Robert Not Bob

We did a first this past week in the Neill household – we had a family golf outing. I have to say that it was a very interesting foursome.

I am far from being a great golfer. I play 4-6 times a year, which means I am at best a hacker. My wife hadn’t played a round of golf in 20 years before this family outing. My older daughter had taken a few lessons over the past three years but is mildly and I mean very mildly interested in golf. And finally my younger daughter as you know from prior blogs is the avid golfer of the family.

I took an afternoon off from work, which I highly recommend people do from time to time, and we headed out to Harvey Penick Golf Campus. Harvey Penick is a 9-hole course geared toward the less advanced golfer; a great place for a round when you have a foursome like what I have described. This is also the home to First Tee of Austin (www.thefirstteeaustin.org/) which a great organization helping the youth of the Austin area. It is not luxury country-club experience but is an enjoyable track that also has a few challenges.

The round was fun. There were lost balls, numerous whiffs, a foot wedge here and there, and with the older daughter a few blatant violations of the rules of golf. There were also a few laughs in there and some smiles. The scores were nothing spectacular – one each in the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. We will just leave it at that.

As usual when the time on the course was done, I reflected back on the round. I was playing with a brand new set of irons I received at Christmas – replacements for the ones I had used for 17 years. All I can say is “Wow.” Clubs make a difference. I was hitting shots I never hit before in my life. It made we wish I had asked (or just gone and bought) for new clubs years ago. It was also obvious that my wife (and she said it before I did) needs some lessons after a 20 year hiatus. I won’t say any more than that because I do not want to get in trouble. It was also very apparent that while the older child has potential and some basic skills, she lacks the desire and patience to be a golfer. Golf is just not her thing. And finally the young golfer of the family once again showed that she has a beautiful swing and a head for the game but lacks the consistency at this stage of her development as a golfer. She also reminded me that trying too hard to impress (say your mother who has never seen you on the course) can sometimes mess up your game.

So what I saw on the course on that fun filled afternoon, an afternoon that is sure to be talked about for years to come, is also something many of us also see in our professional lives on a regular basis. Each member of the foursome highlighted a critical factor for success in business. These four factors are:

1. Tools matter
2. Training matters
3. Passion or at least an interest in what you do is important
4. Consistent execution is a must

Many of us have either said or heard someone else say something like, “if I just had a new computer I could get more done or make more sales.” In my role, I certainly hear this all the time. There always seems to be a need for the latest laptop, iPhone/iPad, MS Office Version, cloud app, and on and on. I hear it so often that at time all I hear is the buzzing noise of people wanting things versus needing valuable business tools. Employees and line managers play an important role in making sure that they have the tools they need to be successful. They must take steps to make sure that requests for new tools convey the business value to be realized and not just be another “ask” to spend money. Just as important, decision makers must take steps to not fall into the trap of just hearing the static and actually listen to what front line employees are saying they need to be more productive.

As much as tools matter, so does training. Employees must have the knowledge required to execute daily tasks, use existing and new tools, and keep up with changes in the business’s environment. Many people think training is the sole responsibility of the company, not the employee. Many have the expectation that their company must foot the bill for all training and/or that the only training needed is that which is mandated by their employer. While companies certainly need to make an investment in providing task specific training, training on internal processes/procedures/policies, and training for tools that are used in the execution of tasks, employees must also make a personal investment in training. This personal investment can be something as informal as reading profession specific articles and white papers; or attending vendor or industry-group sponsored events; or something a little more formal like online training courses, or even very formal training such as obtaining a professional certification or a college degree. This personal investment can not only add value to your current company; it can also help propel your career to a higher level. In the end, whether company-supplied or employee provided, the best training is the training you want to receive and that you have vested interest in completing.

Be Passionate about your job. I have written about this one already (see Life is Short: Find Your Passion) but it is worth writing about again. Your level of passion (or at least some semblance of interest) for your job/career plays a huge part in the quality of your work performance. The more you like what you do, the more likely that you will give your all when executing your daily tasks, and thus to more value you will add to your company. Over time this will result in success for your company and for you personally.

You can have the tools. You can have the training. You can have the passion. But the real secret to success is putting those things together on a consistent basis. Put another way – in order to achieve long-term success you must flawlessly execute on a consistent basis. This is much easier said than done. We are after all humans, not machines. This means that none of us can be “on our game” all the time. There will be days or at perhaps parts of days where we fail to be firing on all cylinders. The key is to bring your skills, your tools and your passion together as best you can on a regular basis. Consistent execution is truly the key to long term success.

So once again, a round of golf has provided me with not only valuable time with members of my family but also a time to reflect about my own career and business in general. Fortunately for the Neill family our shortcomings on the course did not hinder what we were trying to achieve on that pretty Spring afternoon – we were spending time together and making memories. If only success in the business world could be so easy.