In the first round of the Masters golf tournament last week, an unimaginable “event” occurred. Ernie Els, a four-time major golf champion in a Hall of Fame career took six putts starting from two feet to “hole out” on his very first hole of the championship. For non-golfers, this is akin to Bill Gates having his credit card declined for a $3.27 purchase at the 7-11.
Els is a highly successful professional with immense talent. He ended any opportunity he had to win the tournament on that first hole through what he would even admit was a loss of focus. There is a business lesson here for you, too.
You can be a highly successful entrepreneur or business professional with immense talent. But if you lose focus on your strategic objectives, your planning, and your metrics on how you will measure success, then you’re losing your own “tournament” every single day. It’s easy to lose focus on the big picture when you find yourself battling fires daily. You can immerse yourself so much on the ground battle, that you forget to take a 35,000 strategic view. If you want to avoid losing equity in your business OR equity and earning power in your career, then make sure you take the time to “read your putt” and focus on the larger vision. Els goal was to get the ball in the hole and he whiffed hard on this day. Your objective is maximize your talent and your business for success, stability, and significance.
Els needed to keep his head down. You need to keep your eyes gazing into the future. Now go make a putt…
Quote of the Week:
“It’s good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling.”
~ Mark Twain
If you’d like to hear more about this concept, listen to my live Periscope broadcast today at 10 am PST.
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