Compatibility

So you have been asked by someone you have talked to a few times to enter into a huge business deal.  This would be the deal of a lifetime for your company or career.  

However, like it is with anything that is life or career-changing, there is a moderate level of risk for failure.  The level of risk will be based on how well you and the person asking you to work with them perform together.

What is it you could do to find out if this guy or gal is someone you want to do business with?

Yes, you both take a business compatibility test.  These types of approaches usually lead to finding out TOO much information that is not relevant to doing business.

Or…you can have your attorney draft up a contract that could also cover more than what is needed to just swing a business deal.

Or..you could just agree to the deal and take your chances you and the other person are going to get along or trust each other.

Use Golf as a Business Development Tool

All these efforts are tried by a lot of business executives and many times the results are different from what they were hoping for.  

So what else could someone do to make a better decision on if this person is someone you can or want to deal with?

What about playing a round of golf to get to know each other better?  More specifically, play a round of business golf with them.

What better way to get to know someone than to spend four hours with them outside the work environment doing something cerebral as playing golf? 

Provides a Glimpse Into a Person’s True Character

The golf course has been the backdrop for business deals and networking for literally centuries.   Kings and Queens would play golf with their trusted advisors and lords of their courts to talk about decisions they needed to make for their subjects.  All through the history of business golf, there have been record incidences of business leaders taking their staff out to what seemingly appeared to be part of their wining and dining them for their performance but more importantly, the business event was for the leadership to get a better look at who is working for them.

In reality, over the time it takes to play an 18-hole round of golf, you will get a glimpse into how a person handles poor results.  How do they deal with winning or better yet…losing. 

Depending on your industry, the results of a round of business golf may or may not matter to you if someone is super competitive. However, everyone wants a level-headed partner, manager, employee, contractor or vendor to work with. 

How someone handles a bad shot on the golf course tells you a lot about their true character. Handling an errant shot gracefully likely means they will be steady when tough decisions have to be made at work.

Keep these things in mind as you’re playing a round of business golf with business colleagues.

Have a good attitude and be a good sport regardless of how you play. The purpose of the day isn’t to prove how good you are at golf. Business Golf is about relationship building.

I’ll be back in Part 2 to offer more insight into how business golf builds relationships.

Until then, Let Me Know How I Can Help!