EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, BUSINESS AND THE GAME OF GOLF

I love the game of golf! Each newsletter this year is dedicated to understanding emotional intelligence - EQ. I could probably find a way to connect the game of golf to each of Reuvan Bar-On’s 5 competencies, because I think golfing is a great way to improve your EQ. But the focus in this newsletter is on the EQ Component of ADADTABILTY. Why? Because on every hole, as soon as you’ve teed off, every shot after that is about adapting to the previous shot in the moment.

3 Parts to Adaptability

According to Dr. Reuvan Bar-On, an expert in Emotional Intelligence and EQ assessment, the competence of Adaptabilty has 3 components: problem solving, flexibility and reality testing. Understanding the concept of problem solving in golf is pretty straight forward – you tee off and find that your drive has landed in:  a sand trap, the woods, the rough, a bad lie or right in the middle of the fairway! At work, you can develop problem solving skills by asking for projects that require researching options before diving into a solution.

While problem solving is required to figure out how you’re going to correct or enhance your last shot, reality testing is done every time you pull out a club to determine how you will hit the following shot and if you have the right club, how realistic you are about your abilities and whether you can take into consideration additional factors that could affect the success of your shot. If you are not very realistic about how far you can hit, or how accurate, you’ll receive immediate feedback! At work, if people tell you that you’re being a dreamer, naïve or minimizing the issues, then you need to develop a way for a reality check. I used to work with some amazing staff who would very gently tell me when I was out to lunch with a deadline! Find a reality check person in your team that you can bounce ideas off and get honest feedback from. Every work group needs at least one person who can take on this role.

Flexibility in golf is about adjusting absolutely every shot as it is made and changing the game plan as you go. It is about accepting that there are some things you have no control over, and rather than getting upset over a bad shot, or too excited about a great shot, you need to adjust your plan. Flexibility is about understanding that nothing is written in stone and you must be comfortable changing the game plan along the way – not unlike managing workloads and leading teams in organizations today. Flexibility is often cited as one of the most critical core competencies required in organizations today. If your preference is for routine, then you need to start small. Change your daily routine at home in some small way. If you order the same food item off the restaurant menu, try something different next time.

If  you have ignored your company golf tournaments every year because you are not a golfer, I would like to reframe that. Business Golf is more about getting to know yourself and getting to know your peers than it is about technical ability. When you leave the last hole behind, you will not remember the technical part of your last shot. You will however, remember how much fun you had, what you learned about the people you golfed with, and the relationship connection that was made.

Golf is a great way to develop a major EQ component – adaptability. Being able to manage change, on the fly in front of others is a valuable lesson – every single time you tee off and everyday in business. If you need to develop this area of EQ, you have 18 holes to practice!

The Q1 newsletter focused on first of 5 competencies of EQ that Reuvan Bar-On identifies in his model of EQ: “Interpersonal” competence which is comprised of 3 components: interpersonal relationships, empathy and social responsibility. This quarter, we focused on a second competence of EQ – Adaptability - comprised of flexibility, reality testing and problem solving. These are critical factors in managing workplace changes, as well as leadership.

Want to practice your golf and business skills, but not sure what to do?  First, you can take lessons. This year Leibham & Company is offering the Business & Birdies program to tune up on basic golf technique such as the golf swing, putting and chipping during a 2 hour session with the pro – more details are provided below. Second, why not register for a non-profit golf tournament that is also a fundraiser? Most tournaments are based on a Texas scramble format or best ball format – this means that you work as a team for your score with less pressure on individual technical ability. The focus is on fun and building business relationships as well as contributing to a good cause. Finally, start a golf outing in your company. You only need 3 other golfers for a tee-time. There are lots of courses in the city that you can book a time and make a Saturday morning of it, or go right after work.

There are a couple of golf tournaments that are coming up in the next couple of months described below that would be excellent events to attend.

I found this easy read book that might be of interest to you that brings golf, emotional intelligence and business together in a quick read: Conscious Golf: The Three Secrets of Success in Business, Life and Golf by Gay Hendricks, 2003 (Chapters $24.95).  

UPCOMING GOLF TOURNAMENTS IN CALGARY 

  Calgary Firefighters Burn Treatment Society Golf Tournament 

Within minutes of chatting with Captain Brian Stahl of the Calgary Fire Department, I had a sense of how passionate he is about this cause. Did you know that the burn unit at the Foothills Hospital is the treatment center for Western Canada? This year, the Fire Department is partnering with the Calgary Health Trust to raise money for the Burn Unit. Over $600,000 was donated in 2004 to the Burns Treatment Society and Captain Stahl stressed that over 100% of the funds generated will go to the burn unit. This year, the Golf committee wants to encourage business and professional women to play in the tournament, so this event is really inviting. The fireman's golf tournament is set up for Monday, July 25, 2005 at the beautiful Cottonwood golf course.
To register call (403) 943-0602. 

The University Of Calgary “Dino’s” Swim Club 

Rose Wolstenholme has been a strong supporter for businesswomen in Calgary as our first Table Sponsor at the Lunch with Calgary’s Leading Women in 2004. Rose is also the President of the University of Calgary Swim Club – a volunteer driven, non-profit swim club. The UCSC Annual Golf Tournament is scheduled for Wednesday, June 15, 2005 at the LYNX RIDGE golf course.  I like this tournament for three reasons. First, you can choose to put together your own team, so you can determine who you will golf with for the day – this is an easy way to set up some business golf with business associates. Second, this tournament has an early start so you can attend to any late afternoon family commitments you have, which is an important factor for many businesswomen. Third, the golf course is pretty good to play. The tournament is best ball format that begins at 8:00 a.m. and following the golf is a complimentary BBQ lunch, prizes and a silent auction. This tournament raises money to support the programs for some of Calgary’s best up and coming competitive swimmers. Click on the Dino for the UCSC website & go to the Golf link.

The Women Fore Wishes Golf Tournament

I would like to thank Marge Baker of Penn West Energy Trust for passing this information on to me. The Rainbow Society of Alberta has it’s annual golf tournament scheduled for September 1, 2005 at the Elks Golf Course. I spoke with Debbie Van Camp who is the Regional Manager and was amazed to find out that every year about 25 wishes are granted to children who are terminally or chronically ill. Each of the wishes averages about $5000. The Women Fore Wishes Golf Tournament Committee intends to raise $15,000 and has some excellent sponsor prizes and tee gifts for each golfer. I understand that there are still some opportunities for hole or cart sponsors available, and you still have time to register for the early bird price! In addition to golfing, this provincial organization has a Board of Directors, with plenty of committees for volunteers to contribute. To register, you can contact Debbie VanCamp at 252-3891 

WOMEN’S EVENTS IN CALGARY

My sincere thanks to Dr. Lori Egger of BluePrints for including Leibham & Co in their sponsorship of the “Women Working for Real Change”- Canadian Women’s Foundation event scheduled for June 9, 2005. For information on this event, you can contact Kristin Pass. In addition to Leibham & Co and BluePrints, Jane Durango of Durango Developments and Zeidler Carruthers Architects are also sponsoring the event on June 9^th. 

Dr. Lori Egger and Dr. Bev Frizzell provide Employee & Family Assistance Program Services and Psychological Counseling services to small companies. If you would like more information on BluePrints – Plans for Life & Work, you can contact Dr. Beverly Frizzell at (403) 508-7294 or by email. 

Congratulations to Jennifer Trofimuk, Debbie Corah and the Bella organizing committee for raising $115,000.00 at the first Bella event in April, which I thought was outstanding! The Grace Women’s Health Centre now has the funds to purchase an ultrasound machine to reduce the wait time in the breast health program. Plans are already underway for next year’s event and the focus is heart health for women. If you are interested in purchasing tickets to attend Bella next year, or would like to be a sponsor, please contact Jennifer Trofimuk at the Trust.

UPCOMING WOMEN’S EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS

Powerful Communications:

Communicating Successfully in Business

The Powerful Communications workshop helps women examine communication styles within the context of understanding that men and women communicate differently in business. This workshop is a half-day session that focuses on what women can do to communicate with confidence and to have more success communicating in the workplace. We’ll close this session with guest speakers Brooke Mayberry and Elizabeth Wiggins from Holt Renfrew who will show us how to dress right for business – with style!  www.leibhamandcompany.com/brief-communications.htm

Business & Birdies-

A Golf Program For Women

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Join us at the beautiful Country Hills Golf Course for a 2-hour spring tune up on basic golf techniques with the Pro at the Country Hills Golf Course. Stu Chan will cover golf techniques such as the golf swing, putting, & chipping. The lunch & learn session will focus on how to use golf as a business tool. Denise Beatty will get us started with proper golf stretching, and we will end the session with Zen Meditation from rnr Wellness. www.leibhamandcompany.com/businessbirdies.htm

Thank you to the Business & Birdies Sponsors:

http://www.golfguide.ca/course-3270.htm

http://www.rnrwellness.com/

http://www.lifeworksfitness.com/

http://www.friday.ab.ca/

There are still a couple of spots left in both programs. To register, contact me at 804-5569 or by email.