Dilute trust with self-interest and you arrive at where US golf finds itself
America’s professional golfers tend to be surly and belligerent at the best of times. So what happens when they are forced to acknowledge that there’s no “I” in team, asks Michael Blucher.
Itās been funny, hasnāt it, the build up to this Ryder Cup?
Europe are meant to be the enemy, the sole source of the competitive tension. Yet for the past month, all the American animosity has been internally focused.
Will Brooks talk to Bryson? Will Bryson talk to Brooks? Can they even be in the team room together? Patrick Cantlay ā can he cop Bryson? And DJ ā didnāt he take a swipe at Brooks after they lost last time? What about Patrick Reed ā we know heās been left out, but perhaps heāll turn up unannounced in his āCaptain Americaā outfit to save the day? Distract the US team by giving all 12 players the same sharp focus of hatred?
What a circus. You wonder why the US donāt just have a grudge match between themselves? Save the expense of assembling the European teamā¦
Team dynamics in elite sport are fascinating, never more so when they are overlaid on a competitive landscape that for 51 weeks of the year is āevery man for himselfā.
The worldās best golfers are solo operatives, guns for hire whose success in the sport is self directed and self determined.
In the heat of battle, thereās no batsman at the other end, keeping the scoreboard ticking over, or on the footy field, somebody putting you through gap, or shepherding you so you can get a clear kick, even making a covering tackle that youāve missed. Bar some bloke wearing a bib, calling out yardages and handing over clubs, professional golfers are on their own.
You might like
For golf fans in particular, thatās what makes the Ryder Cup such compelling viewing. We see the worldās best in a different light, wearing team kit, representing interests much broader and consequential than their own.
The European team always seems to present a united front, despite being a hotch potch of Poms, Irishmen, Spaniards, Swedes, Italians, Frenchmen ā it depends on the year.
However regardless of whoās in the mix, thereās routinely an air of levity ā you can picture a team room where blokes are pulling pranks, laughing, joking, even standing on their head, sculling beer.
And then thereās the Americans, serious and surly, apparently overburdened by the gravity of the occasion, the enormity of wearing their countryās colours. Thereās rarely any apparent chemistry, certainly no vulnerability, a key ingredient in the establishment of trust.
Bryson: āIām a little nervous, Brooksie. How are you holding up?ā
āYeah me too, Big Man. But donāt worry ā weāre all in this together Weāve got your back. Youāre a great talent. Just go bash the little white bastard ā just like you always do.ā
Are there any words less likely to be spoken in the USA team room, than that little exchange?
The home fans were awash with excitement during the week when the pair apparently spoke to each other on the practice range in Wisconsin. Hereās the video. Lookā¦ see ..they do get on!
Stay informed, daily
Powerful. Two blokes talking, without taking a swipe at one another ā the genesis of a great team right there!
At least the Americans have finally culled Reed, who a couple of Ryder Cups go, famously claimed Tiger apologised to him in their four ball match, despite shooting 80-something himself.
Yep, heās the sort of guy you need in a pressure cooker environment. At the Presidents Cup in Australia in 2019, his team-mates were required to answer questions, as to what they thought of his cheating. Now thatās what you need to be doing on the eve of your opening four ball match.
Selflessness, respect, personal accountability, behavioural standards, generosity of spirit ā these are some of the elements that are conducive to, even foster a high performance environment.
In this sense, sport parallels business.
Thereās a simple equation for trust that professional services master David Maister devised a few years ago thatās relevant to this discussion. Trust = C + R + I divided by SI.
In Maister maths, the C stands for āCredibilityā ā having the necessary skills to do a job. The R is for āReliabilityā, doing what you say youāre going to do. I is āintimacyā ā how well you know somebody, your understanding of who they are, where theyāve come from and what makes them tick.
These scores can all be very high ā 10/10 in fact, but the total is then divided by āSIā ā āSelf Interestā ā the notion of somebody putting themselves in front of others. The āmeā instead of āweā.
Where thereās even an inkling of self interest, trust plummets. The high scores at the top level become almost inconsequential.
Try calculating the āSI ā quotient in the American Ryder Cup team. Can we spot any self interest within the ranks of the Red, White and Blue?
You bet, Uncle Sam.
Itāll be fascinating to watch the chemistry over the weekend ā a team of champions up against a champion team.
The home course advantage and Whistling Straits set up may well be enough to propel the Americans to victory.
But win, lose or draw, Iād still much rather have a beer with the Euros.
Ā
Want to see more stories from InDaily Qld in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily Qld as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily Qld". That's it.
