On Saturday, February 5th, three-time PGA major championship winner Jordan Spieth hit an errant shot on the 8th hole of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Tournament. The ball landed just inches from dropping off a 70-foot cliff.
Rather than taking a drop and replaying the ball, Spieth hit a miraculous shot and saved par. After you watch the potential death-defying shot below, I will provide a series of lessons we learn from Spieth if you are about to go off a proverbial leadership cliff.
Sure hope Jordan Spieth isn’t afraid of heights… 😬
🎥 @GOLFonCBSpic.twitter.com/4fTSttPONI
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 5, 2022
6 Leadership Lessons
We Often Face Going Off A Leadership Cliff Because Of Previous Bad Decisions
Oftentimes, we have to own the role we played in being on a leadership cliff and take accountability for it. As previous mentioned, Spieth was forced into this situation because of an errant shot. How many errant leadership shots have we hit which put us in precarious situations.
We Must Practice Crisis Situations To Avoid Going Off A Leadership Cliff
One of the trademarks of Spieth’s game is his ability to make difficult and awkward shots. Leaders will either prepare or repair. The more you practice crisis situations, the better prepared you will be when they present themselves.
To Avoid Going Off A Leadership Cliff Get Your Bearings
Spieth could have taken a drop to move his ball. No one would have blamed him. But instead, he remained calm, addressed the ball multiple times, and made sure he had solid footing. When facing a leadership cliff, that’s what you should do.
- Stay calm
- Make sure the fundamentals of your organization are solid.
- Stabilize your footing.
- The proceed to the next point.
To Avoid Going Off A Leadership Cliff Execute The Basics
Because he had gotten his bearings down, Speith was then able to strike the ball effectively and set himself up for a 10-foot putt for par.
Leadership Cliffs Are Scary For Even The Most Experienced Leaders
As leaders, we are all faced from time-to-time with situations which bring us to our knees. It is in those times our metal is tested. CBS television cameras caught Spieth telling his caddie Michael Greller, “That was by far the most nerve-wracking shot I’ve ever hit in my life.” Perhaps you are facing a nerve-wracking situation right now yourself.
Surviving Leadership Cliffs Should Make Us More Grateful Leaders
Spieth told CBS afterwards, “I’m glad I finished the round and didn’t fall off that cliff on eight.” He added, “It was by far the most nerve-wracking shot I’ve ever hit. … It was awfully close. I’ve never had a life and death situation on a shot before. So I thought I wouldn’t really have nerves the rest of the day after that one.”
Coming through challenging times should make us more grateful as leaders as well. Because after all, we could have very well not made it through those challenging circumstances.
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