Leadership and Golf (creating Organizational Alignment) SWING to BALANCE

Tom and Bill Wentz use golf as a metaphor for organizational alignment and leadership. One of the key points is that most golfers don't put the ball where they want because they concentrate on hitting the ball. As an alternative they should determine the position that their body and club should be in at the end of a successful stroke and swing to that position. They call this the Swing to Balance. Determine where you need to end up and then do what you need to get there. Too many companies focus on hitting a target, getting a particular client, meeting numbers, protecting investment, etc. These are ways of focusing on hitting the ball. When you do that then you may hit the ball but it generally does not go where you want it to. By Swinging to Balance you hit the ball as a normal secondary result while reaching the primary goal. Another key factor is dealing with change. As you develop a habit of hitting the ball a certain way your muscles retain that memory and it becomes comfortable for you to swing that way. Any other swing will make you feel awkward until you get used to it. Organizations face the problem of dealing with this muscle memory when they try to realign the company towards the goal of Swinging to Balance. If you are a golfer then you will appreciate how the parallels are drawn between golf and business. If you are not a golfer then you will still see the points that are made and learn from them, but perhaps miss some of the nuances of the comparison.I know a lot of people who do business on the golf course, this would be a highly appreciated gift to most any of them. What a nice way to say that you not only enjoy golfing with them but care about their business. I don't know that I would have purchased this book off the shelf for myself (not a golfer), but having read it I do know of a couple of clients that golf regularly who I would consider purchasing a copy for as part of good marketing to them.

Although I am an avid golfer, I started this book with some skepticism. What could golf have to do with leadership?Soon, I was hooked by the fascinating intertwining of organizational development activities, and using a golf experience as a simulation for how to improve a company. The book is very entertaining to read. As much as I was looking forward to finishing it, I realized that I could gain much by rereading the book.Anyone who understands or loves golf will enjoy this book. The book will be especially appealing to those who have enjoyed the One Minute Manager books. As I read the book, I was reminded of the old adage, "You can tell everything about a person by playing a round of golf with them." Unexpectedly, the book also has some very fine golf advice. I noticed a couple of flaws in my swing from reading the book, and used what I learned to correct my errors. I am sure this contributed to my team winning the two-day Memorial Day weekend golf tournament at our club.See the potential to gain from cooperation in all the situations you find. Don't let your attitude be a barrier to progress!

Swing to balance is a powerful experience and book. I couldn't wait to see the outcome of the book and who "got" the purpose of the excercise and who didn't. Great job on a great book. A must read for the golfer, business person, and anyone else looking for a catalyst to transformational change.

As a peak performance coach, I am always looking to new ways to express and understand the complexities of teamwork. Tom Wentz follows his colossal work Transformational Change with a down to earth metaphor to explain the ever-present difficulties that can quickly torpedo an organization's effort to serve its clients.In my experience helping teams raise the bar, I find that swinging to balance is usually remote from people's mind. Focus is much more on turf protection, and keeping information close to the vest. Tom has effectively and successfully illustrated the negative dynamics of people interaction who are not aligned on purpose through a game of golf.By constantly refocusing us on the need to swing to balance, Tom has helped the reader understand that the process is more important than the goal. Throughout the book, the concepts of a winning organization surface over and over again through timely reflections on how we sometimes act as the biggest obstacle to our own success.Finally, the metaphor of golf and the trials of beginners Tom has used drives home the point that we must share expertise to build a strong team. More importantly, it shows that even seasoned and experienced people can benefit from coaching by their peers when they forget to swing to balance.This is a breakthrough piece of work for those who want a real life understanding of the challenges of leadership. It provides powerful ideas to enhance our abilities as leaders.

Tom Wentz has done it again. His book, "Transformational Change," is the best book I've read on that subject; and I've read many.This time around Tom combines forces with his son, Bill, (who is a teaching and playing golf professional) to create a fascinating and very instructive treatise on leadership. The book narrates - from multiple perspectives - human actions and reactions to a business simulation that the authors conduct through nine holes of "team golf." The lessons are profound and the narrative style is compelling (I read it through on the first reading). More importantly, you don't have to be a golfer to get the messages. If you know who Tiger Woods is, you'll get the message. The core lesson - that you must start with the end in mind and SWING TO BALANCE, rather than "hit the ball" - is simple to understand and very hard to execute. Of course that's the way leadership is in real life. I've got a dozen I'm giving to my clients.