Playing to win

A few years ago, I bought a new set of golf clubs. The Golf Pro asked me about my game, and about where I would like to improve. Naturally I told him that I wanted to improve my score. He explained how different clubs could help different areas of my game to achieve this.

The Golf Pro then surprised me by saying, ‘Most customers who come in looking for new clubs all want the same thing—to hit the ball further. None of them ever say that they want to improve their score.’

Golf is a multifaceted game. Just hitting the ball further might look impressive, but it won’t necessarily improve your score and help you to win the game.

At each stage of a golf game, there is a decision you have to make:

• ‘Will I use the driver or the three iron?’

• ‘Should I try to hit over the water hazard, or go around it?’

• ‘How fast is the green and how hard do I need to putt?’

You can buy the biggest driver on the market and proudly step up to the tee and hit the ball right onto the green in one shot—but if your putting is terrible, you can still end up with an average score and a poor performance.

Hitting the ball further is just one tactic. The strategy of a good golfer will include many other tactics, carefully chosen at the appropriate time to meet the overall objective—achieving the best score possible, and winning the game.

Like the golfer who only wants to hit the ball further, many companies focus on the big-number figures like revenue, turnover and sales—even ‘work-in-hand’. They sound impressive: the bigger the number, the better it must be.

But those who focus only on these measures are trying to hit the ball further without improving their score.

Are you playing to win, or just to impress?

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