By WL Hangshing
A sage, who was wise, once told; the one with the full white beard, just like the beard of Moses, and loosely wound turban and robed in a full flowing gown, yes! That wise sage who has given many pep talks on all sorts of subjects. This time it was an analogy on business and golf, because he actually plays golf himself.
He went on:
Presidents play golf. The CEO plays golf. The general plays golf. Top honchos play golf. Even babas play golf. That’s because golf has a lot to do with management and job execution!
The purpose and vision of golf is clear: tee-off and hole the ball. It is the same as with any organisation. To begin with, you need a system, for policy decisions, accounting, finance, HRD etc. In golf, the technique, the swing, the chipping and the putting is the system that runs your game. Once you are set on it, trust it 100% to run your game. Do not tinker with it, or change it every midway of a game.
The par for the game is identified. A club selection is made. It is made after taking into account the required distance, the required height and lay of the land. Once a club selection is made, trust the club and let it do its work. All that is needed is the regular free swing. Too tight a control will not allow the club to do its job and will muff the shot. The club needs to be allowed to do the job for which it was selected. If in the first place one does not trust the club and feels the need for an extra push or effort, change the club. You have an array of clubs for selection. You will be amazed at what a selected club on a free swing can do on its own without any midway interference. So it is with your managers down the fairway.
A loose grip will lose direction. As with golf, that is true with the management of any organisation.
When in a rough spot, such as a sand-bunker or grassy incline, the appropriate wedge needs to be selected for the job. There is no point in choosing the wrong worker for the wrong job and then cursing the world and breaking the club that you yourself wrongly selected. Again, it is about choosing the right man for the right job and then trusting him to do the job he was meant to do. Trust and a free swing is all he needs to do the job.
Like the business world of men and humans, golf is a game of infinite variables. Nature and her vagaries are part of the game. It is not pool. The fall-spot of each ball could encounter a situation never faced before. Overcoming such situations could result in an outcome ranging from a bogie to a birdie, an eagle, an albatross, etc. In the business world, we have bulls and bears, and there are snakes, monkeys, and even orang utangs!
(The author is chief commissioner, GST & Customs, NE Region, Shillong)
Photo by author