Why people excel

When there is a genuine vision (as opposed to the all-to-familiar ‘vision statement’), people excel and learn, not because they are told to, but because they want to. But many leaders have personal visions that never get translated into shared visions that galvanize an organization… What has been lacking is a discipline for translating vision into shared vision - not a ‘cookbook’ but a set of principles and guiding practices. The practice of shared vision involves the skills of unearthing shared ‘pictures of the future’ that foster genuine commitment and enrolment rather than compliance. In mastering this discipline, leaders learn the counter-productiveness of trying to dictate a vision, no matter how heartfelt. The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of The Learning Organization, Peter Senge

This paragraph hits on many things related to the fine art of designing and constructing golf courses:

Vision statement = Plans.
Cookbook = Plans.
Skills of unearthing shared ‘pictures of the future’ = Opportunity seeking and communication of vision.
Foster genuine commitment = Plans cannot lead. People lead. Only through leadership can there be consistent commitment, motivation, joy of work.
Counter-productiveness of trying to dictate a vision = Plans and walking away from the project for days, weeks or months. Plans dictate the vision, visits are used to put out the hottest fires and edit work completed according to plan.

Daily leadership by the architect overcomes all these challenges.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+49 (0)173 450 4552
+1(909) 581 0080