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| Time to Change Your Swing? by Steve Vaught |
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I have been golfing for over forty years with a fair
amount of success. I was "first man" on my high school golf team
and
have managed to maintain a decent game throughout the years despite never
having proper instruction. In fact, there was a sense of inner pride that
I was a self-made golfer.
However, over the last few years I've grown increasingly dissatisfied with
my inconsistency and the nagging feeling I had the ability to be a better
player. I was as mystified with my good performances as much as with my
poorest rounds - I didn't know the cause for either.
After a lot of research and a couple of strong recommendations, I committed to a year’s worth of instruction through my local golfTEC. The experience and professionalism of the staff, coupled with state-of-the-art technology has me on the journey to improvement I never thought possible.
Leaders and their organizations can fall into the same rut: stuck at a mediocre level with the potential for so much more. The parallels between changing my golf swing and business are many:
Commitment is Key – While I never experienced sustained instruction before golfTEC, I did seek out the help of a golf professional half a dozen times over the last ten years. However, those brief sessions only provided a temporary band-aid on a variety of symptoms. I tried to get by with the easy, quick, and cheap, but it didn't work. The slight improvement they produced didn't last because I didn't commit to working on the cause.
The latest motivational seminar or management technique may improve the performance of your organization for a short time, but it will quickly return to its “normal state” unless leadership commits to the desired outcome. There is no dabbling in change, only full commitment produces lasting results.
Change is Tough – Changing a golf swing I've “grooved” for such a long time is an arduous process. Decades of muscle memory is difficult to overcome. The new techniques I'm learning are more efficient, make the most out of today's equipment, and will produce better results, but it feels weird. The old way is more comfortable.
Organizations, like golf swings, have an extraordinary ability to “work around” problems rather than attack the cause. Changing years of “what's comfortable” and replacing it with “what's right” is a scary proposition and won’t happen overnight.
Real Change Takes Time – Tiger Woods, arguably at the top of his game in 2004, took 18 months to retool his golf swing. Initially his performance went down. Talk of a slump and the end of Tiger’s reign abounded in the golf world. Eventually the swing changes began to pay off. They started to become his new “comfortable” and he's dominating the game like never before
Patience is a virtue, especially when implementing meaningful change. Focusing on the end result, staying committed to the change process, and building on each forward step will help you through the urge to backslide into old habits. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will your performance-branded organization.
Objectivity is Essential – My wife and I were fortunate to be walking scorers at the Sony Open in Hawaii last month. For the first time we had the opportunity to work alongside and meet some of the best golfers in the world – players we've seen on TV hundreds of times. While watching them practice on the range and putting green they were always under the watchful eye of their caddy and sometimes their personal swing coach. They were constantly seeking objective feedback from an outside source. When I practice at golfTEC, my feedback comes from video cameras that won’t lie about my faults even when I swear my form is perfect. I'm too close to the action to be objective.
Organizations often need an objective resource to give honest feedback about performance, customer experience, etc. This objectivity can come from a consultant, coach, or even technology systems that provide pertinent data. Sometimes a fresh pair of eyes is all that's needed to identify the breakthrough you've been seeking.
Change can bring about anxiety, a sense of loss, and uncertainty. However, it can also be a time of revitalization, learning, and limitless possibilities which can get your organization (or golf game) unstuck and drive it to that next level of success.
So, it is time to change your “swing”?