Harvey Mackay
Harvey Mackay
Greetings Golfers,
This morning I read a great article by Harvey Mackay. You know, the guy who wrote “Swim With The Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive” … a pretty great book about dealing with the reality of the business world.
Actually, I loved it and gave it to all of my managers when it came out back in the 80’s.
For all of our modern “genius” … we take for granted that success in life is all about relationships and priorities. I don’t mean that in a cheesy way of phony relationships and shallow priorities.
People love to denigrate the business world as just being a bunch of ruthless sharks who do anything for money. Are there creepy people like that in the business world? Yeah. But they also exist in the non-business world. They’re just bad people … and I certainly don’t believe that the business world is basically immoral and made to reward such creeps.
Good business people see money as a tool to create a business … and a needed tool to survive and get better. The people who see money as the end-game of life … give business a bad name … and give humanity a bad name.
I don’t know Harvey. I met him once after one of his speeches 30 years ago. He was charming and insightful … I’d even say profound. He sees business through the lens of an entrepreneur and especially as a salesman.
Many business people undervalue the importance of sales. They think that their product or service should just automatically sell itself. They don’t understand or appreciate the value of relationships. Or, they think that sales people’s emphasis on relationships is nothing more than buying the business - meaning trips and dinners and gifts, etc.
To me … it’s all about trust. I deal with people selling golf clubs, balls, clothing, accessories, etc … and food, liquor, beer, soda, etc … and mowers, sprayers, etc … and advertising in magazines, radio, etc … and paving, buildings, etc. I’m going to stop there … you get it. Am I an expert in all of those areas? Hardly. But I’m pretty good at reading people … so I focus on who knows their stuff … and especially - who I can TRUST.
This morning’s article is titled “Focus: The Person Who Is Everywhere Is Nowhere”. Ahhhhhh. I totally agree.
In our attempt to be open-minded … we have relativized everything … everything is of the same value. This is very misguided thinking. If everything is a priority - nothing is a priority. We need to prioritize. Otherwise life becomes overwhelming … and we usually wind-up screwing-up what matters.
A well-run business appears to be easy and simple … almost that it runs itself. Too many people don’t respect that. And, they think the business should be doing more things. They don’t appreciate how difficult it is to run a business so that it looks easy.
Same with a good golf swing. It looks easy. People should be trying to make their golf swings easier and simpler. That can only happen when they start prioritizing what matters in their golf swing. Trying to make a “perfect” swing puts too much value on every part of the swing. Impact and control of the club face are what matters.
Did you know that Harvey Mackay played golf at the U of Minnesota? Yeah - he did. I never saw him play … but had to a very good player.
He also became a very good tennis player. During the 80’s … I was a member of tennis club and played a lot in the winter. One night there, I watched Harvey play a match. His strokes weren’t pretty … but they were very effective … he knew how to make it work.
Here’s a LINK to his article. I think you’ll like it.
The message of good relationships and prioritizing are timeless. They’re at the heart of living a good life. Doesn’t mean you’ll get rich or win the US Open … but you’ll make life simple enough to enjoy it and not be overwhelmed by the impossible goal of perfection.
Cheers,
Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com