Grinding It Out
Bandon Dunes: The calm after the storm. Photo by Mark Inboden. Photo of ship (above) courtesy of Shutterstock.
By Mark Inboden
I just got back from a golf trip to one of my favorite destinations on earth...Bandon Dunes in Oregon. My good friend Evan and I played five rounds in 2½ days. The weather was really good for the Oregon coast in the middle of April, except for one round.
Mark Inboden
The afternoon round on the first day went from sprinkles, to light rain, to all-out 30 mph winds and rain coming at us sideways. We were approaching the most exposed part of the course with four holes fronting the ocean. That's when we saw some other people heading back toward the clubhouse, but we hardly gave it a thought and played on. There were no lightning or safety issues, conditions were simply less than desirable. We weren’t going to let a “bit of rain” deter us from completing our round. We were half through our round, soaked, and already committed.
Sometimes these type of storms hit us in life and at work. What happens next says a lot about your organization and yourself as to whether you “grind it out” and play on, or put up your hands and head for the door. Every day does not go as planned, but how you handle the events of the day gives you the experience to handle the storms that will come your way in the future.
“Grinding it out” is what separates “A” companies and “A” players. Ask yourself, “Am I an “A” player? Is my company an “A” company?” If not, what are you going to do to change both? I hope you are “soaked and committed” and doing your best to be that “A” player.
Mark is President and CEO of UCEC.