Don't Ignore the Water

This post has been contributed by Paul Woodford. Thanks very much Paul.

As I was thumbing through a golfing magazine, I noticed a feature that caught my eye. It was of interest, not just because it covered ways to improve my 'short game', but because of the application I was able to make to my own personal leadership role.

 

The article discussed playing onto a green which has water surrounding it. Many golfers will tell you to ignore the water and try to block it out - reasoning that if you ignore the hazard then you are less likely to allow it to affect your shot, and the obvious risk of striking the ball into the water. However, the writer of the feature held a different view. He argued that this approach should be avoided, stating that a golfer should acknowledge the hazard and then carefully plan the shot, taking into account the facts and the risks. The likelihood of success is much greater when the player can visualise the flight of the ball, and the precise point where they will land the shot safely on the green. There is no point in trying to ignore the water - it is there and our brain knows it, however hard we may try to tell it otherwise!

 

So why did this lead me to reflect upon leadership. Well how often do managers make the mistake of trying to 'ignore the water'? Maybe there is an issue within a team that gets ignored or blocked out? Sometimes challenges are left to fester until they snowball into bigger, and more difficult problems.

 

If we take the advice on offer in the golfing magazine we can see the sense in recognising business hazards, risks and issues for what they are, and then planning for them accordingly. Dealing with the issues and problems that are in front of us in a positive, determined manner will ensure we are successful in achieving our performance goals. If we chose to ignore the hazards, we may get lucky once or twice and avoid the 'water', but inevitable at some point we will end up seeing the 'ball' splashing into the middle of a 'lake'.

 

So next time an issue arises in your business, take time to think about the best approach to take, and remember the advice to golfers - "don't ignore the water".