Jack Nicklaus

The power of thinking

It’s not what you know, it’s what you do with what you know that drives success.
Thinking, more than skill, drives what you can accomplish. Certainly, talent gives a person an advantage.  But that is just the start of the equation.  Talent alone will not drive consistent results.  That comes from knowing how to use the talent that you have.

There are only five golf players who have won all four of the modern majors during their career, called a career grand slam.  Gary Player is one of those.  Along with success in playing the game, he designed 325 golf courses around the world, and authored 36 books on golf.  His thought on what it takes to be successful in golf is summed up this way, “We create success or failure on the course primarily by our thoughts.”

Two of the other four players to win the career grand slam are Jack Nicklaus and Ben Hogan. They share similar views on the importance of thinking over only skill.

“A lot of guys can go out and hit a golf ball, but they have no idea how to manage what they do with the ball.  I’ve won as many tournaments hitting the ball badly as I have hitting the ball well.” – Jack Nicklaus

“Golf is 20 percent talent and 80 percent management.” – Ben Hogan

It’s not just what you learn, it’s how you make it part of what you do that matters.  Reading a book, attending a conference, completing a course are all great ways to learn new material.  Unless you take away specific action items that you implement right away, these were just enjoyable past times.

Those that are the most successful decide on a small number of changes or enhancements to make in their process while the learning is fresh in their mind.

“Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours.” – John Locke

Be willing to change your thinking.  Not all learning is planned.  Sometimes you will learn the most during a time when things are not going right and your prior thoughts did not bring you success.  While your main focus will be on getting back on track, never waste an opportunity to gather new information and make it part of how you proceed the next time.

“Difficult times disrupt your conventional ways of thinking and push you to forge better habits of thought.” – Robin S. Sharma
 

How can you have confidence it will work?

confidenceConfidence: I may not know how it will get done, but I know I will find a way to get it done.

Richard Bach wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull in 1970 and has sold more than 60 million copies. It’s a short story about a seagull who has confidence that he could fly higher and faster than any seagull before. Through diligent experimentation and exhaustive practice, he learns the skills necessary to accomplish what he was confident he could do. The key to Jonathan’s confidence is revealed when an older seagull says, “You have less fear of learning than any gull I’ve seen.”

Here is how you can use the lesson on confidence shared in Jonathan Livingston Seagull in your leadership.

New project. You may have been successful before, but this project is different. The outcome is much more important than anything you have led. Where will your confidence come from? Your confidence comes from your past success not just in winning but in learning what needs to be done to win. Rely on what you already know, and work on where you need to grow.

“Confidence is the most important single factor in this game, and no matter how great your natural talent, there is only one way to obtain and sustain it: work.” – Jack Nicklaus

New team. The most important aspect of a successful team is trust. Trust comes from the confidence that is built in your teammates’ ability to deliver on their commitments. You were a success in leading your former team and your new team has confidence in your ability as a leader. Begin by ensuring your team learns to trust each other through a series of quick wins before you attempt to lead them on a large scale deliverable.

“A good leader inspires people to have confidence in the leader, a great leader inspires people to have confidence in themselves.” – Lao Tzu

New company. You changed jobs and are working with people you have never worked with before. They may have read about your prior success, but few have worked close enough with you to have confidence in your leadership. The best way to build confidence in a new company is to build personal relationships. Get to know your peers and your direct reports first. Set up time to talk with your employees so they see the real you. People trust people, not just resumes.

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” – Andrew Carnegie

 

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