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<title>John Kenworthy's iStadia Articles</title>
<link>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf</link>
<description>Keep up to date with John Kenworthy's article at iStadia.com!</description>
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<lastBuildDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:34:38 GMT</lastBuildDate>
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<title>Is leadership more than management? Or is it just an aspiration?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ There is a debate we need to address, and that is the distinction between leadership and management. 
 
Chris Mabey suggests that seperating the qualities of leaders and
managers is traced back to Zaleznick (1977). Kotter (1990) reinforced
this distinction, that:
 
  good management brings order, consistency and quality to otherwise chaotic organisations
 
Contrasting this with leadership which is preparing the organisation
for change and helping employees cope with the struggle of changing it.
 
But now


Organisations are 'de-layered' - the defined functions of "management" are less absolute and a manager's power base of influence has had to shift from positional power to personal.

The traditional theories (theory X etc) and frameworks are seen to
be lacking and more emergent leadership rather than prescribed.

Management and leadership has been greatly studies form a western, male perspective - this is changing



 
 The split may simply be part of the aspirational values
attached to leadership over management. Though it appears that
effective and successful leaders, according to our research demonstrate
five competency areas that go beyond 'management'. They:
 
 1. Use the exchange principle
 2. Take responsibility
 3. Earn the right to lead
 4. Communicate a shared vision
 5. Show flexibility in their leadership
 
 Mapping the 'traditional' managerial competencies shows how 'agile' leaders go beyond the expected managerial standards:





Is there a difference bewteen leadership and management?


Is it just aspirational?


Or is there something important that is missing here?




Dr John Kenworthy

CCO GAINMORE&trade; Golf
GAINMORE&trade; Advantage
 ]]></description>
<link>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/323</link>
<dc:creator>John Kenworthy</dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:34:38 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/323</guid>
</item><item>
<title>SWING Goal setting</title>
<description><![CDATA[ 
Image by gainmoregolf via Flickr


Pop
into any bookstore and int he self-help section you'll find books and
more books on the secret to achieving your own goals... but what if you
haven't taken the time out to actually set some?


	
	Ridiculous, of course I have set my goals!
	


	
	Sure?
	


Realistically,
when you have a goal, these are generally longer term - "I want to
reduce my handicap to 4 by the end of the year" is a SMART goal.
Obviously, you know that such a goal is unlikely to be immediate, there
are steps along the way, milestones if you prefer, we call these steps
'Outcomes'. 


After years of coaching, training and teaching, I have come to the
profound conclusion that most people can only work on one thing at a
time. Especially men! My research has shown that when we identify a
very specific outcome and run a plan of actions to achieve it, if it
fits within a greater plan, then we are more likely to see ultimate
success. Any project leader
knows this, and establishes a series of specific outcomes from tasks -
down to the minute detail - and the greater the overall goal, the more
detailed the planning, the tasks, the outcomes from each task, the
resources required and so on. 


To know, by and large, we;ve talked about generalities, ideas and
concepts. This is the part where you do the actual work. This is how
you change yourself. So, firstly, I'd like to introduce a process to
ensure that you: 


	Know your outcome
	Act to achieve your outcome




This template process is a truly effective outcome setting process. It works at the unconscious level and provides an action plan
- or at least the first steps of an action plan for longer term goals,
and links your own personal desire to achieve the goal. This is
important, because most goals (if not all) require that you do
something to achieve them. i.e. you have to do some work - even when
such work is considered 'play' it will still require some degree of
effort on your part. 


The goal setting process is SWING - should be easy to remember right? 


&nbsp;


	S - Specific goal stated in the positive and measurable - a goal to move towards not something to move away from
	W - What do I Win? What are the pay-offs? What do I lose? What
	will I see when I have it? What will I hear when I have it? What will I
	feel when I have it? What will I smell/taste when I have it?
	I - I control everything that I need to control to achieve this. Is anyone else involved? Where and when will you do it?
	N - As if Now - Step into the future and see, hear. feel and act as if you have achieved your goal now.
	G - Guarantee
	What will happen if I get my goal?
	What won't happen if I get my goal?
	What will happen if I don't get my goal?
	What won't happen if I don't get my goal?
	Specific Win I Now Guarantee


&nbsp;


Let me start with the end - Guarantee. This may look strange,
it may be strange for many of you. And when you are asked these four
questions (about anything), it is very likely that you will struggle to
answer some of these questions. The point here is to think quickly
about the answer and whatever answer comes up - that is the answer. Often the responses make little or no conscious sense.
We discussed earlier how the unconscious mind cannot process negatives
- and these questions are designed carefully for the unconscious mind -
not for the conscious mind. It's actually Cartesian logic and is at the heart of quantum linguistics and helps us establish the 'non-mirror image reverse' and creates a whole range of possible options and our action plan to achieve what we want to achieve. 


Meantime, because we have gone through the whole SWING process, we have created personal motivation.
Powerful stuff huh? Be patient with yourself, allow your thoughts to
come to consciousness and note the responses. Again, don't worry if no
obvious thoughts come out - your unconscious mind is doing the work for
you. It is easiest that you work through this with a coach
- someone else (your spouse, best friend) - to ask you the questions.
If you don't want to, or you have no friends and don't want to spend money
on a coach, you can do this yourself so long as you are prepared to
push yourself hard for the answers. Write down your own responses,
whatever words you use (don't justify yourself ... yet). The specific
words that you use are very important. 


Now, let me take you though an example. I had a goal to break 72
this year. So this is how it looks going through the SWING process
(I'll put the SWING steps in brackets):
(S)I want to shoot 71 and better this year.(W)
I will win two more competitions than last year and see the trophies in
my cabinet, feeling great satisfaction from hearing the crowd and my
peers cheer as I collect the trophies and taste the beer that I bought
for my fellow competitors with the cash winnings. I control my practice
and can visualise my goal and align myself to breaking 72 consistently
and accurately card my scores. (I) I control my technique and
can simulate the different environments in which I will potentially
find myself during competition. (N) Now, as I see myself
collecting the trophies I feel great satisfaction and confirms the
commitment I made to practice and know that I can extend my own
achievements and break personal barriers to achieve anything i want to.
(G) If I do break 72 consistently I will be satisfied
If I do break 72 consistently I won't feel an idiot
I will continue to work on my weaknesses if I don't get my goal
I'll give up. 


You may find it helpful, as I do, to tape or MP3
record yourself responding to the questions - it's interesting what the
unconscious says. When you type it, or write it down, you will censor
yourself, and consciously interrupt your thoughts flow. Record it - or
better still, get someone to help you and coach you through it. In our
sessions we provide everyone with access to our downloadable MP3s with
the coaching on audio to continue supporting you. 


The goal is specific - I can measure it in achievement and time. It is positive.
I know what I will win and how this will look, feel, what I will hear and taste. It is sensory.
I am sure that I control everything that needs to be controlled to achieve it.
I visualise myself having achieved my goal and know how good I will feel
I have guaranteed the
achievement to myself by knowing that achieving it will make me feel
satisfied (personal satisfaction, by the way, is very important for me
- you'll have your own values), that if I don't achieve it I won't give
up (last question) and I will continue to work on it. In other words, I
know that I am motivated to do it. 


The action plan (in my example) is within the control section and, you'll notice, in the third guarantee question - work on my weaknesses.
No, it's not explicit in here, but I know my weak areas in the game,
just as you know yours. Now all we need is an actual plan of what,
where, when. Again, for me, I use a computer scheduling system - well
I've got to fit my practice and game around writing, training, being
trained, selling, marketing, speaking and so on. So, like you, I schedule my practice and write a note for myself on what I'm going to work on that day. 


Now, take some time and do this for yourself. Take one outcome and
go through the SWING process. More than one outcome? Of course you
have, you'll have many in golf and many many more in life. Just do the SWING again.
It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that SWING


Related articles by Zemanta

	 Motivation Direction  (gainmoregolf.com)
	 Goal setting advantage - Legend or Logic?  (gainmoregolf.com)
	 Alignment - the hardest thing in golf is not hitting the ball  (celsim.com)







Dr John Kenworthy

CCO GAINMORE™ Golf
GAINMORE™ Leadership
 ]]></description>
<link>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/280</link>
<dc:creator>John Kenworthy</dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:40:19 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/280</guid>
</item><item>
<title>Goal setting advantage - Legend or Logic?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ 
Image by lululemon athletica via Flickr


For far too long, consultants, trainers, guru's and leaders have been misleading us about goal setting.
We keep hearing the same myth that people with written goals achieve
greater success in life. I fell foul of this story myself - after all,
it cam from the pages of a famous author and I've seen it repeated
again and again. Most recently in an article published by the
Professional Golfers Association. The trouble is, that this story
becomes linked with the concept of setting SMART goals, for which there
is some evidence, but written goals? So, I felt that it was time to set
the record a little straighter and based on just a little bit of real
research...


Goal-setting is one of those things that people, it seems, are near
unanimous on its importance to life, career, success, achievement. And
there are a great many speakers who advocate goal-setting. The latest
'fad' in this is The Secret
- Rhonda Byrne's now famous TV/Film Documentary which, in a nutshell,
purports that people who envision what they want will attract its
actualisation into their life. Now, I'm not going to detract from this
appealing idea because there is something in it - but it isn't new by
any means, it's been written in the Bible for several hundred years.
There are others including Zig Ziglar
and Anthony Robbins - both of whom quote an oft-used story about the
effectiveness of goal-setting: This is the Yale Study of 1953 - some
say it is Harvard, and some challenge the year - it matters not, since
the study is an urban myth. Let me remind you of the story, you may have heard variations and the precise percentages vary:
Yale researchers surveyed the graduating class of 1953 to determine how
many of them has specific, written goals for their future. 3% of them
had. Twenty years later, the researchers followed up with the surviving
members of the class and discovered that the 3% with written goals had
accumulated more personal wealth than the remaining 97% combined!


I repeat - this 'study' is an urban myth - whilst it is quoted by
some 'authorities' and famous gurus on management and self-leadership,
there is NO record of the study and NO paper on it. Yet it's allure is
understandable - it feeds beautifully into the concept that in order
for you to accumulate wealth (aka be successful) not only must you have
specific goals, but you must write them down. For someone selling a
process on written goal setting (see Zig Ziglar and Tony Robbins) it 'proves' the process.
So is goal-setting really important, or is it just a load of twaddle?
To answer this question, rather than rely on stories of spurious
origin, it's important to have some robust research to find out if
there's anything in it.

What is a goal?

Hold on just a moment though, what do we mean by a 'goal'? Everyone
at some point in their life has heard that it is important for us to
have goals. Goals provide you a map to your future, whether in
business, life, career or indeed sport. It seems obvious, but a
football team playing without a goal to aim for is just kicking a ball
around. But, other than the more obvious physical goals as the target
of a particular game, what exactly is a goal? And how do you know when
you have achieved it? Is it even very important to have goals? A
sporting goal is a useful analogy though, here we are more interested
in the non-sporting variety.
The OED definition of a goal is "an aim or a desired result". That's
useful, but I prefer the Wikipedia version which defines a goal as "a
specific, intended result of strategy." They amount, ultimately to the
same thing: the intended achievement of a desired result. The
dictionary definition, however, suggests that the goal exists with or
without you. Why is this important? I hear some question already. Let
me share an example:
On the horizon is a mountain, its peak visible on this glorious day. It
is your goal. You are aiming to reach the peak of this mountain.


According to the dictionary the goal is the mountain peak. According
to the encyclopaedia, the intended result is that you reach the
mountain peak as a result of the journey (intended strategy) you are
making.
What's important, the existence of the goal or the journey to its attainment?


Let me refer briefly back to soccer... Is the existence of the goal at
the end of the pitch the thing that makes the game, or is it the
strategy (and tactics) employed by players to score (reach) the goal?
The reason for being pedantic at this stage is to stress that we refer (in English)
to goal as both an entity and as the intended result of our actions.
For the purposes of this article, I refer to goal as both - an entity
that we are able to describe in one or more of the five senses we enjoy
and as a specific, intended result. I believe that it is critical that
a goal can be described in one or more of our senses - otherwise we
will never know what it is.


	
	"A man without a goal, you are like a ship without a rudder." Thomas Carlyle
	


You know people, perhaps yourself, who would be lost without a "To
Do" list. Daily, weekly, monthly tasks that result in specific intended
results. Many people will consider this as their goals. Indeed, you can
call them 'goals' if you wish. But I want to distinguish this concept
further. I call these daily, weekly, monthly tasks "Outcomes" - they
are important steps on the way to achieving goals but they are a small
part of the overall intended result.


I'll borrow from my own To Do list for today. It includes, strangely
enough, writing the first three sections of this article. Now, is my
goal to write three sections of an article? Is it to write an article?
I can answer yes to both yet it doesn't tell us the full story - my
Goal is to develop my business and as a part of that, I want to reach a
wider audience for the purpose of building my brand, building my
reputation and establishing myself as a trusted expert that you will
now consider to design and run a training programme or undertake
coaching in your organisation. This article is just one part of that
strategy, and this section, just one part of this article. The primary
and secondary research I've undertaken to be in a position to write, I
trust, knowledgeably about goal-setting has been another part... and so
on.


It is the goal that helps us determine the appropriate outcomes
necessary to reach the goal, the specific outcomes help determine the
actions we undertake to achieve them. The whole series together, makes
a strategy.


For ease and clarity, I consider a "Goal" to be longer-term and the
intended result of a strategy. "Outcomes" are the result of the steps,
milestones or activities that we achieve en-route to achieving the goal.
When I was a child, schoolteachers and relatives would often ask "And
what do you want to be when you grow up?" I honestly didn't have a
clue. My friends seemed to have got the hand of this and I discovered
that the expected answers seemed to be focusing around jobs or careers
"I want to be a Fireman/Doctor/Train Driver", or perhaps something
bolder like "Rock Star/Famous Actor" - or around money... "I want to be a
millionaire". Apparently it didn't matter what you wanted to be - it
still required that you studied hard, preferably got all A Grades - oh
and it was critically important that you "eat all your greens". Quite
how Brussels Sprouts
are a necessity for success has never been answered fully to my
satisfaction. By the time I was a teenager, I was at the "I dunno"
stage. And by the time I was choosing my A level subjects it seemed
that my options were becoming limited. Artist was ruled out on the
recommendation of my delightful art teacher who claimed that my
lovingly crafted painting "hurt her eyes" and Author was ruled out
because I had little taste for over-analysing Jane Austin's Northanger Abbey.


To my knowledge, none of my friends answered "I wish to be a wage
slave pushing paper from one side of a building to another, politically
manoeuvring myself into a position of power and authority, attending
useless meetings each day and commute for 4 hours" so what went wrong?
Well, perhaps it is the goal-setting process.

What is goal setting?

Inadvertently, or deliberately, people asking us when young "what do
you want to be..." have set us on a process of goal-setting. They are
asking us to peer in our mind's eye into the distant future and
describe our goal. With little worldly experience, we most likely think
of people we admire that through their job demonstrate what is valuable
to our young minds.


What would you like to achieve in X years that having achieved it
will satisfy your personal values? Would you ask a ten year old that
question? No? It's unlikely that they would understand - but with the
massive leaps in education and increasing pressure on children to know
a whole lot more than the current generation of mature adults, they may
well be asking you that question and be surprised if you can't answer
it. I digress, but we are effectively asking that when we say "what
would you like to be..."


Goal-setting is a process by which we choose our intended result,
decide what we want to achieve in the longer-term AND determine HOW we
are going to attain the goal (i.e., the strategy). Therein lies the
problem for many people in regard to goal-setting... the process
necessarily includes the strategy to achieve the goal. When relatives
with kind intentions ask "what do you want to be..." the strategy they
advise to achieve whatever you said, invariably refers back to the need
to study hard, be a good child, don't answer back and above all... "eat
your greens!" As you get older, the advice may become more specific and
even, more useful. You begin to discover which areas of knowledge and
skill you most enjoy and are better equipped to clarify your personal
goal as you become increasingly aware of what is important to you.


Goal-setting for your career, life and business is strongly
advocated and endorsed in hundreds of books and papers and articles.
Most emphasise the importance of writing your goals down as part of the
goal-setting process.

Is goal-setting important?

	
	Ask almost anyone about the importance of goal-setting
	and they will affirm that it is incredibly important. Here is a small
	selection of verbatim responses to the question "How important is
	goal-setting?"
	"The difference between successful people [and people struggling]  is the setting of tangible and measurable goals."
	"I believe goal setting does work and needs to be written down. "
	"If there are no set goals, things either happen, or they don't."
	"With measurable goals you are in action to fulfill them"
	"... there's no excuse for failing to progress if you don't take ownership of your own goals"
	"Setting yourself some goals is always going to be effective"
	"I have been setting goals for myself for over 10 years. I believe that the goals enable me to achieve the things that I want"
	"People who are successful tend to be the same sort that write down goals"
	


So there seems to be consensus that goal-setting is important, yet
there is some evidence to support it, yet, as we shall see, from
research undertaken for this study, having written the goal down is
perhaps not the most important concern. What we will see is that the
process of goal-setting is perhaps more important than the goal itself!
There is some strong support for the concept of SMART goals. Goals that
are Specific and Stretching, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and
Time-bound. There's a great deal of common sense reasoning that
supports the idea of SMART goals - and there's some excellent robust
research.

Why set goals?

Edwin Lock and Gary Latham have undertaken a great deal of leading
research about goals and goal-setting and neatly suggest that setting
goals implies dissatisfaction with the current condition and a desire
to attain an outcome Locke and Latham, 2006.

Why Specific and Stretching?

In Locke and Latham's 2006 study and previous articles, there is an
emphasis on the positive relationship between goal difficulty and
performance. Locke and Latham, 1990; Locke and Latham, 2002. That is,
the more difficult the goal is to achieve, the higher the level of
performance is manifest - allbeit moderated by commitment to the goal.
Earlier studies had already identified that specific and difficult
goals led to greater performance than easy and/or vague goals Latham
and Lee, 1986

Commitment to achieving a goal - Attainable and Realistic

Hollenbeck and Klein, 1987 suggest that an individual's commitment
to a goal (building on Locke's research and many others) is dependent
on a combination of the expectancy that the individual has of achieving
success, and the difficulty of achieving the goal. In the commonly used
nemonic, SMART goals, this is usually considered as the 'AR' of SMART -
Attainable and Realistic. Though Hollenbeck and Klein help point out
that when we set a goal, it may well seem that the goal is attainable -
I can do everything that I need to do to achieve this and am prepared
for the cost in time, effort, etc. - and it may well seem to be
realistic - Given the resources that I have and the current
environment, this goal can be practically achieved.

Measurable and Time-bound?

I don't think it would be possible to undertake research on
something that had no measure nor a time restriction - how would you
know that you had achieved success if there was no measure, and if
there is no time limit, when would you stop measuring or even not
measuring. So these remain 'common sense' though a post-modernist might
disagree.


So there is support for the concept of SMART goals - now why is it so important that we 'write' them down?
There are some who suggest that writing something down increases
commitment to the goal but the evidence is anecdotal. For some
individuals, the act of writing something down assists clarity through
a conscious process because they consider something written to be a
personal commitment. Does that mean it is true for everyone? To help
answer this, we undertook primary research to mirror the mythical Yale
Study. Through a simple questionnaire, respondents were asked if they
had set goals for themself on leaving school, college or university,
when this was and if they had written it down. They were then asked to
estimate their total personal wealth now. The results are quite
shocking.

Results from our survey

215 individuals completed the online questionnaire over a seven week
period. Respondents were mostly UK-based (80%), with further
respondents from Asia (11%) and the USA (9%). This researcher invited
respondents through social networks, Ecademy and LinkedIn and direct
contact with companies across the UK, Asia and US. 70% of respondents
are in full-time employment, and the remainder either self-employed or
business owners.


Only results shown to be significant at 0.05 are discussed.


	At the end of their formal education, 69.8% had a personal goal of whom only 11.2% had written their goal down.

Goals and personal wealth

	 Of those that had written their goal, their average personal
	wealth is GBP115000, whereas those who had not written their goal down,
	their average personal wealth was GBP295000. That's more than two and a
	half times as much! Completely contrary to the supposed Yale Study.

We asked respondents when they left formal education and analysed this against their estimated personal wealth.

	 Those leaving formal education in the 1970's have a average wealth of GBP475000, 80's GBP195000 and 90's... GBP325000!


It seems reasonable that those who have been in the workforce longer
would have greater personal wealth and so it is... almost. The anomaly
appears to be those who left formal education during the 80's.


	Those leaving in the 70's have generated on average 13,500 each
	year since leaving. 80's grads a miserly 7,800 and those bright young
	things from the 90's, a whopping 21,600!

So what's going on?

It may have something to do with SMART goals.

SMART goals and personal wealth

	Those who set Specific Measurable only goals average a low 25,000


	 Add Time-bound to specific and measurable and this goes up to 50,000


	 Just Attainable and Realistic goals - now this is averaging 150,000


	 Specific, Measurable, realistic and time-bound and we rise rapidly to 475,000


	Go the whole hog, Specific, measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time-bound - and we reach 605,000


We seem to be finding some useful answers here. Don't worry so much
about writing your goals down, just so long as they're SMART.

So is that it?

No. There's a couple of very interesting additional significant statistics in our survey. They deal with the type of goal.

Goal focus and personal wealth

Respondents were asked if they were willing to share their own
personal goal, 60% did so and these break down into four main focuses:
Career, Lifestyle,Money or Ability. We also asked how satisfied
respondents were with their achievement.


	 For those with a Lifestyle goal focus, average wealth is 95,000 and 'satisfied' with their achievement.
	 A Career focus, average wealth is just over 100,000 and 'somewhat satisfied'
	 A Money focus, average wealth is 162,500 and 'satisfied' and lastly,
	 An 'Ability' focus, average wealth is 780,000 and 'very satisfied'!


Go on, have a guess on the statistical conclusion... yep, those who
left formal education in the 90's focus more on 'Ability', 80's focus
on career and lifestyle, whilst the 70's predominantly Money. Surely a
reflection of the environment of the time.


The great thing about focusing on what you are 'able' to do will
help the goal-setting process be more effective. Following Locke and
Latham's findings that ability to achieve the goal moderates
performance - too difficult and uncommitted individuals do not perform,
whereas, stretching yet within my potential ability aids commitment to
goal attainment.


Respondents were asked if they were willing to share their own
personal goal, 60% did so and these break down into four main focuses:
Career, Lifestyle, Money or Ability. We also asked how satisfied
respondents were with their achievement. The first three are 'Outcome'
goals - that is, they specify a particular tangible outcome. Ability
focus is a 'Performance' goal - such goals focus on an ability or
capability of the individual.


	For those with a Lifestyle goal focus, average wealth is 95,000 and 'satisfied' with their achievement.
	 A Career focus, average wealth is just over 100,000 and 'somewhat satisfied'
	 A Money focus, average wealth is 162,500 and 'satisfied' and lastly,
	 An 'Ability' focus, average wealth is 780,000 and 'very satisfied'!


Go on, have a guess on the statistical conclusion... yep, those who
left formal education in the 90's focus more on 'Ability', 80's focus
on career and lifestyle, whilst the 70's predominantly Money. Surely a
reflection of the environment of the time.


The great thing about focusing on what you are 'able' to do will
help the goal-setting process be more effective. Following Locke and
Latham's findings that ability to achieve the goal moderates
performance - too difficult and uncommitted individuals do not perform,
whereas, stretching yet within my potential ability aids commitment to
goal attainment.

Outcome goals - some issues

The problem facing many people with regard to 'Outcome' goals is
that there is an element that is outside the power of the individual.
An example of the potential issues with an 'outcome' goal comes from a
rather sad testimony from one particular research participant:


	
	"My goal was to have $3 million in the bank for my
	retirement by age 55. I achieved my goal with great satisfaction early
	at age 43. Unfortunately my bank was at the centre of a fraud and went
	under. 16 years later, I am still working and slowly rebuilding my
	goal. So, goals are important and we need to know what we want to
	achieve in life - just choose a goal only including yourself and don't
	leave all of it in one place."
	


Outcome goals are most often subject to others and to the
environment. The greater the attainability of a goal through yourself
only - I.e. Your own performance - the more you are in control of goal
achievement. Goals that have a high dependence on others and/or
external circumstances are considerably more difficult to influence.


As an extreme example, one survey participant has goal to win the
lottery! Now there are certain things that you can do to increase the
likelihood of this becoming reality, buying tickets is a useful
component, but how many? Interestingly, another participant who had a
'money' goal did indeed achieve their goal - through winning the
lottery! Though that wasn't the original plan and they rated themselves
'somewhat satisfied' in having completely achieved their goal.


Whilst touching on monetary goals, another participant reminds us that being specific about your goal is important:


	
	"My goal was to be a millionaire by 35... I achieved it
	the moment I stepped away from the foreign exchange counter at Jakarta
	airport!"
	


Following up with our survey participants revealed commonality in
the way they went about setting goals and their subsequent actions to
achieve their goals. We've already seen how those with the greatest
success in terms of personal wealth had SMART goals. This isn't to say
that success can only be measured by means of personal wealth at all -
the original intention was simply to test the mythical Yale Study
results. An, of course, someone could have set themselves a perfectly
good SMART goal - but due to their own environment, had not accumulated
as much personal wealth in terms of a standard currency - indeed, a
person could have less in terms of monetary wealth yet be considerably
better off in terms of the value they can obtain from less money.

Performance goals

An interesting aspect that began to show itself through the results
was personal satisfaction in goal achievement. People who set 'Ability'
type goals, or 'Performance' goals reported to be 'very satisfied' with
their achievements - whether completely achieved goals or not yet
complete. In part, this suggests the importance of personal values and
suggests a question about the process by which they set goals.
Through a random selection of fifty respondents we found that there is some commonality in the manner in which goals are set:


When we compare the groups of 'Very Satisfied' with their
achievement and 'Satisfied' or 'Somewhat Satisfied' with their
achievement. The first group were more likely to have SMART goals. The
goal is described in sensory terms - what will be seen, heard and felt,
and for a small number, smelt and tasted. Respondents were clear about
what achieving the goal will do positively for them and the cost to
themselves (and others) of achieving their goal. Their goal, they
considered personally stretching yet 'knew' that they were capable of
achieving it themselves. More than 60% stated their goal in the present
tense - 'I am' rather than 'I will be'.


This provides a template for a useful goal-setting process that we've turned into an easy-to-remember acronym: SWING.

Goal setting process

	 A SMART and Sensory performance goal
	 What will I positively Win and lose
	 Am I In control of achieving this goal?
	 Stated as Now
	 Guarantee - this is an added psychological process to ensure personal motivation towards achieving the goal.

Final thoughts

From our survey, those individuals who set performance goals using
slight variations of this process represent a small, though
statistically significant fraction of the sample that have a net higher
annualised personal wealth accumulation (2.15 times) and are more
satisfied than individuals who use only one or two aspects of this
process.


It is not the writing down of the goal that makes the difference, it
seems to be the emphasis on performance or ability and the process of
thinking through the goal. And for those of you, like me, who just
didn't get round to setting goals way back and worry that you might
have missed out - well you can't go back and revise history, but you
can create a new one now.

Bibliography

Hollenbeck, John R. and Howard Klein, J. (1987), 'Goal Commitment and the Goal-Setting Process: Problems, Prospects,
and Proposals for Future Research', Journal of Applied Psychology, 72 (2), 212-20.
Loche, Edwin P. (ed.) (1986), Goal setting, Generalizating from
Laboratory to Field Settings, Lexington, MA: Lexington Books) 101-17.
Locke, Edwin A. and Gary P. Latham (1990), A theory of goal setting and task performance, (Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall).
Locke, Edwin A. and GaryP. Latham (2006), 'New directions in
goal-setting theory', Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15
(5), 265-68.
Locke, Edwin A. and G.P. Latham (2002), 'Building a practically useful
theory of goal-setting and task motivation', Amrican Psychologist, 57
(9), 705-17.


If you would like to know more about the GAINMORE Leadership and how
we can help you transform your leaders - whether your business issues
are Strategy, Business Planning, Teamwork, Change, Marketing,
Operations, Finance - we will work with you to design a solution that
will address your ongoing needs. Call us on +44 (0)207 1935218 or visit
the website at www.gainmoreleadership.co.uk
We look forward to hearing from you soon.


For full references, please contact the author
john at gainmoregolf.com

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Dr John Kenworthy

CCO GAINMORE&trade; Golf
GAINMORE&trade; Leadership ]]></description>
<link>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/279</link>
<dc:creator>John Kenworthy</dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:32:38 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/279</guid>
</item><item>
<title>Follow through! Getting out of the recession sand trap.</title>
<description><![CDATA[ 
The 'expert' pundits around the globe are now predicting a long, slow haul out of the current economic crisis. Previous 'expert' predictions of the turnaround in the second half, third quarter. President Obama is, however, sure of recovery in spite of the dire jobs data - seems that the "recession is slowing" but where is this bottoming out that we've all repeatedly heard?


Billions of dollars have been poured into world economies. Millions more into civic projects. Yet, just as with Madoff's ill-gotten loot, the whereabouts of all this money is still in question.


So, just how can the small business get itself out of this recession sand trap?


For some, the sand trap is the scariest place on the golf course.
Sand traps have the ability to intimidate even the most skilled players
every now and then. No-one intends to get the ball in there and very
few people relish the thought of playing out, but the experts all agree
on at least one point with regard to getting out. Follow-through!


There are rules in golf that make this particular shot more
challenging because you are not allowed to touch the sand near the ball
before making the shot. You judge the need to open the clubface (to
slide the club beneath the ball and sand for greater loft) or to close
it (to 'dig' through the sand to get under a deeper embedded ball) is
by eye and experience. Judge this badly (or indeed, execute wrongly)
and you might hit the ball thinly, taking too little sand, or thickly,
taking too much. 


The key is to commit to the swing and follow-through. Stab at the
ball without follow-through and there's a 90% chance that the ball will
remain in the trap with the club abruptly stopping (especially in wet
sand). Ideally you hit the sand directly behind the ball, allowing the
club and the sand to carry the ball out of the bunker.


Like many golfers, business people don't practice enough, and they certainly don't practice the tricky shots. (Pop down to any driving range and count the number of people practicing in the sand pit
in front of the bays.) So, every business down-turn becomes a novelty.
Fear and panic set in quickly and we witness many people trying to hit
the ball out. Cut prices, sell 'hard', slash costs. Does it work? For
some yes, they hit the ball thinly and the ball ends up on the other
side of the green and often, out of bounds. Some attack the problem
hard and hit the ball thickly - taking too much sand and burying the
ball deeper a few inches further along.


Those
that get out well, judged the situation, chose the right tool for the
job, adjusted their stance and clubface and then they committed to the
shot, took just the right amount of sand with them and
followed-through. 


Maybe you just misjudged that first attempt. There's no point
berating the green keepers, the course designer, your tools, your
competitors, or worse, your customers. Learn from the experience, stop
complaining, quiet your mind, judge the new situation, take your
stance, adjust the use of the right tool. Aim for the sand not the
ball! Commit. Follow-through.


&nbsp;


&nbsp;

Related articles by Zemanta

	Loosen your grip to be in control! (celsim.com)
	Alignment - the hardest thing in golf is not hitting the ball (celsim.com)



Dr John Kenworthy

CCO GAINMORE™ Golf
GAINMORE™ Leadership
 ]]></description>
<link>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/275</link>
<dc:creator>John Kenworthy</dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2009 21:56:16 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/275</guid>
</item><item>
<title>Trust - your leadership and coaching currency</title>
<description><![CDATA[ 
Trust is a leader's and a coach's bankroll. With trust, he or she is solvent, without it, he or she is bankrupt.


A trusted coach, has a thick bankroll of crisp bills. Every time
you act inconsistently with your professed values, or break a promise,
you must spend some of those crisp bills - when the bankroll is gone,
so is the trust that others have in you. At this point, your personal
appeals or persuasive arguments cannot buy back that trust. Once lost,
trust, and the personal credibility it took to gain it, may take years
to regain.

Trust &amp; Credibility

Trust is much more than credibility. Credibility is a necessary
precursor to trust - before someone will place their trust in you, they
have to believe in you. Trust is when a person places something of
value to them into your care an stewardship because they believe that
you will take good care and, usually, return to them something of
greater value.


As a leader, the 'something' may be as obviously important as life -
a military leader for example. It may be time or skills or an idea for
a business leader. Whatever the situation, we place our trust in the
leader. In turn, the leader trust you to deliver on your promise. The
relationship is established beforehand, the leader's credibility has
been established and the result of this 'transaction' may reinforce or
destroy trust.


In netowrking, the same rules apply. You might offer to introduce
someone to a business opportunity. As the initiator, you must trust the
person to be capable or risk your personal credibility and the trust
your opportunity has in you. The individual you are introducing will
also trust that you will genuinely do as you say and that it is a
legitimate opportunity. Trust is a two-way street.


Establishing Trust
1. Be honest and open
The top leadership attribute of most admired leaders in Kouzes and
Posner's comprehensive survey is honesty. This isn't just about telling
the truth, it is also 'doing what you say you will do'. And, it's worth
noting that honesty does not always imply that the truth is to your own
liking nor the action something with which you agree.


Some networkers though fall into the 'marketing trap' - embellishing
aspects of their business or person to such a degree that their honesty
could quickly become suspect. It's all very well having a fabulous 30
second 'elevator pitch' designed to intrigue and excite others though
if it is too far removed from honesty, you may soon be dealing out some
of those crisp bills from your bankroll.


Trusted leaders are open and transparent - particularly ion this
post-Enron world. The suspicion surrounding UK politicians currently
has a lot less to do with their actual expense claims and a lot more to
do with questions about why such claims should be so secretive.
Openness also means being open to question. Your elevator pitch should
(according to those far more expert in this) invite questions - your
answers to those being a robust defense citing evidence that supports
your pitch. Can you defend your elevator pitch?


2. Don't hide bad news
Northern Rock, Lehman, Fannie and Freddie, HBOS and an increasing
number of others have suffered a major fallout, in part because the
leaders hid the bad news (or the potential for bad news), possibly even
from themselves. As the bad news leaked out, savers who had entrusted
their money queued to withdraw it immediately. To regain some trust,
the UK Government had to spend rather more than a few crisp bills from
its bankroll.


Advertising of financial or pharmaceutical products now carry a
warning of the potential downside or side effects (albeit in tiny print
or spoken at a rate few amphetamine addicts would understand). Should
our elevator pitch contain such caveats? It would be honest.


3. Don't over promise
Making promises you cannot keep? Why do politicians rate as the most
untrustworthy of people? They promise the world and seldom deliver.
What about 'Relationship Bankers' - the ones who were heavy on profit
and quiet about real risk in selling Lehman min-bonds - still to be
trusted?


It's a trap that many parents fall into. Talking to their kids about
the exciting places they're going to go and the fun they are going to
have. From pimples - "you'll grow out of it" to exhortions to study -
"you'll be able to do whatever you like when you graduate with honours".


Leaders are prone to over promise - it's considered perhaps an
embellishment, a slight exaggeration or, the catch-all, marketing.


4. Walking the talk
Doing what you say you will do is probably the most critical component
of trust. If any of the three points above are in doubt, there is
little chance that you will be able to walk the talk.


How many times have you been to a networking event that ends in warm
handshakes and empty commitments? When you say that you will introduce
a friend to a contact, do it. If you say that you'll pass on their
contact information, do that. If you say that you'll turn their
business around and they will make 2 grand a month with just 4 hours
work a week... Diligent follow-through sets you apart from the crowd and
communicates trust.


Your trust bankroll is being spent every-time you:


speak falsehoods (however small)
hide bad news (even the potential of the downside)
over-promise or
under deliver
How to rebuild trust

Even the greatest leaders can suffer a loss of trust. This may be
the result of error in judgment or a mistake. Or circumstances may
conspire against the leader (a favourite of politicians and ex-Northern
Rock senior management).


Networkers are also prone to losing trust - perhaps the result of
adverse market conditions or the failure of a supplier or partner. A
respected and trusted networker can lose years of building trusted
relationships through introducing a connection who failed to deliver on
their promise. So how do we rebuild damaged trust?


Acknowledge the mistakes
When decisions turn out unexpectedly, the leader owes his followers an
explanation. Inflated egos can make a leader quick to assign blame or
make excuses, but a mistake unacknowledged is compounded.


A straightforward acknowledgment of the mistake should be the front
end and made voluntarily. One forced (because I got caught) does
nothing to re-establish trust. "I forgot to call" may not be something
a networker likes to admit, but it's more honest than making up a
convoluted story of deceit that tries to shift responsibility elsewhere.


Apologise
Admitting that you are fallible, that what you did was wrong, that you
made a mistake is an important step to accepting responsibility.
Knowing that you made an error is one thing, admitting it to others,
though painful, allows you (and often them helping you) to put the
incident behind you and take action to avoid making the same mistake in
the future.


Make amends
Find a way to make amends with people you have wronged. If you have
harmed, make restitution. People often forget that undelivered promises
frequently have cost the other party. If, for example, you agree to
meet someone at 2pm, and turn up at 2.30 - you've just cost someone 30
minutes. Next time who will turn up and when?


You may not be required to do so, and it may be that circumstances
conspired against you, and it may be that it really truly wasn't your
fault - but accepting ownership and taking responsibility goes a long
way to thickening that bankroll of trust.


Trust is the bedrock of the bond between leader and follower, the
bond that makes a network work. As a leader and as a networker, trust
will make or break your success in any industry or circumstance.


&nbsp;


Thanks to John Maxwell for the inspiration for this artricle


Dr John Kenworthy

CCO GAINMORE&trade; Golf
GAINMORE&trade; Leadership ]]></description>
<link>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/233</link>
<dc:creator>John Kenworthy</dc:creator>
<pubDate>Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:20:23 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/233</guid>
</item><item>
<title>Loosen your grip and gain more control</title>
<description><![CDATA[ 
New golfers have to learn how to 'let go' - to relax their grip. If a tight grip is a 10 on a scale, we want a 4 out of 10.


The same is true of leadership and the way we hold on to our people.
Hold on too tight (micro manage) and people have little freedom to use
their own skills and strength. Hold on too tight to the club, and it is the golfer doing all the work.

So the question is: "who should be doing the work?"
The manager or leader or the member of staff? The golf club is weighted
for a reason. If you allow the club to do the work, the swing and
striking of the ball, becomes almost effortless. Relax your grip on
your team and allow them to excel at what they do, and the work becomes
almost effortless.


Once you know, as a golfer, that the club is designed to do the job
of striking the ball and your job is simply to swing and allow physics
do to its job, you can relax. Maintain just enough control to ensure
alignment, direction and distance and the ball will fly according to
the club used, and the size of the swing. If you want a long distance,
you use a long club and a full swing. A short distance off the fairway
onto the green requires a shorter distance club and a smaller swing.
The power to achieve the distance lies in the tool being employed and
the chosen swing - the rest is pure physics.

So what can we learn as a leader? 


Isn't it the same. Make sure that you are using the right tool
- the person needs the right skill set (and/or mindset) to do the
required job. The leader's job is to have a little control to ensure
that the skills are employed in the right direction for the
right distance - that's about judging how far it is to the goal and
translating that into the swing itself - in the case of people, the
swing is influence and motivation... let the staff do the rest.


And just like that golf ball landing exactly where you both planned
and wanted it to be for the next shot. You celebrate. Unlike golf
though, praise your club and thank them for their effort. After all,
they did all the work!


When we use this metaphor on our golf leadership workshops, the
feedback is instant. Hold tight onto the club and the golfer has to use
a great deal of effort and the ball often ends up being pulled, pushed,
sliced or hooked - going two thirds of the required distance. Relax the
grip maintaining directional control and the ball flies straight to the
full distance of the club and swing used.


(For non-golfers... try this with a horse, hold tight, the horse
will slow down even when you whip it! You dog on a short leash stays by
your side whilst pulling your arm out of its socket! Your child dangles
from your hand as you cross the road.)


Yet, new golfers on particular, find their grip tightening in more
difficult situations. The very moment when they need to be most at
ease, most truly controlling, fear envelops them, pressure builds, the
grip tightens and the ball goes astray.


The same is true of business leaders under pressure. Listen to the
media hype about the doom and gloom of the current economic situation
and fear can easily creep in to the mind. Many leaders respond by
tightening their grip on their people and their business, believing
that the tighter they hold, the more control they have and the more
likely they are to survive and pull through. Albeit, they expend huge
amounts of effort, feel incredibly stressed, and more likely to explode
a blood vessel!


Tough times in business are better served by leaders keeping a clear
head, a loose grip, maintain direction and let your people do what they
do best. Let's face the truth here, even a behemoth the size of AIG
can't control the market, what makes you think that you can? My advice,
ignore the noise (media doom and gloom), look for the opportunities and
focus on the goal and it's direction, choose the right club, loosen
your grip and let your club do the work.

Loosen your grip and you'll have more control.
Dr John Kenworthy

CCO GAINMORE&trade; Golf
GAINMORE&trade; Leadership ]]></description>
<link>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/202</link>
<dc:creator>John Kenworthy</dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 08 Apr 2009 18:41:09 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/202</guid>
</item><item>
<title>The delusions of success in sports and networking</title>
<description><![CDATA[ 
M. Scott Peck
in 'the road less travelled' starts: "Life is difficult". What is most
surprising, is that, for many people, this is a revelation! Go to any sporting
event, or meet a business client - especially during the current
economic situation and they will be moaning incessantly about the
enormity of their problems, burdens or difficulties as if life should be easy!


Sports people tend to have a better attitude than most others, knowing that they need to put in a great deal of effort to achieve success. But, perhaps you are struggling on your journey to achieving your
'success' and you may be suffering the consequences of one or more of
the nine common delusions about achieving success. Depending on how
much you believe your 'success' is down to what you do (cause) and how
much is down to external forces over which you have little or no
control (effect) determines where you might be:




It's impossible!

Particularly for those just embarking on their journey, 'success' is
a place far away. We may have wonderful dreams about it and a
delightfully crafted goal. But as the days, weeks and months go by and
'success' doesn't appear to be any closer, many people throw in the towel. More budding entrepreneurs than I can recall have given up - life without a salary is just too tough. The hundreds and thousands of 'enthusiastic beginners' who believe that their chosen sport should 'come naturally'...


When we've given up because 'success' is impossible, we'll then
criticize it. Anyone who achieves success whom we deem less worthy is
the subject of our scorn and contempt - "they don't deserve it!".

It's a mystery to me...

If we survive the 'impossible' stage, seeing others achieving yet success continues to elude us we search for the secret.

We need to find the magic formula, the silver bullet or the golden key.

Retuning to that bookshop to find 'the' book that will change our
lives. So many promise that you can achieve success in sport, business, life,
management, health, diet and they are snapped up.


Business people are constantly looking for quick fixes to problems:


	To sell more, we need the sales messages and techniques that instantly convert a cold call into a lifelong customer.
	To produce more, we need the unique leadership skills that magically and massively increase performance.
	To maintain shareholder value
	we need to increase profitability by increasing sales and reducing
	costs simultaneously. Either that or we cook the books to make it look
	as though we did.

Sport psychology is the fluctuating fad. I counted 22 new books in my local bookstore the other day - all promising to be the secret key to success in golf. So a couple of things I'd like to point out here:

	There is no secret to success in golf - the so-called secrets have been known and shared for centuries.
	Visualising striking the perfect drive is not actually doing it. Sure it helps, but when you believe it will work in spite of your utter lack of ability you are being deceived.

Lady luck?

OK, so there's no absolute secret to success. Sure we can learn from
others, but they didn't really do it instantly, it took time. But
essentially, they were in the right place at the right time. No more
than luck.


So if success is down to luck - all I can do is hope for it. One day
my ship will come in. Next year, when the current economic crisis is
over. The dice will fall my way. 


May as well buy lottery tickets.If you've waited for 'lady luck'
long enough and still on the journey, by now you may believe that luck
only comes to those who create it for themselves.

All I need is a break!

If only...


Everyone has a story about someone they know who got their break. The telephone sales guy spotted in a mall by a movie producer and became an instant star. The busker in the subway 'found' by the record label. The crazy inventor who made gold from apple seeds.


But, if all you do is wait for it, when your opportunity comes your
way, you won't be ready for it.So you've not had fortune turn up on
your doorstep. The 43 steps to instant success didn't quite work out as
expected. That anticipated call from the client you've not met didn't
come. Your website is getting plenty of 'hits' but turning those into
business isn't quite happening.

What I need is leverage.

We look for an angle to exploit or for leverage over someone else.


They're successful. They do the same thing as me. Surely I can hang
onto their coat tails and ride along until I'm on my feet, then I can
set up on my own again, take the best customers with me and ...

All I need to do is work harder!

I know a lot of dedicated sports people who are here. They are in charge of the situation now. It's not about luck or any special formula. It's all about hard work, training, practice, some more training, more practice...


The best thing about working hard and producing results is that it feels rewarding. The adrenaline rush, the endorphines, all produce a good feeling.


Talk to anyone who has achieved success in their chosen sport, and I'll
bet they worked hard for it. They just kept going. Putting everything
on the line and never giving up.


So that's the real secret? Well, yes and no. Those people you know
who are really successful in their sport,&nbsp; business or career. How's the rest
of their life? Is there a chance that they are neglecting important
relationships? I know of no-one on their death bed saying "I wish I'd
spent more time at the office."


Hard work itself doesn't bring success - you may be in a dead-end
job, or your fabulous new product will remain unwanted forever. And, let's face some reality here, not everyone can win. Learning to be happy with the opportunity to participate. Winning is not everything, so it comes back to what is your success.

So I haven't attended the right event yet...

Most people take the middle road towards their success. A route that
depends much on self-effort, yet recognizes that the outside world has
a role in my success too.


A huge number of people believe that success is an event, so they
schedule for it. They attend the seminar by one of those fabulous
speakers and just know that after this, they will have both the secrets
of success and have made connections with like-minded people who will
help each other achieve success.


The most common form of event in companies is the 'training event'.
Apparently, the two-day workshop on strategic business leadership is
going to equip you with all the knowledge, experience and determination
to make your business the incredible success is deserves to be.


That 'rah-rah' motivational event might just be the tipping point of a decision to move on, but success is a process not an event.

I just need better connections...

This is the massively growing space for business people - and, it seems, sports people too.


We've all heard the phrase, it's not what you know, it's who you
know. So we network for success. No longer is this the restrictive
domain of the 'old school tie', the golf club or the masons. Networking is accessible to all - and the world becomes your oyster.


New technologies allow us to easily expand out network beyond any
previous borders. I can network with people across the globe and in my
local chapter - over breakfast, lunch, coffee, in a virtual world,
in a chat room, a forum. And surely, if I connect with enough people,
I'll get to meet the 'who you know' that is going to make that
difference.


The right relationships certainly help in achieving your 'success'
but connections alone neither improve life nor guarantee 'success'.

Remember Billy Carter? No?

No-one can network himself to success unless he has something to offer in the first place.

So I just need to be recognized...

As we network with more and more people to increase our visibility
we want to be recognised by more and more people for our talents, our
special ness, our difference. So we strive for success by being
recognized.


For the great business people, it might be the cover of Time magazine. For the scientist or academic, maybe the Nobel prize. The writer for the Pulitzer. The movie star an Oscar. The musician, a Grammy.


Most people would settle for a lot less. Walking into a room full of
people and being called by name to come over and 'let me introduce you
to...' A client who recommends you to a friend. A collaborator who
endorses you. A boss who thanks you.


Make someone else's day today - encourage them, thank them, hey even post a comment on their blog ( :-) ) - it could be the 'success' they are seeking today.



Dr John Kenworthy

CCO GAINMORE™ Golf
GAINMORE™ Leadership
 ]]></description>
<link>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/158</link>
<dc:creator>John Kenworthy</dc:creator>
<pubDate>Mon, 02 Feb 2009 17:01:36 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/158</guid>
</item><item>
<title>Learning agility and your potential</title>
<description><![CDATA[ 
Most
people would accept that the ability to learn, and the ease of that
learning, makes a difference in life. But, is someone who is more able
to learn, more easily and in many different situations, better equipped
to be a better leader?


Lombardo and Eichinger call this "learning agility", and suggest that learning-agile people exhibit common traits: They:


	 think critically and examine problems carefully, making fresh connections with comparative ease.
	 are very self-aware, know and leverage their strengths effectively and know how to compensate for their weaknesses.
	 enjoy experimenting and are comfortable with change.


	 deliver results in through team-building and personal drive.


Learning agility is manifested in several ways. For example, there's mental agility. 


	
	Learning-agile people have and use more tools for
	problem-solving. They use the emotional and logical sides of their
	brains equally well and easily. They can prioritize the urgent and the
	visionary and strategic issues.
	


Learning-agile people have results agility.


	
	They show personal drive and can build teams. From this
	team-building ability they also develop their people agility.
	Comfortable with themselves and with diversity, they balance intra and
	inter-personal skills effectively. They will tend to be open-minded,
	non-judgmental about ideas and other people. Able to deal with and
	embrace change, they know which battles to fight and establish
	consensus when appropriate.
	


Lastly, they are conflict agile,


	
	Learning-agile people know when to collaborate and when
	to compete. They know when to accommodate others and when to avoid
	conflict altogether.
	

Assessing learning agility

How can you identify learning-agile performers in your organization and position them for success within your organization?


A learning-agile person can be expected to exhibit success when
dealing with new or difficult situations. You can expect them to
volunteer for new experiences and will likely rise to informal (or
formal) leadership roles in teams.


Once identified, deliberately try and move them out of their area of
apparent expertise to a new area. Observe how they perform and how they
relate to new colleagues, to new leadership styles, to a
customer-facing role or to the back-office. Watch carefully for how
they deal with different personalities and attitudes and people of
different backgrounds.


Lombardo
and Eichinger use a formula of diversity, adversity, intensity and
complexity of experiences, combined with a willingness to learn as a
formula for success. Learning-agile people will excel at:


	Turnaround projects - problems that need fixing
	Startups - starting a program, product, system or facility from scratch.
	Cross-functional moves.
	 Line-to-staff moves -- learning how to influence without authority.
	 Changes in scope of projects and changes in scale or size.


All of these experiences requires the person needs to acquire
competencies rapidly through the experience, feedback and integration
of knowledge, skills and abilities.


Seriously consider how you might identify your own learning-agile
people. They have the potential to succeed exceptionally in your
organization.

Why identify learning-agility?

Michaels, et al (2001) in "The War for Talent studies" found just 7%
of respondents agreed their companies had enough talented managers!
Just 3% agreed with the statement: "We develop people effectively."
Sessa &amp; Campbell, (1997) found that a third to three-quarters of
new top executives fail in their first appointment! A third of Fortune
500 CEO's have been replaced in the last 10 years (Bennis &amp;
O'Toole, 2000; Charan &amp; Colvin, 1999). Such results have many
causes, but one implication is that organizations have great difficulty
in spotting and nurturing talent that has staying power once in key
positions.


Someone with "high potential" is a person who has an open
willingness and ability to learn competencies required for first-time,
challenging conditions. They deliberately choose to learn and review
their outcomes and make adjustments in their behaviours and skills to
improve performance.

Dr John Kenworthy

CCO GAINMORE&trade; Golf
GAINMORE&trade; Leadership ]]></description>
<link>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/144</link>
<dc:creator>John Kenworthy</dc:creator>
<pubDate>Fri, 02 Jan 2009 18:27:09 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/144</guid>
</item><item>
<title>Aptitude + Attitude = Altitude</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Technical aptitude alone is insufficient

Jimmy Conners, winner of 109 professional singles tennis titles says
"There's a thin line between being #1 or #100 and mostly it's mental."


In his well-researched book, Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
shows that it's our attitude more than our aptitude that determines our
altitude. Whilst our society lauds intellectual giants and power,
Goleman's research concludes, "At best, IQ contributes about 20 percent
to the factors that determine life success, which leaves 80 percent to
other forces." Other EQ researchers, Robert Cooper and Ayman Sawaf
consider this too conservative. In their book, Executive EQ: Emotional
Intelligence in Leadership and Organizations, they write, "- IQ may be
related to as little as 4 percent of real-world success - over 90
percent may be related to other forms of intelligence - it is emotional
intelligence, not IQ or raw brain power alone, that underpins many of
the best decisions, the most dynamic and profitable organizations, and
the most satisfying and successful lives. Malcolm Higgs and Vic
Dulewicz set out to disprove this "faddish idea" relenting after their
own research that actually, Emotional Intelligence is of far greater
importance than IQ and something they term "management quotient".


There's a growing consensus in the academic and popular literature
that our attitude and our mindset are more important than our technical
capability that make a difference to our success. As Zig Ziglar puts
it, "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude."

Difference makers have a better attitude

Consider all the things that Tiger could use as an excuse at the 2008 US Open:


	Hadn't played in a competition for 2 months
	Recent knee operation - reduced fitness
	Further damaged knee on swing during the tournament
	Highly skilled and determined competitors
	Poor first round
	Pressure of historical wins
	Expectations very high on his performance
	Does not need the money


After blowing a three shot lead with 8 holes to play, Woods rallied
and came to the 18th hole and stood over a birdie put to avoid an
infamous defeat. He came through. Sudden death on the 7th saw an end to
his fierce competition and Woods again took the trophy.


How many of us would find that sort of resilience within us?

Three steps to achieving your success

It's all very well understanding and believing that our attitude is
more important than our aptitude, but exactly what can we do about it?
What makes the difference that you can develop?


There appears to be three major differences between those that
achieve great success in their field, and those who remain in the
obscurity of mediocrity.


	 Successful people know what they want to achieve. They have a clearly defined goal.
	 They are constantly seeking ways to learn and improve.
	 They consistently present a positive attitude.


This isn't intended to be an exhaustive and comprehensive list of
must haves, but to highlight key difference makers that anyone is able
to adopt.

Clear goal you are pulled toward

There's plenty of discussion on setting goals for yourself and how
important it is to have a clear vision, a picture of your future.


Rather than go through all of that now, I'd refer you back to a
couple of other articles I've written on the subject. Here though, I'd
like to explore three different modes of how you get to your goal:


Push mode, Pull mode and Drift mode:

Push Mode

If you have to drive others towards an objective, even drive yourself towards it, I call this being in push mode.


Push mode is typified by focusing your attention on problems that
need to be resolved, or things that need fixing. Many people use a
'todo' list or a GTD (getting things done) system. Are you one of them?
Take a look at yours now and see if it is a list of problems.


The fun, creative or enjoyable things rarely make it onto a 'todo'
list - rather there is a tendency to say that once the list is done and
I have time, then I'll do the fun stuff.


What's more, you will already know that the things we pay attention
to are the things that grow and the things we don't pay attention to
tend to fade away. So if we focus on problems (call them challenges or
issues if you must but they are still the same thing), we will find
that the problems grow. So here's a radical thought, if we focus our
attention on interesting, exciting, fun things, they will grow. And our
problems, won't they fade away?


"But you don't understand. I have to get this report done, I have a
ton of emails to clear, I have to attend this meeting, I have calls to
make to angry customers, and if I don't I'll get fired. I simply don't
have time to talk to people, take it easy, smell the flowers..."


And when your stress levels have made you so sick that you can't
work, let alone afford the hospital bills you'll feel what exactly?
Accomplished? Valued? Important?


Nothing more satisfying than lying in bed recovering from a heart attack knowing how much your contribution is missed.


I'm not saying that these things (some of them anyway) don't need to
be done but that by not focusing on them, they will (and do) fade away.
Oftentimes, they just get done. Without stress, without worry.


In Push Mode, we are continuously pushing ourselves (and others)
towards our goals relying on our own effort to keep us on our straight
and planned track. Obstacles that we face in our way are enemies to
progress which may force us to re- plan our route. Our motivation stems
form outside forces, the concrete and measurable goal is frequently
thought to be motivation enough and any resistance to achieving the
goal, self-inflicted or external resistance, is just another obstacle.


In Push Mode, when progress is slow, we re-plan and consider time
management a priority. Only, unless you have discovered the secret to
warping the space-time continuum, you cannot actually manage time.

Pull Mode

Pull Mode,  on the other hand, is about leadership and paying attention to growth and improvement.


Rather than focusing attention on problems to be solved or fixed or
overcome, in Pull Mode we take time to clearly envision our future and
allow the goal to pull us towards it. The results of Push Mode and Pull
Mode may appear to be the same (that is the achievement of the goal)
but Pull Mode takes less effort and allows our unconscious activity to
take precedence over conscious linear processing.


The idea of Pull Mode is that you create a vision of the future that
is so compelling for you (and perhaps for others) that you cannot help
but be drawn towards it. The things that you need to do on the way
become minor irritants that simply get done and anything that really is
not important is not done and fades into insignificance.


"Hold on, what if something that is important is not recognised as
being important?" Excellent question. Things that appear to need to be
done, whether important or not, on your journey are your friends - they
are obstacles to your progress but think of them in terms of friends,
or learning opportunities.


Let me take a personal example if I may. Two things about running a
business that I personally do not enjoy: 1, Filing, 2. Doing the
accounts. I appreciate that some people just adore filing and doing the
accounts but I don't. In Push Mode, I resist doing them until I
absolutely have to or, usually, risk a penalty. It is the penalty that
drives me to do it. I still hate doing it but I dislike paying a
penalty more. In Pull Mode, these things still come across my path but
now I see them as friends - the chance to look again at scraps of
notes, letters or offers. I have learned to change my mindset from
doing the filing to my enjoyment of a clear desk and in-tray and just
do it. It's no longer something I resist. Do I enjoy doing it? No, I
don't if I think about it consciously, I just let it happen.


"But what if it should be done and its not that critical or
important?" The chances are, for me, that it won't get done.
Importantly, if I find myself resisting doing something, I stop, tune
into my thought processing and ask myself why I am resisting it?


For example, keen observers may have noted that I didn't talk about
doing my accounts in Pull Mode above. You'd be right. It is something
that I continued to resist - I can't really explain what it is about
doing the accounts that I just don't want to do, and I found this quite
strange considering that I do enjoy building spreadsheets of budgets
and am quite au fait with P&amp;L and Balance Sheet - and then it
occurred to me that I like thinking through future scenarios, but
what's done is done. I honestly can't be bothered about it. Now, of
course, there's legal compliance... and I realised further, I really
don't like to be told that I have to do something. So what did
I learn from this resistance? I learned that I am quite happy
considering the future and do not wish to have to create organisation
of the past. Decision? Outsource to someone capable and trusted.


In Pull Mode, you only do the things that you want to do that move
you towards your goal such that the work you are doing is effortless.
Obstacles that need to be overcome that meet with your own resistance
are a warning flag to you that something else is going on - stop and
allow yourself to consider what the resistance is trying to tell you.


"Isn't it possible then that you'll go into Pull Mode, and miss the important things that need to be done?"


Sure it's possible, but unlikely to be important in the achievement
of the goal. Things that are a requirement in your society but have no
direct relationship to the achievement of your goal. Yet there's a
third mode of being that is neither Push nor Pull, and that's Drift
Mode.

Drift Mode

The stresses of Push Mode, always making things happen and forever
coming up against obstacles and 'time-wasters', causes many people to
fall into Drift Mode rather than Pull Mode.


Drift Mode is quite different to Pull Mode, somewhat 'New-Agey' in
influence where one just 'lets things happen'. call it karma, fate,
life forces, whatever - it generally involves emptying your mind of
worries and anxieties and just letting life happen to you. Whatever way
the wind blows, you drift along with it.


You might end up on an agreeable shore when you allow yourself to
drift over the seas of life, or you might end up somewhere unpleasant,
or. most probably, you'll just continue drifting along.


Pull Mode is different because there is a clear and articulated
vision of your compelling goal that is pulling you towards it. The
aimlessness of Drift Mode may be refreshing for a while, but the
anxieties of life will soon catch up and cause as much stress as Push
Mode already does for the vast majority of people.

PushMePullYou

This mythical creature in Dr Doolittle provides a metaphor for how
many leaders feel about leadership. They are in Push Mode for
themselves, driving the agenda and encountering resistance of their
'followers' who have to be pulled, some suggest dragged kicking and
screaming, in the chosen direction.


No wonder many leaders are exhausted. Many drive themselves to an early grave or opt-out entirely and fall into Drift Mode.


"How do I know which mode I'm in?"


Do you take pride in hard work? Do you brag about working more than
50 hours a week? Do you use ToDo lists? Do you think that in order for
things to happen, that you have to make them happen?


If you answer yes to most or all, you're in Push Mode.


Do you have a compelling vision of your future self? Find your work
effortless? Know that everything that needs to be done will be done?


Sounds like Pull Mode.


Have a sort of idea what I want in the future? Take it easy whenever
possible and avoid unpleasant tasks? If things happen they happen, if
they don't 'they don't?


Drift Mode.


"Surely it's better for your health to be in Drift mode than Push
Mode?" Sure, if you have a lot of savings or a rich family to fall back
on. But if you have no goal in life, just what are you doing here?

What can I learn?

People who achieve great success are always learning. They seek ways
to improve and are prepared to work through the difficulties of change
required to become better.


Peter Senge in his book, The Learning Organization, expands in great
detail about his idea for organizations to constantly seek improvement
in everything. But what about learning at a personal level? What if you
are currently at the top of your game? Surely you've already learned.


Our learning journey can go through a series of steps and the height
of our performance is determined by our technical ability and our
mindset, our aptitude and our attitude.





The journey is not always easy or straightforward. Let's return to Tiger Woods...

Prepared to change

You're at the top of your game, you're doing better than anyone has
ever done in your field. Technically, you are the best in your
business. You earn more than anyone else in the same line of business.
You have a serious competitive advantage. Why would you decide to
change something fundamental about the way you do what you do?


After seven years and 142 tournaments in a row, Tiger Woods finally
joined the ranks of mortal golfers when he missed the cut at the Byron
Nelson Championship May 13, 2005. Golf pundits argue that changing his
swing is to blame.





There was another reason, his knee. A physical problem that seems to
not want to go away. But what makes Tiger stand out so much from the
rest is not just his aptitude for the game, his superior technical
skill... it's his mindset. In spite of being in a great deal of pain...
he overcame it with a determination, the will and resilience that
allowed his technical brilliance to shine.

A Positive attitude

We all have days (sometimes weeks and months) where everything seems
to be going wrong. Whatever you try to do, however clear your goal -
there just doesn't seem to be any progress.


Sports psychologists refer to the period when everything is going
well and peak performance is apparent as being 'in the zone'. Golfers
who find their rhythm and the ball lands just so. The athlete who has
trained and is at their physical and mental peak runs the race of their
life. The business person who's found themselves in the right place at
the right time with the right product or service.


Yet most of the time, we just ain't there. We yank the club and the
ball lands in the bunker. Our business would be just great if we just
land this additional sale.


Some days, it's hard to wake up and find the energy to put on a
brave face and go out there knowing that today probably isn't that day,
hoping that it is but not really believing it. We known we have to
learn and improve but just when is my breakthrough going to come.


It may not come today, but one thing I can assure you of - something about today is better than yesterday.

What's better today?

Being prepared to learn and change and put in the required effort is
a critical step in constantly improving. But this carries the
suggestion that we should focus on what is wrong, or what needs
improving.


If we're going to consider being in "pull-mode" towards our goals
and ambitions, a much better question to ask is "what's better today?"


When you meet someone, or write a message it is 'normal' to ask "how
are you?" or "How do you do?" Now in doing so, do you really,
truthfully want to know the answer?


"Well, I've had this terrible problem with my stomach and I didn't
sleep too well last night for all the stress I'm under and..."


How would you respond if instead I asked you "what's better today?"


Would you reflect on improvements made? Would it cause you to think about some things have indeed moved forward?


Try it, I dare you! It makes it a whole heap easier to keep on going towards that goal.

Your Choice

People who have achieved great success know what they want to achieve and have a clear vision of their future.


They recognise that their technical ability, their aptitude is one
(small) part that contributes to their achievement and constantly
strive to improve.


Most importantly, they keep on keeping on, keep turning up and are
prepared to learn and change whilst maintaining a positive attitude.


Even Tiger has a bad round of golf - nothing like as bad as most of us but bad for him. Do you see him quitting?


You were created to be an soar at altitude like an eagle not peck the dirt like a chicken.



Dr. John Kenworthy GAINMORE Leadership, GAINMORE Golf


Gainmore Golf Community | Leadership Knowledge Network
Blogs: MyBlog |Gainmore Advantage Blog | Golf Blog



&nbsp; 
 ]]></description>
<link>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/116</link>
<dc:creator>John Kenworthy</dc:creator>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 Jul 2008 02:14:24 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/116</guid>
</item><item>
<title>Cause or effect?</title>
<description><![CDATA[ Are you at cause for influencing yourself to greater things or are you at the effect of others, the environment and the outside world. Are you a thermometer, or a thermostat?

In golf, there are only two things that affect your game. Yes, sorry, just the two things. The first is physics. The golf ball, your clubs, how you swing your club, the course, are all subject to the laws of physics.

You might say that the weather changes the way the ball behaves. Yes indeed it can and does, cool air temperatures effect the turbulence of the air and hence the flight of the ball... just physics.

You might suggest that your swing technique changes the way you strike the ball and hence its direction and distance - yes true - just physics.

The only part of golf that is not directly about physics is the "you" part - not your technique, strength, everything physical is, well physics. No, the only non-physical part is mental. There are those that will scientifically argue that this too is physics - after all, the mental part is about electrons, neurons etc that obey the laws of physics. Yes this may be true, however, there is an important distinction, you can do nothing about the laws of physics. Not a thing. Rien. Zip. Nada. Naff all. Zero. You can't change it - you can use it - because the laws of physics don't change - knowing what physics is at work and how to use that knowledge to increase distance, improve direction and so on - now that's useful knowledge - see, you now wish that you'd paid more attention in school! The distinction is that the mental part of the game is something that you can change. Yes the neurons and so on that carry the messages and inform the parts of the body to do what they do will do so, because they obey the laws of physics. It is the message that they carry that you can change. Now, since this actually applies to everything in your life it could be a revelatory moment for you in everything.

So, we come back to the basic critical decision point. Are you at cause or effect? Do you cause your golf ball to fly in a particular direction? Yes, of course you do. Do you allow your playing partner to effect your playing? Do you allow the weather to effect your playing? The answer is that all things going on in your surroundings will effect your playing - because they effect your mental attitude, they effect the message that you send to your muscles.

How much you allow external events to effect your playing is your choice!

It's important to preface this section with a reminder that everyone, every single human being has a choice to do something, or not do it. To learn something, or not to. Everything we do in&nbsp; this life is a choice. Yes, there are many many (far too many) people on this planet who do not have a good choice - or a 'real' choice. There are, too many people who's struggle for life overwhelms their choices in life. The choice to live or die in such circumstances, is however difficult or impossible, still a choice. Please realise that I am not denigrating anyone here, nor am I saying it's easy simply because I assert that they have a choice. I simply want to ensure that you have a mindset that you can be at choice. Improving the opportunities for choice for the millions of those with little real choice is another matter entirely.

So, if you are at choice, which frequency do you listen, cause or effect?

How you influence others is somewhat obvious, but how you influence yourself is perhaps a little more obscure. We will take the obvious route first and then apply it to self. Leadership development and golf development work best when we are very strongly focussing on your self-leadership - how you lead yourself to greatness in golf, in business, in life. Leadership, unlike golf though, should pay much more attention - because leadership is pretty much all about influencing others.

Influence is a two-way street. Everything you do and say has some influence on others - you are part of their external environment. You even exert a small degree of gravitational force on others, indeed, you exert gravitational force on the planet! Not a lot admittedly, but your mass does attract other mass. You knew that you should have paid attention in science class now. Just as an aside, it's quite a useful factoid for use when you have gained a few pounds of weight - you do so in order to become more attractive! That's put paid to the glamour magazines!

The same is trues for other people exerting their influence over you. Everything that other people say or do is a part of your external environment and that exerts an influence in turn over your behaviour.

The external environment beyond other human beings, also has some influence over you. The weather for example - when it is raining, it is quite likely that you would alter your 'normal' behaviour by carrying an umbrella, or wearing a rain-proof coat. You know for sure that the weather can have a major influence over your golf. When there is lightning, you would wisely move away from the fairways under the trees or into the clubhouse. Being struck by lightning is one influence that everyone can do without.

The problem with influence is that human beings have a tendency to assume that there is little you can do to change the way something influences you. Well, let me put this straight. You can and you do!

Let us take an example of something that influences us and we do something about it&nbsp; - almost fight its influence on our lives. One that affects us all and that is our friend gravity. You see, gravity is ever present in our lives - there are a few exceptions but since that involves&nbsp; travelling into space I think I can safely assume that does not include you. If, by chance you have travelled into space - my question is - how far can you hit a drive out there? Must be awesome.

Back to earth. Gravity is a pretty constant force acting on our bodies - in order to combat the effects of gravity we develop muscles and utilise energy to stand against it. Only when we are physically damaged - break a leg, twist an ankle, suffer paralysis and so on, do we truly appreciate how much effort is involved in keeping our body upright and moving. When we are reasonably fit and well, we think little or nothing of getting up from a chair and walking, and most of the time, we do all this unconsciously. We have programmed our brain to take care of operating the correct muscles, keeping balance, walking, and all the while supplying those muscles and cells with energy through breathing and circulating our blood. Now, if you had to consciously work out how to do all this stuff that we simply take for granted, you'd not have a great deal of time to think about much else - at least, not consciously.

What's the point of this? Well, it's simple really - there are many many things occurring in your life, including when you practice and play golf, that influence your behaviour. Some things we cannot change - gravity, weather, daylight, animals etc. and we can choose to what extent we allow such to affect us and our behaviours. We can choose to be at cause for ourselves or at the effect of the environment and others. In other words, I'm disabling your potential for 'excuses'.

How do you influence yourself?
When I have asked this question in our workshops, I usually meet with blank stares at first. I call them 'blank stares' because to be looked at as if you are completely off your trolley isn't something I choose to reinforce. The first response from that first brave soul suggests that there is no need to influence oneself. Basically, it runs like this: I decide to do something, I tell myself to do it, and I do it. No influence is required. I don't have to ask myself nicely, or threaten myself with unpleasant consequences, or persuade myself that it will be worthwhile. Really? If we could slow down the thought processes going on, you might think differently.

Let's take a slightly different approach. I suspect that you have, inside you, at least two 'voices' - the pro voice and the con voice. The optimist and the pessimist. The good and the bad. You may have more, you may not consider them as 'voices' - that's OK, I hope that you can work with me on the concept for a little while.

Let's say that this is two radio stations, 55.5 and 66.6. The first station on 55.5 is supportive - bolstering your ego, always proud of you and your achievements. The second, on 66.6 is the doubter, always casting doubts in your mind, running you down, always suggesting that others are trying to get you, that you should not listen to 55.5, it always lets you down - you never realise the dreams that 55.5 suggests. 66.6 reminds you of the difficulties you had the last time you tried to do this or that. How nothing ever works for you, that it's all about luck and fate and chance and that you just are not a lucky person. If you buy a lottery ticket, you will always miss by one number at best. That nobody else deserves to win anything either. Basically, this is a bad voice.

I can imagine some of you nodding your heads as you read this. Don't worry, you're not schizophrenic - this is normal, everyone has this going on. Some days it's like a continuous debate, others, one or both are quiet with little to say. You know you have a problem when you cannot distinguish between the voices and which of you is real.

So, which station do you tune into?
Here's the two stations output for a few common golfing scenarios...
66.6
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Approaching the first Tee on competition day: 'Well, it's a lovely morning with plenty of gusty breezes to knock your ball off centre, and a touch of rain in the air, but very unpredictable whether it'll rain now or later. You did some good practice yesterday but you know it'll all go to pieces today don't you? You know that you always screw up on the first drive and there's no mulligans today. See your competition today, wow, that first group were good weren't they. No chance you'll keep up with them is there. Still, perhaps you can just enjoy the game for a change and not worry about winning or losing - after all you know you'll lose, so why get your hopes up? Ridiculous game, I don't know why you bother, should have stayed home and cut the grass. be more useful than out here, being mocked by your friends... oh no, talking of which, there they are, why do they have to come and watch my first drive. They'll cough or chatter&nbsp; just as I'm lining up, I know they will. Oh well, my turn now, what a disaster, prepare for the worst and don't get angry...

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; First Tee shot: So nicely lined up, but then anyone can put a ball on a tee can't they. Now settle down, breath, how's the grip - that instructor why did he have to change my grip, it won't work. Right align my club, look up, look down, those people down there, are in my line, why do they have to stand there, don't they know they could be hit... calm yourself, that's right, may as well get calm now, because once you hit it there won't be any calm left. And if you screw up this drive, it'll all be downhill for the whole day. never recover, so get this right. Wiggle the bum, yes nice, settle, legs bent just right, what if my weight shifts before I strike then hit those people standing there. I wouldn't mind hitting that smug bastard - he's such a flash git. Custom clubs, custom balls, bet he cheats, never puts a foot wrong, wipe that smug grin off his face, I'll show 'im. Back swing, nice, but is it right, no of course not, arm down, elbow's bent at the wrong time, as usual, THWACK..... follow-through may as well let go of the club, it'll go further anyway.

In spite of this, by some divine intervention, the ball soars through the air and lands smack down the middle of the fairway, 220 yards at least beautifully set up for a second onto the green and a possible birdie: Whoa - didn't know you had it in you. Nice shot, so lucky, you'd never do that again, not in a month of Sundays.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Still, plenty of time to screw up yet...

ENOUGH!
Sorry, I just can't write anymore of this - it's just too depressing. Is this you? And, were you the one who said that they didn't influence themselves?
55.5 on the same situation...
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; What a beautiful day, a few gusts, possible rain in the air. Be a good idea to look at the trees as we walk down the course, see where the gusts are going. if it rains, we'll change clubs and, quick, borrow an umbrella from Jim there, he can pop back and get another from his car. So nice that my friends are here to cheer me on. Great guys. Now I'm going to show them a great drive. I can see it now, smack down the middle of the fairway, perfect for a chip up to the green and a birdie. I can't wait to pick up that trophy at the end of the day. Good to have some strong competition - nothing better than a real challenge.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; First Tee shot: Breath nice and deep, slow my heartbeat and see that drive. A little gusty from left to right over those trees, just align a fraction to the left because this ball's going to soar above that line. Glove, into the zone. Complete focus, nice alignment, well done, now a beauty practice swing, nice and loose in the shoulders. Firm stance, good lad, check alignment, now trust your swing. THWACK.
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In spite of this, by some divine intervention, the ball soars through the air and too far to the left, way over to the left and lands smack down into the rough by the trees, maybe even really in the trees: Beautiful drive, well done, aligned just a little too far left, so we'll make sure to fix that. I think maybe the wind dropped as well. Nice lay-up for the second shot - I can use that chip techniques I learned from watching Seve on TV, good for a par if I'm really in the rough, and good for a birdie if it's not too long. Good, well done.

Now, which station do you want to listen to? The one that derides you no matter how great you are, or the one that supports you and encourages you no matter how poor the shot?

"I don't care" says someone, so long as I hit great shots I'll put up with either. Fair enough. Which one do you think will help you enjoy your game? Which one will help you towards a stroke lying ill in bed feeling miserable and no-one coming to visit because you don't even like yourself, let alone anyone else?

Extreme? Sadly no. Go find the most miserable-faced player in your local club and ask them which station they tune into...
Dr John Kenworthy

CCO GAINMORE&trade; Golf
GAINMORE&trade; Leadership
 ]]></description>
<link>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/87</link>
<dc:creator>John Kenworthy</dc:creator>
<pubDate>Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:29:55 GMT</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.istadia.com/article/GAINMOREGolf/87</guid>
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