The quote by legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice (1880-1954) is easy to find by doing a Google search. It goes like this: Eighteen holes of match play will teach you more about your foe or partner than will 18 years of dealing with him across a desk. As a sports writer, Rice did more than just relate sports stories. He truly appreciated sports for its ability to bring out the best and worst in people. That’s why it seems so natural that the roots of the famous saying, “It’s not whether you win or lose, it’s how you play the game” is found in his writings. Rice is noted for making many comparisons between life, human behavior and sports, and with good reason. A lively game of competitive golf is full of drama, decision making, success or defeat, dedication, and effort and strategy, and all of it is compressed into a few hours of competition.
Have you ever considered why it takes a while to get to know a person in-depth? One of the reasons is due to the fact that life has to play out a bit before enough events occur to test a person’s character. One day someone may have to make a major business decision that requires a quick analysis of the situation. It may be months before the same person is tested as to whether an important deadline can be met. A few months later, a co-worker may suddenly quit, leaving a mountain of work behind. It might be a year later before a new business relationship proves to be a tempting opportunity to act unethically for the sake of making a profit. Life is full of moments that test a person’s resolve, training, capabilities, competence and adaptability.
Unfortunately, it really is possible to deal with someone for 18 years across a desk and still not know enough about their integrity and character. It may take a long time to fit the pieces together and make a realistic assessment of someone’s character. People are often experts at hiding their negative qualities or may not have enough opportunity to show how they would respond in difficult situations. How often have you considered a person to be strong and competent, only to discover they fall apart in a crisis?
A golf player is required to draw upon mental capacities to assess a rapid succession of varying situations, develop strategic responses, adapt to changing conditions, accommodate playing partners, and show confidence even when shots go wrong. The interesting fact is that each and every game of golf requires a lifetime of emotions, critical and strategic thinking, and adaptive responses to the conditions at each golf hole. A good golfer is someone who is able to demonstrate mental strength, an effective golf style achieved through training and practice, the ability to humbly accept success, and a willingness to learn from mistakes. Those are the same qualities a high performing business person will possess.
In 18 holes of golf, the player may experience sand traps, shifting winds, sudden bad weather, poorly constructed shots, a weak playing partner or a missed putt. Unfortunately, all of these events can happen in a single game of 18 holes of golf, and they can test any player’s patience. How a person responds to a single golf event or a series of adverse events during a golf game can teach more about the person than working with them for years. A golfer who simply gives up in anger is revealing an unwillingness to try and adapt by developing new strategies. Chances are this person would be equally rigid in the business environment where change is endless.
The way a golfer responds and behaves on the golf course is character revealing. In addition, the type of competitor a golf player is on the course or on a golf team lets you know how that person will handle a business competitive environment and business relationships. Demonstrating good behavior on the golf course and a willingness to support a partner indicates a person who will be a good team member in the business world.
Pressured to Perform
Golf is often compared to the business world because it has so many of the same characteristics and requires participants to have many of the same qualities for success. However, a golf game only lasts a few hours. It is a revealing game because of the pressure placed on the players to perform no matter what conditions exist, and those conditions are often unpredictable. There is no way to know that the wind will shift on the 9th hole, just like there is no way to know that a potentially major client will begin to have second thoughts about a big purchase halfway through the negotiations. The golfer must be able to adjust by remaining calm, even while developing a new strategy. The same is true for the business person.
The character a person exhibits on the golf course reflects the character that person will exhibit in a business relationship. Successful business relationships are built on character as much as they are on abilities. No one wants to do business with someone who would give up too quickly when times got tough, does not keep honest ‘scoring’, acts selfishly, or does not play by the established rules. If that is what happens on the golf course, then that will surely happen in the boardroom.
So, if you want to know what a person is really like, ask them to play 18 holes of golf before you set them at a desk. It is a much quicker way of assessing their character, and the way the person will conduct business over time. In the meantime, you can have some fun too. Life is just too short to do otherwise.