Learning to Speak the Language

I have had the pleasure (except for a few very long flights and a bout of food poisoning) of traveling to many parts of the world for business.  While I do okay with some basic Spanish, I don’t speak Greek, Mandarin, or Swahili.  Trying to communicate with someone that does not speak the same language is hard.  Being multi-language capable is not only hard but it is a perishable skill.

When I entered the golf industry, I was not a PGA Member, I did not work at a golf course (other than on my short game) and I did not come from a golf family.  I was a true outsider… a foreigner in a sense to the business and industry. Thankfully, over time I learned how to communicate effectively in the industry and the rest they say is history… Sort of…

A few years ago, I left the publishing/media world and joined what you might consider a start-up technology company;  a business intelligence and benchmarking company that is carving out its place in the golf industry. I assumed that my experience, knowledge, and overall understanding of the industry would quickly contribute to the company’s success.

Day one, I felt like I landed in a foreign country where I didn’t speak the language – it was not even a derivative of an Anglo-Saxon language but something very different - this was not golf ---- it was finance… Yikes.  I’m a journalism, advertising and marketing grad from the oldest journalism school in the country – I don’t speak finance…  Here’s where I got it wrong.