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Each of us in reality possess aspects of each of these styles in our game and in our leadership.

Underneath the situational style we may have developed though, lies a core style that suits us best. A style in which we are truly ‘playing with ourselves’ – a place where we are at ease with our game, and feel confident that we will achieve what we set out to achieve.

• Knowing your pre-disposition for a preferred style means that you know where, when the pressure is on, you are going to play naturally and with least effort.
• Knowing yourself and trusting in the strengths of a particular style will enable you to actively reduce your golf score and pro-actively lead your people.

One of the best ways to develop your golf game is to go take some lessons from a professional golf coach. You can of course learn from books, your mates, watching others and practicing. The benefits of finding a professional golf coach is that you will learn the correct way to play. The magazines and books you can learn from are full of some of the most contradictory advice you will ever read. But a good, professionally qualified coach is the best investment.

Oh, and by the way… you need clubs that fit for you but you do not need the latest titanium supple headed mega driver! It ain’t the tools friend…

Developing your leadership is the same… just with many many more options.

There’s university courses aplenty including the MBA route (and remember, George W. went to Harvard, as did Enron’s Lay… just though I’d mention this 🙂 )

There’s leadership books galore (62,171 on Amazon.com today!) Some inform, some educate, others have gorgeous covers.

Like golf, the best way is to go find yourself a professional leadership coach. Well, of course I’d say that, I am one! 

A good leadership coach will challenge you, guide you, teach you, empathize, debate, support and above all, work for you and with you. But are you ready?

Find out using our little quiz below if you are ready for coaching and, if so, what coaching approach is most appropriate for you right now:

Cavalier leaders who continue to develop their soft skills and neglect to develop their technical aptitiude may find themselves becoming increasingly “Cunning”.

The Cunning Leader

Unable to DO leadership and management technically as well as others, those highly adept in the softer skills of influencing fellow humans resort to other methods to maintain their leadership.

On the golf course, this is the player who moves just as you concentrate on that long out to take the hole. They remind you of the times you bunkered the ball and how much you really dislike shots over water. Essentially, the cunning golfer deliberately twists your mind and thinking to gain the upper hand. Cunning golfers use the rule book when it suits them, and some have been known to use the foot wedge in the rough.

Cunning leaders abound throughout the world. These are often the leaders who ‘play politics’ very well. They know who is key to their future and will easily use their skills to ‘shmooze’ and persuade. If left on their own, they would flounder, yet they seem to do more than survive, even thrive in many organizations. If the Conqueror is the home of the despots then Cunning is the home of nepotism.

•    Cunning golfers include: None famous here, more than enough at your own club I suspect.
•    Cunning leaders include: Several politicians fit this category and a large proportion of people in high level leadership positions that you know. Often the ‘Chairman’s son.’

Conjuror leaders who learn to focus on improving their soft leadership side – most often because they need to get some real balance back to their life – become Conductors.

The Conductor

These are the players who pull the others together as much as play for themselves. Often, the unsung heroes of the regular round with friends, these players organise, cajole and hustle. More concerned for everyone’s enjoyment than just their own, they thrive on playing with others. Taking part is more important than winning, they can glory in other’s success. Few of the world’s top golfers fit this style, yet without them, the amateur game and local competitions would not exist for long. Disciplined and organised, these players like to keep accurate scores and seldom show-off.

Most leaders would like to be considered as conductors, concentrating their efforts on bringing the symphony together in perfect harmony towards a particular goal. These leaders empower others and seldom take centre-stage in public view (like an orchestral conductor, they have their back to the audience and their guidance focused on their team.)

• Players who are conductors include: Tony Jacklin, Colin Montgomerie
• Leaders: Charles Heimbold, Carol Bartz, Elizabeth Dole, Ralph Larsen, Bill Marriot

Leaders who develop both their technical leadership aptitude and the attributes of great leadership become “Chess Player” leaders.

The Chess player

These are the strategists of the game. These players plot their way around a course from point a to point b to point c. Positional golf is their forte and they are content to hit fairways and greens and two-put all day with an occasional birdie. They know that consistent, planned performance will win most of the time against all other styles. The Chess player gets the most from their game when they are thinking clearly, and using their minds throughout the round. Nothing flashy about their game for the most part, these players are good in all aspects of each hole and tend to strike the ball cleanly and well. These are the scorers of the game – they may appear to showing-off but that is due to their considerable skill and focus.

All leaders would like to consider themselves to be chess players, understanding the ‘art of war’ and the plethora of books on strategic management. But that’s just it, the vast majority of strategists are managers, not leaders (except by title). These leaders understand the environment, the context, the shifting positions of the competition and play a solid game along known successful routes, not too greedy and with contingencies for rough times. They understand foremost, who they are and what drives them, secondly they know their people and leverage their strengths and deploy all their resources to best effect.

• Golfing chess players include: Ben Hogan, Bernard Langer, David Toms and Tiger Woods (an ex-conquerer turned strategist)
• Leadership chess players are most exemplified by Jack Welch, Walter Shipley, Howard Schultz, Tony Blair

Instead of developing their technical abilities in management and leadership, some “clumsy” leaders develop their leadership advantage in the softer skills and attributes. Many become “Cavalier” Leaders:

The Cavalier

The consummate performer – the true exhibitionist of the game, these players like to shape their shots as much as possible and work the ball towards the target. How the shot, and they, look is important. This is the player who says “watch this“ as they carve a beautiful shot around a tree and over the water onto the green. Others do this occasionally, with luck, but these players thrive on it. They like to wow the crowd and fellow players and are the shot-makers of the game.

The Cavalier leader is the ‘show-off’ of the leadership world – not necessarily egotistically, but because it motivates them. Often, they will stun the audience with acts of derring-do and controversial behaviours. These leaders enjoy the limelight and are more frequently in the press.

• Cavalier golfers include: Lee Trevino, Corey Pravin and Chi Chi Rodriguez
• Cavalier leaders include: Richard Branson, Ken Lay, Bill Gates, Martha Stewart

Some “clumsy” leaders develop how they DO leadership (their technical competencies) and their leadership advantage attributes and the ‘soft’ skills and they become “Conjuror” leaders:

The Conjuror

These golfers find excitement in difficult lies, thoroughly enjoy being tested in the rough, or an impossible shot between the trees. They excel in the bunker, and become easily bored with routine fairway shots. They gather their wits before a troublesome shot and have marvellous imagination which they are very capable of transferring directly into their game. About half of the conjurors like to show-off, whilst the other, quieter half, like to core well.

The conjuror leader triumphs over adversity again and again. Seemingly intent on making their own lives difficult and forever deliberately putting themselves and their teams into new challenges.

• Golf player conjurors include: Seve Balesteros, Tom Watson, Phil Micelson
• Conjuror leaders include: Herb Kelleher, Hank Greenberg, Michael Eisner

The next group of leaders in this middle range of attribute development are the “Craftsmen”. Most often they have first developed to being “Conjurors” and then begin to excel in their leadership actions. 

The Craftsman

The clear headed technical player, deeply aware of their swing. Knowing their game intimately. These golfers, rehearse and practice even during a round – working on particular aspects of their game that needs attention.

This player excels when tinkering with the minutai details of how to play a particular shot. These players prefer a low stress game, hitting the fairway just right, and onto the green all day will suit them just fine. Quiet and concentrate more on scoring than exhibition, these are solid players and maintain a consistent game.

The Craftsman leader similarly likes a smooth-running business where they can constantly and continuously improve aspects of their business in incremental steps. The Craftsman leader invites you to examine their work, highlighting the intricate detail and fine product.

• Gary Player, Nick Faldo, Ben Crane, Charles Howell III
• Gordone Bethune, Andy Grove, Sandy Weill

Leaders (and golfers) who focus their development on the softer skills and leadership attributes to a much greater extent are in our next group.

We all start at the bottom left corner. “Clumsy”!

I hear often about “natural born leaders” – usually from the same people who believe that leadership cannot be developed (and when I dig deeper, I find that these same people are not ‘natural born leaders’ and cannot be bothered to put in the effort to actually develop their leadership thus, leadership is ‘natural’ becomes the excuse.)

Let me put my stake in the ground here.

No-one is a born leader!

You are born as a baby. You are not born as the CEO of megacorp inc.

Do some individuals seem to show their leadership attributes and abilities more easily than others… sure they do. Just as some people have better hand-eye coordination and find sports easier to excel at. Some are great musicians. Now if you can find one person who is a ‘born leader’ who had never ever developed themselves, practiced and is a truly good leader I will eat 3 golf balls for my lunch.

Now, got that off my chest. We all start as “Clumsy” leaders – clumsy golfers too. A few leaders remain clumsy. They possess little of the technical aptitude of doing leadership, and little of the mindset or attributes of being a leader. If you are young, this is perfectly acceptable. If you are new to a formal leadership role, this is acceptable. But, if you are the leader of a country, it is not really acceptable.

• It was not that difficult to think of a famous ‘clumsy’ leader. The first that cam to my mind was George W. Bush. Now of course, this could be utterly wrong. He was indeed the president of the United States. And some claim that he was actually very bright and intelligent. Somehow though, for me, his actions were, well, clumsy. His mind set and attitude. Sometimes belligerent, and often, ‘sixpence short of a shilling’. It is possible that George W. was in fact incredibly bright, intelligent and such a great leader that had he been born into another family, perhaps one that didn’t have quite so much oil for breakfast that he would have still aspired to and achieved the incredible heights of leader of the USA… or perhaps he got the job because he was a useful front man?
• Clumsy golfers? There are plenty. None that I know of who are famous though. Why would Ben from my local club be known to you when he takes 7 swings to strike a ball, and about 300 strokes to complete a round… on the 5 hole executive course?

No-one likes to remain clumsy. You have a choice.

1. Give up
2. Learn how to do it

And the most common form of leadership (and golf) development, is learning how to DO it.

So, the clumsy leader buys a few leadership books… 7 Habits, Dummies Guide to leadership. The favourite during the 90’s of course was to go get an MBA.

The Coarse Leader

With some technical development in the DOING of leadership, you become a “Coarse” leader.

This leader is actually more manager than ‘leader’. Often process oriented, this person finds the rule book and sometimes throws it. Coarse leaders can be very very effective. The armed forces are filled with coarse leaders. They can shout louder to get things done. And , when struggling to communicate, the most effective action is to raise the voice. Forceful gesticulations and arm movements enable the coarse leader to vent some frustrations.

• Coarse leaders abound. You’ve met at least one in the past month. The more extreme politicians tend to be coarse leaders. Trading floors overflow with them. In business, pre-dominantly male, high testosterone, almost brilliant.
• Coarse golfers also abound. Few are famous. John Daley has his moments, though in recent years he’s calmed somewhat. The loud mouthed club golfer – often seen driving a Porsche.

The Conqueror

On the golf course, this player dominates. Blasting a drive as far as possible brings great joy. The conqueror plays to shorten every hole and every shot – going for broke every time. Often an exhibitionist player and like to brag about their prowess.

Long carries over water whet the conquerors appetite – long par 5’s with a copse on the dogleg right to over-fly bring pulses of energy and make the endorphins flow.

As a leader, the conqueror revels in adversity and challenge, is technically excellent and seldom backs out of a confrontation if offered. The more impossible others consider the position, the more the conqueror defies the odds. They want results, and they want them now. Excuses will bring wrath, and success will bring a new challenge. Seldom satisfied with the result, it can always be better.

• Golf players who are conquerors include: Greg Norman, Bubba Watson, Arnold Palmer, Sam Sneed
• Famous leader conquerors include: Margaret Thatcher, Carly Fiorina, Lee Ka Shing, John Chambers, Michael Dell, David Johnson