“One shot at a time…”
We hear this all over the place in the world of golf. We say this phrase to ourselves when the wheels are coming off in the middle of the round. And we hear players on tour use this phrase during press conferences. This is the phrase that grounds every golfer to what’s most important.
As golfers, we fully understand what “one shot at a time” means and why it is so important. But as employers, employees and business owners we seem to forget that a “one shot at a time” mindset is necessary for the workplace as well. In this article, we highlight two ways you can start to approach a workplace with a “one shot at a time” mindset.
Multitasking can Lead to Meltdowns
In their book, The 4 Disciplines of Execution, McChesney, Covey, and Huling highlight that, according to Jordan Grafman, “Improving our ability to multitask actually hampers our ability to think deeply and creatively. The more you multitask, the less deliberative you become; the less you’re able to think and reason out a problem.” Essentially this means that there is scientific proof that multitasking is counterproductive. Our brains simply can’t handle multitasking and our influence, productivity, and creativity becomes spread too thin when we multitask.
When a golfer starts juggling too many thoughts at once and loses focus on the one shot in front of them, they tend to meltdown. When we get busy and overwhelmed at the office, we are likely trying to tackle too many things at once.
This is the exact moment when we need to step back and prioritize and focus on the most important task. If you’re a manager, make sure you are clear in providing direction on what the most important task is. If you don’t know what is most important, ask your manager. It’s time for you to start avoiding meltdowns at the office by taking a “one shot at a time” approach.
Wait Your Turn
One of the first things you learn as a golfer is to wait your turn to hit your shot. It’s part of the “one shot at a time” mentality in golf. It’s proper and expected etiquette to wait for your turn. Jumping in front of someone to hit your shot or hitting your shot at the same time as another player in the group can result in serious consequences. We won’t go into those consequences here, but we’ve all seen this before and it’s probably happened to us a time or two, but, as golfers, we do our best to avoid violating this well-known facet of the game.
So, why then, is it so difficult for golfers to wait their turn at the office?
This one is simple folks. When you feel that urge to interrupt Dan in the middle of a group meeting, remind yourself that you wouldn’t hit out of turn in front of Dan and you surely wouldn’t start talking to him in the middle of his backswing on the golf course. So, stop interrupting Dan at the office.
The “one shot at a time” mentality can really improve your focus. You can apply this mindset on the course, at the office and basically, in any setting you find yourself. Try it out and let us know how lessons and experiences from the course are improving your career and possibly your life.
Email us at thecorneroffice@stickandhack.com to tell us your stories.