Important Business Lessons You Can Learn From Golf.

Golf teaches you a lot about yourself. Unlike other sports, the most fascinating aspect of golf revolves not around competing with others but the competition against yourself. The chance to achieve your personal best. Golf can also teach you a great deal about business. Over the past 20 years, we learned these three truths about golf and business.

1. TO WIN, YOU NEED TO KNOW THE COURSE. Professional golfers understand the importance of knowing a course. They understand which areas to avoid and where they can pick up a stroke.

Experienced business leaders know the value of understanding what drives buyer behavior. They leverage the power of Voice of the Customer Research to provide the data-driven insights they need to quantify what truly matters to buyers, measure how well their brand delivers what truly matters, and identify new ideas to motivate the buyer behavior changes they seek.

2. To Win, You Need the Right Strategy. Professional golfers understand the importance of planning how they will attack each hole.

Experienced business leaders know the value of strategically planning the best way to win in the market. They take the time to document an integrated business, brand, and marketing strategy. They set measurable goals, identify the key barriers they must overcome, define specific actions that leverage their strengths, establish budget priorities, and assign teams accountable for achieving their objectives.

3. To Win, You Need to Execute. Professional golfers understand that when the game is on, it’s all about execution.

Experienced business leaders know the value of playing the course, and not their opponent. They focus entirely on what they’re there to do, and that’s to deliver what truly matters to their core target buyer. They understand it’s better to hit the shot they know they can hit, and not the shot they think they should hit. Finally, they understand, as Ben Hogan said, the most important shot in golf is the next one.

4. The Most Important Business Lesson You Can Learn From Golf. In golf, you must PLAY THE BALL AS IT LIES. Golf is a game built on honesty and trust. Can you even think of another sport where players call penalties on themselves?

Successful leaders understand that trust is the foundation of all business. People do business with people they trust. People buy from brands they trust.