THESE GUYS ARE GOOD

“These guys are good” is the motto for the PGA Tour – and for good reason.  While many of you would rather have teeth pulled than watch golf on TV, this is probably because you don’t play golf.  

The appeal of watching golf on TV is the sheer amazement we experience watching the pros execute shots, time after time, with precision that we can only dream about.  What’s the key?

Practice.  And more practice.  It’s the repetition of 5-8 hours per day of practice.  All pros know this is a prerequisite to run with the big dogs.

But as Kenny Perry will tell you, he wasn’t perfect yesterday.  Perry led the Masters – golf’s most prestigious event – by two shots going into the final two holes.  All he needed to do was play #17 and #18 in one over par and the championship was his.

In crept doubt.

Perry managed to eek out a bogey on each hole, which got him into a playoff he eventually lost to Angel Cabrera.  After the tournament, Perry admitted, “Well, I may never get another chance like this, but it sure was an exciting day.”

Without giving you all the details, it was an exciting day.  The final round was filled with incredible shot making, emotion, and huge shifts in momentum.  These guys really are good . . . and even though Perry choked, his execution was phenomenal for most of the day.

WE ALL CHOKE

Have you choked recently?  I have.  I have made some bad decisions, whiffed on good opportunities, and committed to work I shouldn’t have taken.  So it goes for today’s entrepreneur, right?  But if you’ve been reading this blog, you know that problems and mistakes are the “weights in the gym” we must pick up if we’re to become better and stronger.  Your nagging issues are like indicator lights that tell you something’s wrong.  This is a good thing!  It saves you down the road.

Assuming this is your outlook, the simpler question is “What are you practicing?”

WHAT ARE YOU PRACTICING?

Practice must be seen in terms of your routine.  If we look back at how you spend your time running your business, what are you practicing?  Management by force or nurturing personnel?  Self abuse or good balance?  Building long term relationships or coercive marketing?  Servant leadership (putting customers first) or Moneyism (putting money first)?  

If you want to be good at practice, you need a few things.  First, a trajectory (vision).  Second, a plan to achieve the vision.  Third, a work/life routine that makes the plan happen.  Finally, you need some serious leverage to hold it all together.  That’s it!  

So, again, what are you practicing?  If you say, “I’m kind of hit & miss,” then you’re like most people who don’t typically measure their performance.  Shot-in-the-darking all the time means you’ll always be frustrated because you’re not sure what’s wrong or what to improve.  It would be like always making a D+ in school but not knowing which classes you failed.

This is why practice is so important.  Put it this way:  if you focus on juggling for 5-8 hours per day, could you get better?  Do 4 or 5 objects?  Go between the legs?  Light something on fire?   Yes, but not on the first day, or 101st for that matter.  But after a certain amount of time you could really do it.  But not without regular practice.

Can you accomplish your vision?  Yes.  But to be strategic, you need to figure out what you need to practice (time, frequency, duration, outcomes, and consequences).  This is a simple matter of seeing your work!  

I CAN’T SEE IT

Most beginning golfers make a fundamental mistake:  they go to the range, buy 200 range balls, and beat themselves up because they just can’t hit it long and straight.  What step did they forget?  Fundamentals, of course.  Not knowing how to grip the club, where to stand, correct posture, swing motion, or tempo, they may as well have a rubber chicken in their hand.  

If they skip fundamentals and getting guidance up front, they are going to practice WRONG and the results – especially in the case of golf – will be abysmal.  Practicing forever will not change this.

Consulting with a professional first, however, means that the 200 balls they hit afterward will be GOOD PRACTICE.  This is because they’re practicing right.  Remember, practice makes permanent.

Back to the work scenario, if you can’t see your work, you won’t be able to improve it.  In most cases, seeing your work means using technology to organize it.  I use www.timasterplan.com – which allows you to house your vision, goals, strategy, calendar, and more all in one place.

As for consulting a professional first?  I might know where to find one:  281.570.4676 or [email protected]

Have a great week everyone . . .