The capacity to lead is an extraordinary skill. Good leaders learn to first recognize and then manage change. They inspire others with their passion, creativity and
willingness to listen.Last month, a woman played in a Men’s Pro Golf Tournament. For those of you who don’t follow golfing world outside of Tiger Woods, this was not only controversial, it drew new attention to differences between men and women in sport, and why a woman would find it even remotely appropriate to play in a man’s tournament. What effect would this have on a traditionally male dominated sport and what’s wrong with playing in your own sandbox?
A quick education on Women’s Golf: Annika Sorenstam is ‘Tiger Woods’ of Women’s Golf. She is young, talented, and wins just about every tournament she plays. So why would she pursue something so unorthodox? Is it Ego, money, attention, or desire to push beyond traditional limits?
I bring this novel feat to your attention because it is not about men vs. women, or can/should a woman play in a men’s tournament. It is all about leadership and value learned from her experience. As a coach, question of day is:
• What is impact for Annika by playing at Colonial Golf Tournament and how will this transform her course? Here’s how it plays out for me.
The Top of Mountain…. Imagine truly being at top of your game, regularly being ‘in zone’, and you have nothing but blue sky in front of you. You then stop to contemplate and ask what more can I learn, where can I grow, is their more to my game, and what would happen if I were able stretch just that little bit more? Am I really at top of my “own mountain”?
Admiration… How many of us are willing to risk everything we’ve known--- in Annika’s case her status as top woman golfer in world, confidence, role or position she has earned in golfing community, and her sense of self. She knowingly subjected herself to intense media scrutiny that questioned her motives, and was target of other golfers who didn’t appreciate her presence. Can you imagine what she must have been feeling as she teed off that first day?
Choices…. My assessment of her choice to play at Colonial is that she could have have continued as dominating woman’s on LPGA Tour. Instead she chose to ask ‘am I capable of more? By expanding her universe, exposing her game for what it is and what it is not requires courage, moxy, and ambition. She took off safety belt and dove in.
Annika is a role model for all of us and has shown us value of strength—and not allowing fear to put artificial limitations on how we traditionally think. It’s about performance. To women golfers and other athletes, she has shown them that they too are capable of more, can raise their game and become more competitive. Take yourself back to a time when you were on top of world, and you had a moment to think about how you got there. Now ask yourself if you are there today. If not consider these questions: • What is most important thing you want to accomplish this year? • What is most exciting thing happening right now that you are not taking advantage of? • What goal would really stretch you right now/? • How are you going to do that?
