Are you shooting for even par, aka just enough, in business? Learn how having a community you can be vulnerable with, whether that’s a small group, networking group, or circle of entrepreneur friends, can make all the difference.
What College Golf Taught Me About Myself
I have loved golf most of my adult life. I even had the opportunity to play in college at U of Alabama before transferring to Auburn.
Jonathan, a really good friend of mine who also golfs, had a great conversation around golf and business with me recently. It led me to reflect on a few things.
As much as I wish I could say I tried to max out my potential in college and tournaments, I can’t. When I was playing, if I could shoot under par and in the 60s, that was good enough. I wanted people to think I would shoot in that range “just to help my team,” but I was truly satisfied if I was just 3 under par or in the house.
What Golf Has Taught Me About Business
As I’ve gotten older, I don’t practice as much. I’m now playing against par, so I try to just shoot even par. If it’s par 71, I try to shoot 71. I don’t practice enough to shoot much lower now that I’m enjoying life as a father, husband, and business owner.
In business, this is similar, I can say I want to achieve something, but deep down I was ok with “good enough.” I didn’t lower the bar, but I wasn’t honest and open with others about what I wanted to accomplish. I had way too much of a front or a mask to appear one way to others, but the reality was that I may be have been struggling. Without that level of vulnerability, I wasn’t able to connect better with the people around me.
What Even Par Taught Me About Myself
Going back to golf, what do I wish I could’ve done? I wish that I was able to be honest like this in college. I had friends who were never satisfied if they continued going lower and lower under par. However, they even have insecurities and vulnerabilities, they were just working better through it.
I’ve found that when I allow myself to be open and vulnerable by sharing an area I struggle with, people amazingly galvanize around it. It’s easy to fear being viewed as less than or settling, but I wasn’t open and honest enough to find out or be challenged in any area.
Why We Need Community
One of my business mentors, Mike, has had many successful businesses and teams. On the outside, everything he and his partner are involved with hits million dollar run rates. However, when you learn all the things that it took to get to that place, you understand that he is human too. He simply found a system that allows him to predictably reach a certain level of success.
Recently, I spoke with a new entrepreneur who was referred to me. This man has an arbitrage opportunity and makes good money, but I told him I thought he was applying a level 10 skillset to a level 2 opportunity. He felt that he needed someone else to speak into his life and give him permission to pursue bigger things. We all need this.
Do You Have A Community That Pushes You Under Even Par?
When you experience someone pouring into your life, it is truly transformational. This training is less about business tactics and more about connecting with people who allow you to be yourself. I hope you find a group that allows you to do this, and that you can grow with them.
Grow Your Leadership
Bradley has many resources to grow your leadership in the area of vision and priorities. Check out a few of them:
Finding, developing, and retaining true A-players on your team is going to make all the difference in your business. Here’s what Starbucks taught me.. Keep reading…
In this quick episode, Bradley shares how to beat the odds in business and find success. Keep reading…
It’s difficult to get to your destination if you aren’t sure where you currently are! After all, the path from Minnesota to Canada is very different than the path from Mexico to Canada. If you aren’t certain where you’re at today in business, you need to take the Rainmaker to Architect assessment. It will gauge your strengths and weaknesses as a leader and in your business. Then, you’ll get detailed, specific suggestions for improvement. Take the assessment here.