Is this a Sand Trap, or Bunker?  Dustin Johnson thought, as virtually all the fans on the course and at home thought, it was a path, not a bunker.  But it is a bunker designed by Pete Dye, the course designer.  Dustin Johnson put his club on the ground behind the ball; in golf language he grounded the club.  A no no in a bunker.  So after finishing the hole, and tying the PGA Championship, on national television, he was penalized two strokes and dropped out of the playoff with two other players.  A real shame.  But…

Golf pros are their own CEO and the CEO is responsible for knowing the details when he or she is making a decision.  Routine situations, even ones disguised by trampling, are not routine when the CEO is involved.  So there is a lesson for all of us to learn.  Know the rules, know the details.  In this case the ball is resting on sand, and might have raised a question in Johnson’s mind, but it did not because the bunker was trampled.

At first I thought it was a path, but the rules chairman explained that “local rules” were clearly spelled out in handouts and signs, and the local rules made it clear that every sand area on the course was a bunker.

Tough.  Very tough.  But…  Johnson missed it.

So we must all stay current, read, research, learn, go to school, read the NY Times online (my bias), read books, stay technically current, know your accounting, know your pricing, know your costs, and know your customers.  There are no small decisions.  Know the details and pursue them relentlessly.

Dustin Johnson is a stand-up man who I think will be back to win other major golf championships.  Lets hope this bad decision doesn’t cripple him.  Another trait of the CEO must be resilience.  We make mistakes, we have to move on, correct the work, and get on with running a profitable business.

Lance Armstrong Focused

Lance Armstrong is an intensely focused man.  He has to be.  Otherwise, how could he do what he does?

He couldn’t.  Same is true in business.  There are lots of good ideas that come along, and there are lots of things you might want to add, subtract, try, initiate, install or as Nike says: “Just Do”.  But don’t.  Only do what fits in your grand design.  Focus on what you do best and then do a lot of it.

If you are the energy in your store or enterprise, the source of the motivation and action, then be there and provide the energy.  Keep everyone focused.  If customer service is your strength, the one thing that distinguishes you from your competitors, then keep the staff focused on service.  Give your customers what they demand.

If you experience poor service while transacting business, make sure the same behavior does not exist in you shop.  Every minute of every day, stay focused, and ask yourself always: “does this apply to my business?”

I say it again and again, as much to remind myself to stay focused, as to help you stay focused.  It is hard.  There is a song whose lyrics are: “its hard and its hard and its hard great god, to love one who never will love you”.   We must do this all the time, no matter how hard.  Focus and give your customers what they want.

Bob