Lessons from the Links: Managing Business Like the Pros
By Elly Valas
()
About this ebook
Business is also a singular endeavor, and owners and managers must battle market conditions, competitors, and unexpected challenges. To succeed, a business must hire the right people, invest in the right training, and deliver world-class customer service.
Golfer and business owner Elizabeth knows these lessons well; hoping to help her friend Matt, she teaches him the lessons shes learned over a friendly game of golf. What ensues is a detailed tutorial on how to successfully operate a business.
As Matt plays each hole, he learns why vision is so important in reaching goals, how to clearly articulate an end game, ways to avoid hazards and how to escape them, and many other lessons from the golf course.
If business owners managed their businesses the way professional golfers play the game, they will find themselves more successful and more profitableand theyll have more fun in the bargain! Find out how to succeed in business with Lessons from the Links.
Elly Valas
Elly Valas is a small business consultant, speaker and writer. She is the author of Guerrilla Retailing. A resident of Denver, she is a high-handicap duffer hoping to score under her weight. Mark Mayberry is a professional speaker and the author of Building a Dream Workforce. He enjoys playing golf and lives in Rockford, Illinois.
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Lessons from the Links - Elly Valas
Lessons from
the Links
Managing Business
Like the Pros
Elly Valas
and
Mark Mayberry
iUniverse, Inc.
Bloomington
Lessons from the Links
Managing Business Like the Pros
Copyright © 2011 by Elly Valas and Mark Mayberry
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
The information, ideas, and suggestions in this book are not intended to render professional advice. Before following any suggestions contained in this book, you should consult your personal accountant or other financial advisor. Neither the author nor the publisher shall be liable or responsible for any loss or damage allegedly arising as a consequence of your use or application of any information or suggestions in this book.
All cartoons copyrighted via www.CartoonFile.net
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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
ISBN: 978-1-4502-7634-4 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4502-7636-8 (dj)
ISBN: 978-1-4502-7635-1 (ebk)
Printed in the United States of America
iUniverse rev. date: 2/4/2011
Dedications
To my mom, who always made me feel so special; to Lynn, who has brought such joy to my life; and to Elly, who is an incredible friend and has been the driving force behind this book.
—Mark Mayberry
To Ruben, Aaron, Rachel, Josh, Kyla, and Ari, who keep me young and add so much to my life; to David, Claudia, and Leslie; to Sandy and Ada who are always there for me; and to all those who continue to golf with me no matter how little I practice; thank you for your patience.
—Elly Valas
Contents
Preface
Making the Date
It All Starts at the Bag Drop
First Hole:
Penciling in Your Score
Second Hole:
Playing from the Right Tee Box
Third Hole:
Communicating to Avoid Hazards
Fourth Hole:
Playing with the Right Team
Fifth Hole:
Even Golf Is about the Brand
Sixth Hole:
Even the Best Clubs Don’t Sell Themselves
Seventh Hole:
Dealing with Hazards
Eighth Hole:
You Can’t Buy a Game
Ninth Hole:
Winners Never Stand Still
Tenth Hole:
You’ve Gotta Play by the Rules
Eleventh Hole:
Finding the Time to Play
Twelfth Hole:
You’ve Gotta Keep Score
Thirteenth Hole:
Even the Pros Have Pros
Fourteenth Hole:
Why Players Have to Believe
Fifteenth Hole:
Why Business Is Only a Game
Sixteenth Hole:
Finding the Balance
Seventeenth Hole:
How Leadership Drives Success
Eighteenth Hole:
One Is the Loneliest Number
Nineteenth Hole:
Putting It All Together
About the Authors
Preface
I will be forever grateful to Barry Gunn, owner of Edmonds and Y. Franks, the Appliance Stores, in Burnaby, BC, for taking a discussion during a NARDA board meeting completely off course with his comment: I manage my business the same way I play golf.
Barry is an excellent golfer, but I needed to know more about his comparison of the game to his retail stores.
That single idea became the seed for much thought and for this book.
Golf is a singular game—just the player against the course, the conditions, and his or her own strengths and weaknesses.
Similarly, business is a singular endeavor—just the owner or manager against the competition, market conditions, and the strengths and weaknesses of the businesses.
On our next golf outing, I shared Barry’s idea with my friend Mark Mayberry. Mark was a successful businessman himself, and during the entire round we looked for—and found—similarities between business management and golf.
By the time we got back to the clubhouse, we had the framework for this book in mind—two golfers talking about what matters most as they rode around a tree-lined, hazard-filled course.
This is for all those who tee off
every day in the great game of business.
—Elly Valas
Making the Date
missing image fileMaking the Date
Not another one! We can’t keep losing customers like this!
Matt was fuming as he slammed the phone down. "Nobody’s getting a thing done around here, and I’m wasting all my time putting out fires."
Already frustrated about losing a bid to a competitor and listening to two of his associates bicker over a commission, this latest news hit Matt like a rock.
What’s going on around here?
Matt yelled. Doesn’t anyone care? I’m working harder than ever and we’re just sliding.
Matt was exhausted. After he had spent years as a successful business owner, things had turned sour. He was burned out, and it seemed like nothing he tried helped turn his business around. It just never ends,
he sighed. I’ve owned this company for a long time, and we’ve been successful through the years; but right now, the wheels are coming off.
Matt picked up his coffee cup and walked to the window, looking across the cityscape. I wonder how Elizabeth does it,
Matt thought as he saw the top of her office building across town. I know her business is as competitive as ours, but she seems to have all the luck. I never hear her complain, and her business is growing like crazy. Hmmmm. Maybe she could help me.
With that, he picked up the phone.
Elizabeth Bailey,
she answered. Elizabeth’s voice reflected her smile. It was strong and confident. She greeted Matt warmly, asking how things were going.
I’m not having much fun right now.
I’m sorry to hear it. What’s going on?
I don’t really know. I can’t put my finger on it, but things here just seem to be falling apart.
Like what?
Like everything. Our service level has dropped, and we’re getting more complaints; I can’t get a handle on my inventory, and I’ve had more staff turnover than I can ever remember.
Sounds tough, Matt.
"Yeah. I’ve had two new competitors open up in this area. They’re getting all the new accounts, and I hear that their businesses are growing like crazy. There doesn’t seem