Golf allows seeing the way we act from a different perspective. It is a complex sport. Compared to everyday life it’s complexity is limited. That’s what makes it a great resource to find analogies and think about the way we can change our ability to act.

Anytime we want to move the ball from one place to another, we can divide that action into three different areas. Preparation, swing, and observation.

The preparation is everything we do to analyze the situation and decide how we’ll hit the ball. It includes determining the distance, seeing details affecting the flight of the ball, choosing the way the ball should fly, selecting the club, position oneself towards the ball and visualize the movement we’ll do to hit the ball.

The swing is the execution of the plan elaborated during the preparation. The best way to execute it is to stick to its execution and be fully invested in it. In fact, it’s something that needs to happen in the here and now and will full concentration on the action. Correcting the plan while executing it, usually results in undetermined changes of the way the ball reaches its next position.

When the ball flies, we enter the observation phase. During this phase, there is nothing else to do, than to observe how it flies and where it arrives. That observation will contribute to the next shot and will help to execute it from the place it landed. It teaches us how well we prepared and executed our plan.

The next shot repeats this cycle. It’s a new start, it’s a new opportunity to move forward and shape the journey to the green and bringing the ball into the hole.

The better we succeed to implement this same cycle in our work, the better it becomes.

In this mixture of planning, acting and observing, which one do you tend to pay more attention to?