Steve Dulin
Kingdom Business Leaders Executive Director says: Make practice hard so the games feel easy.
Corporate Competitor Podcast Episode 74
When Joe Assell was an undergraduate student at Mississippi State, he competed for a prized summer internship at Cherry Hills, the legendary golf course just outside Denver. The problem with prized internships is that everyone wants to get them, and Cherry Hills had set aside a single opening for Mississippi State. So, Joe did what an effective, future business leader should do and mined a key relationship, in this case the classmate who had held the internship the previous year.
“I had formed a good relationship with him and asked him to lobby on my behalf,” Assell said. Not putting all his eggs in one referral basket, Assell also reached out to the Head Golf Professional at the Golf Club of Tennessee where Assell had interned the year before and, just as important, a friend of one of the golf pros at Cherry Hills.
“And somehow I was able to out navigate the other guys who were hoping to go to Cherry Hills and land the really coveted internship that, frankly, changed the rest of my life,” said Joe. There was no “somehow” about his accomplishment, however, as Joe himself points out when he says, “It’s not just the people, it’s the quality of the relationship you have with the people. You have to stay in touch and build those relationships.”
In other words, you have to be a friend to make a friend. And, in this podcast, Joe certainly makes the case that what often separates effective leaders from the also-rans is the ability to make good friends.
Joe has more than proved himself an effective builder of relationships and business as the President and CEO of GOLFTEC, the leading global provider of golf lessons and club fittings. In 1995, Joe shared a vision with co-founder Clayton Cole to help golfers improve by providing them with great coaching and state-of-the-art technology. Joe’s guidance has taken the company from a single-employee operation to employing more than 1,200 employees today in 250 locations providing more than one million golf lessons each year.
He has been recognized as PGA Golf Executive of the Year, Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the Rocky Mountain region, and Golf Inc. named him one of the Top 25 Most Powerful People in Golf.
In the podcast, Joe reminds current and aspiring business leaders, alike, of the importance of building strong relationships in every area of an organization, offering tips such as:
- What to do after you have exchanged business cards with someone at a networking event.
- Why GOLFTEC hires teammates as much for personality as for technical experience.
- The number one sign you have succeeded in the relationship business—regardless of your industry.
You will learn:
- 6:00 How easy it is to cut corners in practice and why you’ll suffer as a result.
- 8:00 How to emphasize the power or “we” on your team.
- 11:00 How living and working in Japan in the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster taught Lane that caring was the universal language of respected leaders.
- 15:00 The level of employee interaction required to achieve success.
- 18:30 The difference between being accountable and responsible.
- 27:00 How to identify a meaningful friend or mentor.
You Will Learn
-
6:30 Why every company needs to find “down-field” blockers.
-
9:15 How to remain calm under pressure.
-
13:00 How to lose graciously.
-
22:00 The importance of “calling” in choosing a line of work.
-
28:00 The three basic traits of well-run teams.
-
29:30 The definition of company culture.
-
30:30 The importance of great processes.
Resources:
- Connect with Steve Dulin on LinkedIn.
Never Miss An Episode
You will receive a FREE chapter from Don’s best-selling book on GREAT TEAMS when you subscribe.
Bonus Resource
Search episodes
Share Episode
Recommended For You
Never Miss An Episode
Love This Podcast?
We would be so grateful if you left us a rating and review!
Greg Brenneman
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
John C. Maxwell
“I am a subscriber because you are one of the greatest teachers, one of the best storytellers I have ever met, and I know you will maximize the people you have on the podcast. I’m telling everyone because when you find gold you point everyone to it.”
Simon Sinek
“Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
Beth Brooke
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
Rick Hendrick
“We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
Bill George
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
Savannah Gallagher
Jon Rousseau
Francisco Nunez
Brett Rutherford
Special thanks to Dave Moore, Lauren Hafner, Samantha Clark, and the Florida State University Internship Program for consistently supporting our research team.
Join the Greatness Community
Download Don’s fill-in-the-blank notes and reflection questions so you can create powerful, positive change in your organization.
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Step 1: Open the Apple Podcasts App.
Step 2: Search Corporate Competitor Podcast and click the episode art.
Step 3: Scroll to the bottom of the page and leave a rating and review.
BONUS Screenshot your review, and send to corporate.competitor@greatnessinc.com for a free gift!