Over the last 40 years I’ve played hundreds of rounds of golf, never giving much thought to how the game connected to business development. Like most golfers, I was too busy hacking away, just trying to get to the next tee box without losing my ball. Then I met a golf instructor who completely changed my perspective. The lesson I learned on the range didn’t just improve my swing; it reshaped how I think about the process of winning new clients.
The Focus on the Outcome
As a lawyer, you’ve probably sat in a pitch meeting with a prospective client. You know the nerves that come with wanting to land the business. In those moments it’s easy to believe that the most important part of the meeting is “closing the deal.” But in reality, just like golf, the key lies in the process, not the outcome.
Back on the range, my golf pro asked me a strange question: “Steve, do you even enjoy swinging the club?” At first, I didn’t understand what he meant. He pointed out that I was racing through each shot, fixated on where the ball would land instead of experiencing or enjoying the swing itself. That question hit me hard. If golf is all about swinging the club over and over again, and I wasn’t enjoying the swing, was I really enjoying the game at all?
Process Over Pressure
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