What your golf game says about your leadership style

[Moecat]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/managing/morning-manager/what-your-golf-game-says-about-your-leadership-style/article1522842/

 

Harvey Schachter

From Monday's Globe and Mail

Published on Monday, Apr. 05, 2010 12:00AM EDT

Last updated on Monday, Apr. 05, 2010 7:12AM EDT

With many managers sitting at their desks dreaming of being on the links again, it's a good time to ponder their approach on the golf course - and what it says about their leadership style

 

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John Kenworthy, chief coaching officer of business training consultancy Celsim in Singapore, says there are six leadership styles we see on the fairways and in the boardrooms. On trainingzone.com, he urges you not to choose the style you believe you should have, but acknowledge the one most comfortable for you - and its potential weaknesses.

 

The conqueror

 

On the golf course, this player dominates, blasting a drive as far as possible with delight. He or she goes for broke on every shot. As a leader, the conqueror revels in challenges, including adversity. "The more impossible others consider the position, the more the conqueror defies the odds. They want results, and they want them now. Excuses will bring wrath, and success will bring a new challenge. Seldom satisfied with the result, it can always be better," he writes.

 

The conjuror

 

Conjurors excel in the bunker and get bored with routine fairway shots. They find excitement in difficult lies and troublesome shots. Similarly, conjuror leaders triumph over adversity again and again. They seem intent on making their own lives difficult, deliberately placing themselves and their teams into corporate sand traps that provide new challenges.

 

The craftsman

 

This clear-headed, technical player is always tinkering with his or her game, quietly and consistently adopting a low-stress, on-the-fairway, approach. Craftsman leaders are similarly solid and consistent, aiming for a smooth-running business that they can improve in small, incremental steps.

 

The cavalier

 

These exhibitionists live for the moment when they can bend a shot around a tree and soar over the water to land near the pin. They like to wow their fellow players and the crowd with their flamboyant shot-making ability. Cavalier leaders are also show-offs at work, but Mr. Kenworthy stresses that it's not necessarily egotistically but simply because it motivates them. "Often, they will stun the audience with acts of derring-do and controversial behaviours. These leaders enjoy the limelight and are more frequently in the press."

 

The conductor

 

These are the unsung heroes of the regular round with friends, organizing, cajoling, hustling and bolstering spirits. They are more concerned with everyone else's enjoyment than their own, believing that taking part is more important than winning. Mr. Kenworthy notes that few of the world's top golfers fit this style, although without them the amateur game and local competitions wouldn't last long. Most leaders would like to be conductors, bringing the symphony around them together in perfect harmony to reach a particular goal.

 

The chess player

 

These are the strategists, positional players who carefully plot their rounds, shot by shot, hoping to win through consistent, planned performance. Again, most executives would like to be strategists but Mr. Kenworthy stresses that often such managers are too careful to be true leaders - spending their time thinking and analyzing, rather than acting. Chess player leaders, he advises, "understand the environment, the context, the shifting positions of the competition, and play a solid game along known successful routes, not too greedy and with contingencies for rough times. They understand foremost, who they are and what drives them; secondly they know their people and leverage their strengths and deploy all their resources to best effect."

[JohnBarry]

The cavalier

 

These exhibitionists live for the moment when they can bend a shot around a tree and soar over the water to land near the pin. They like to wow their fellow players and the crowd with their flamboyant shot-making ability. Cavalier leaders are also show-offs at work, but Mr. Kenworthy stresses that it's not necessarily egotistically but simply because it motivates them. "Often, they will stun the audience with acts of derring-do and controversial behaviours. These leaders enjoy the limelight and are more frequently in the press."

 

This would be me, since beginning to play golf, I have been in every hazard ever created, and learning to play from them. I love the moment, making a great shot from a bad spot with all my friends watching, best feeling in the world.

[mudfish]

Sounds about right...I enjoy playing, and since I'm not that good, score is not that important...

 

The conductor

 

These are the unsung heroes of the regular round with friends, organizing, cajoling, hustling and bolstering spirits. They are more concerned with everyone else's enjoyment than their own, believing that taking part is more important than winning. Mr. Kenworthy notes that few of the world's top golfers fit this style, although without them the amateur game and local competitions wouldn't last long. Most leaders would like to be conductors, bringing the symphony around them together in perfect harmony to reach a particular goal.

[NGage]

I'm definitely a combination of The Craftsman and The Chess Player.

[GolfSpy Dave]

The conductor & The craftsman for me

[Matt Saternus]

Craftsman & chess player combo for me.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I'm a combination of The Craftsman and The Chess Player

[Kenny B]

An interesting old thread... since I've never been a manager, opting to remain technical, none of the leadership styles fit me.

However, if I had to select, I would likely be a cross between the craftsman... because I am always tinkering with my game, and the conjuror... because I seem to end up in difficult lies with troublesome shots.  Maybe that's why I enjoy practicing those those types of shots.

[stevenaughtonnsx11]

On 4/5/2010 at 5:27 PM, JohnBarry said:

The cavalier

 

These exhibitionists live for the moment when they can bend a shot around a tree and soar over the water to land near the pin. They like to wow their fellow players and the crowd with their flamboyant shot-making ability. Cavalier leaders are also show-offs at work, but Mr. Kenworthy stresses that it's not necessarily egotistically but simply because it motivates them. "Often, they will stun the audience with acts of derring-do and controversial behaviours. These leaders enjoy the limelight and are more frequently in the press."

 

This would be me, since beginning to play golf, I have been in every hazard ever created, and learning to play from them. I love the moment, making a great shot from a bad spot with all my friends watching, best feeling in the world.

I have been playing golf for a long time, one might say since childhood. My father took me to games with him. Many people say that only leaders play golf, but this is not true. I read a lot about leadership qualities, used informative post for this. I can say for sure that golf gives you exactly these qualities. I don't understand how it works, but the fact is the fact.

Very interesting story, I believe in you, good luck

Edited September 26, 2022 by stevenaughtonnsx11