I was golfing this past weekend with old friends. We’ve golfed together Saturday mornings for 30 years, and we know each-other well enough so there is a good blend of kidding each-other, as well as digging a bit deeper into more personal issues in front of us.
I was not having a particularly great day on the course. Lately, I’ve begun to comment that my inconsistent level of play has become my most consistent level of play. I was about ready to emotionally cash it in for the day after a double bogey. I was cold, I was tired, and I wanted this to be done. I didn’t have it in me that day, and before it got worse, I began to think about our famous fried egg sandwich as our reward after our weekly saturday morning round. Perhaps I should just meet them in the clubhouse. The clubhouse where it is warm, no wind, and the stories of great golf behind us keeps us coming back for more.
When Tim asked for our scores for the card, I remarked, “give me a double…and Im already thinking about the fried egg sandwich”. Brian looked at me and said “What are you talking about?” You are always the first one Steve, to tell us about stepping up with some of that PMA. Positive Mental Attitude is what Brian was referring to. It’s true, when one of the guys hits a bad shot and complains, I have a habit of playfully yelling, “hey! lets have some PMA over there”. Now, I was being called out by my teammates.
And then he said it… Brian looks at me and states firmly, “don’t event think of telling me the glass is half empty. I wont let you get away with it. Get up to the tee box and hit it. It’s a new hole, and the glass is only half full…fill it!”
So I did, quite poorly i must admit, but it was probably still in play, but almost out of bounds near a large spruce tree. I walked alone to my ball and thought about what Brian said. He was right. Not only am I usually the cheerleader, but it’s just a game. And since when did I ever quit something?
So the 180 yard walk to my ball put me back into a proper perspective. My next shot on this long par 5 was a beauty. My inconsistent style gave me an awesome comeback shot. Great ball my partners called out to me, partly to cheer me up, but also because it really was a nice 2nd shot. It set me up for a wedge to the center of the green, rolling to within 3 feet of the hole for my seemingly easy birdie putt.
That half full glass was filling up now. I finished the round pretty well, and bought the fried egg sandwich for my buddy Brian as a thank you.
So what, you say? What does this have to do with leadership? What’s so “rare” about this? Well, Im never going to be a great golfer. My best golfing days are behind me already. So this is not about the golf game. It’s not about the 225 yard 4 iron, and it’s not about the birdie putt.
It is about 4 friends who worked effortlessly as a team that day. And when one member was down, someone stepped up, and made some hope for a better day a bit contagious.
That is what the Rare Leader™ does. The Rare Leader™ has a realistic, but positive outlook for The Future. Despite the sometimes grim public reality of obstacles and barriers, the Rare Leader™ will give others a contagious positive hope for success through their vision, goals and strategies. If you are a leader, why not try to share some PMA, and make certain the glass is half full? If you really want to lead, why not instill this contagious passionate hope of a positive outlook for the future into everyone on the Team, and encourage them to share it with each-other.
- Who always makes you feel the glass is half empty?
- What do you do when your glass is half full?
- Where do you find strength for a contagious positive hope for success?
- When is a realistic, but positive outlook for The Future most difficult?
- How can you encourage your team to fill the glass?
If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you,
or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach,