Accenture High Performance Delivered by a Tiger

I must admit, I know really nothing about Accenture. I don't know what they do, where they do business, who they serve, nada. But, what I do know is that they recognize character when they see it and have captured it beautifully with their Tiger Woods campaign.

They have connected Tiger and Accenture in a powerful and impressive fashion. You can't open a Wall Street Journal or a New York Times without seeing one of their full page ads. Walk through any international airport and you will see several large illuminated plasma screens with striking pictures of Tiger in some golfing situational predicament. They have the Tiger's tail and are wisely making the most of the ride.

Obviously, Tiger's image is worth plenty, (they must be paying dearly) but, what is most impressive about Accenture's strategy is that they have brilliantly used Tiger's famous mental character to define the company's business essence.

(PICTURE) Tiger, hands on hips, deep in thought, standing in waist high grass considering his next move
(CAPTION) "It's not a setback. It's a test."
What do we know? Accenture is all about the challenge and the "can do" spirit to handle any difficulty.

(PICTURE) Tiger standing with one leg on a rock, the other in the pond, tree to his right and trees over the ball
(CAPTION) "Attitude 50%; Aptitude 50%"
What do we know? Nothing is impossible. Accenture has the confidence to risk and the strengths to succeed.

(PICTURE) Tiger holding U.S. Open trophy for all to see, big smile, red shirt
(CAPTION) "Outperforms Competitors: 49%; Outperforms Self: 51%
What do we know? Accenture knows how to compete, loves the "game" and will never rest on its laurels.

Whether or not you ever do business with the Accenture people, you can at least make use of their clear and insightful descriptions of what it takes to succeed in the world. Personally, I wish Tiger all the good fortune he has earned. He may be one of the clearest examples of the character of extraordinary success. Yet, beyond the silvery celebrity of his image, all of us can grasp the simple elements of character that can brighten our own lives and perhaps, our golf games.

Happy New Year! Every Stroke!

OK. Now that you have enough time to digest the Holiday's indulgences, it is a perfect time to talk "turkey" about one of the great and greatly abused traditions of the New Year period, New Year's Resolutions. Here's my new resolution; write shorter blog posts! We'll see how long that lasts!

Honestly, how long does your usual new year's resolution last? A couple of weeks, maybe a couple of months? After a few decades of obligatory pretending, you've probably just given up the practice. Right? Well, maybe it is time to reconsider the merits of long standing tradition. There must be some practical value?! For the sake of this blog site, let's start with something simple, like your golf game!

Without delving into the psycho-phenomenology of the golf swing, it is sufficient to examine the simple act of letting go of the past and starting all over again as a basic element in playing golf well. Most great golfers have learned the skill of letting go of their last shots. A basic "golf for success" rule: Let go of your last shot!

The reasons for this are easy to understand. Carrying "energy baggage" (mental, physical or emotional) into the future will only obstruct the chances of something truly new and possibly exceptional, to occur. Have you ever tried to start an intimate relationship with someone new before you had actually completed on the mess of the last one? It takes a lot of extra work. Or perhaps your last missed putt nags your mood all the way onto the next green as you tried to calmly focus on making the next new putt. It is tough to accomplish.

New Year's Resolutions were invented to offer a socially and chronologically convenient opportunity for us to make peace with the past. It is a ritualized chance to say goodbye, declare completion and let go! When we clear the past, it is much easier for us to be genuinely enthusiastic about the next new chance.

Imagine starting every new round with a clear, clean conviction of intent? How extraordinary would it be if you could play the game and make little declarations of freedom, optimism and intent throughout your entire round? Every shot becomes a new chance. Next time you are out on the course, try it. Only now, we'll refer to this process as a "New Shot Resolution".