Are you having as much fun as I am watching Bubba Watson make his rounds on the talk shows this week after winning The Masters? One word to describe Watson that I found fascinating was when he was described as “endearing” by Alan Shipnuck in the April 16th edition of Sports Illustrated.
Reading the article forced me to do some self-examination. Would the people I serve describe me as “endearing?” Probably not. But I love that term and the results it has. If you are an endearing leader, you will have no problem having others follow you.
The following are the key learnings I extracted from Shipnuck’s article on why Watson is so endearing. What I do not possess, I hope to implement in my life.
- Watson Loves Jesus Christ – A born-again Christian since 2004, Watson is a regular at the Tour’s Bible-study activities. Watson’s transparent faith (much like Tim Tebow, Jeremy Lin, Bethany Hamilton, and other prominent athletes) is attractive to a world that is looking for hope and inspiration.
- Watson Loves His Wife And Newly Adopted Son – Watson deeply loves wife Angie and son Caleb. His good friend Aaron Badderly noted, “He’ll be a great dad because he’s just a big kid himself.” What a contrast with what we have witnessed with Bobby Petrino this week.
- Watson Loves His Parents – He said, “My dad (a former Green Beret who has passed away) taught me everything I know. It’s not very much, but that’s all I know.”
- Watson Cares About People – www.PGATour.com noted in a January 25th post, “He donated $50,000 last year to aid the relief effort for the earthquake in Japan. He ran a junior golf tournament in North Carolina last year that raised $25,000 for Victory Junction Gang Camp, which gives seriously ill children a chance to go to summer camp. He honors the legacy of his late father, a former Green Beret, by supporting military charities like Birdies for the Brave, and spending time with Navy Seals.” Also, for every drive Watson hits over 300 yards with his pink driver, Ping will donate $300 to a cancer-related charity.
- Watson Looks Like Us – We see ourselves in Bubba Watson. He has never taken a golf lesson. He wears his feelings on his sleeve. He hits really long drives. He would rather eat hamburgers than whatever is served at the champions dinner at Augusta National. Watson is what we would like to be on Sunday afternoons. We can relate to Bubba Watson.
- Watson Remembers His Past – Leaders know that people will not move into the future until they first touch the past. One of the first group of people Watson thanked was the Georgia Bulldogs, his alma mater.
- Watson Is Unique – Recently, Watson purchased the General Lee, the car driven during the Dukes of Hazzard. To go a step further, Watson often drives that car around his community.
- Watson Makes People Smile – Whether it is the Golf Boys video, his humourous lack of knowledge of golf history, or his incredible creativity on the golf course, Watson truly seems to enjoy his job. I wonder if all leaders would say that.
- Watson Has A Winsome Personality – Watson is fun to be around. His approach to life has been described as similar to Yogi Berra or Forrest Gump. As Watson said, “The best part of history – we don’t know what’s going to happen.”
- Watson Wins – No matter how nice or funny you are, no one follows a leader without accomplishment. Watson is the highest ranking American golfer at #4 in the world having finished no worse that 18th in his eight starts this year. He also performs well in the majors losing a play-off in the 2010 PGA Championship.
Love Jesus, Love Your Wife And Children, Love Your Parents, Care About People, Be A Regular Person, Remember Your Past,  Be Unique, Make People Smile, Have Fun, and something all great leaders must do – Win.
If you have these ten personality traits, you too will be a leader that others enjoy being around.
Enter your email address here and start receiving future posts from this site.
Download your FREE copy of my new eBook The 2011 Year In Hollywood Movies – Leadership Edition today by clicking here.