captain of the Harvard tennis team, wrote a series of books in which he described his findings that performance error resulted primarily from “doubt, tension and lapses of concentration.” We are at our most effective and creative in the moment. The moment is what we can impact.

Competing agendas, strong personalities and commitment to shaping a work environment can distract the best of us and thwart our opportunity to slow everything down and make a real contribution. Any practice that requires ongoing learning and the ability to concentrate can enhance leadership ability. A notoriously frustrating game, golf can also offer a chance to improve your emotional self-management—which, along with self-awareness, is critical to leadership.

In emotional situations, we tend to tense our muscles, which in turn impacts our thinking and creativity. Simple breathing techniques can quietly support you in cultivating greater emotional self-management, particularly when faced with a challenge.

Finally, here’s one more tip: Know that you are not fully present when you are experiencing self-doubt or any other judgment. Instead of engaging with that negativity, treat the critical thought as a signal from your inner wisdom that you need to bring your attention to the present.
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JACKIE SLOANE is an executive coach specializing in leadership and communication
issues. Email Jackie at editor@executivetravelmag.com.