Follow Through

A few months ago, I played in a golf tournament with a few attorneys and we finished dead last. The winning teams at these events tend to either have a ringer, use creative compromise arithmetic when tabbing up scores, or buy enough Mulligan’s to overcome an afternoons worth of shots into the water.

So there we are getting our dubious award of free golf lessons and absorbing the good natured ribbing. 3 free lessons with a golf pro and some end of the year free time to use them.

Dan was part Zen master, part troubled looper on the undercard circuit for a few years, and from the poses that he put me in either found his only pleasure in life twisting people into pretzels, or he had discovered a new form of far eastern yoga that he no doubt repaired himself with while playing his way through a hostel filled golfcation through Malaysia.

His message was clear, however. My follow through troubled him.

The follow through in sports can be mind-numbing. What difference does it make how I end up if the ball has been hit or thrown where it needs to go? The “where you end up”, as you learn, is a result of all of the correct or incorrect actions up to that point. Billions of dollars are spent every year on golf by people who cant figure this one simple thing out. A series or random events, tied together by hope and luck, caused them to hit a perfect shot. Now they come back time and again, trying to find that one shot, when they should be focused on the action that happens after the shot.

Aren’t we guilty of the same thing when trying to develop business? I hear attorneys all of the time that have no idea how much business that they have or how they get it. It just is kinda there every year, until it isn’t.. Some tell me that they have given countless seminars, networking, social media activities, etc, but have no idea if any of it really works. They just step up and swing.

Sometimes the worst thing that can happen is that they give a seminar and have a ton of early business. The next time, it gets hooked into the woods. That first one though, keeps you coming back.

Conversely, just because your follow through is good doesn’t mean nothing bad will happen. Sometimes you hit a sand trap. It’s a process. Having a process and knowing all of the actions that make up a perfect follow through, let’s you know where you need to correct. What questions you need to ask about your activity to not waste movement, time, and energy.

Dan the Zen Master finished the lesson with what seemed like a couple of sun salutations and vinyasas and a urging to “end on a high note”. He pointed to a flag 180 yards away as a spot to aim, stood behind me a few feet and watched my feet, elbow in, slowly back, turn the wrists, come down smoothly, eye on the ball… club out front…WHAACK!!

Right into the trees. Hate that stupid sport..!

For more information on client development best practices and process contact please call Andrew Wilcox at (850) 629-9073, or Andrew@Wilcox-legal.com.