Leadership Lessons From Observing Tiger Woods |

Leadership Lessons From Observing Tiger Woods

Written by JT on December 11, 2009

Tiger Woods made a public statement on his website that he would be taking an ‘indefinite break’ from golf to attend to his family in the wake of recent news of infidelity and marital turmoil.

“After much soul searching, I have decided to take an indefinite break from professional golf. I need to focus my attention on being a better husband, father, and person.”

In so doing Woods made a profound statement about his character as well.

You see, no matter your opinion of Tiger Woods, he is a leader. He is a leader in sport, a leader in business and a leader in life.

In golf, he dominates his sport so much so that the PGA Tour is ‘concerned’ about the absence of Tiger and what it will mean to the Tour’s ratings. The Tour cited a marked decline in ratings while Tiger was away rehabbing a major knee injury in 2008.

And few can argue his dominance of his sport. Earlier in 2009, Tiger became the first athlete ever to surpass the $1 billion mark in earnings. In any sport. By any athlete. Ever.

Make no mistake about it; if Tiger wanted to “push this all behind him” and “block it out”, he could. He is the most mentally tough athlete I have ever seen. But this is about life. This is about family. This is about taking care of priorities.

The thing I was most taken by was Tiger’s brutal honesty and humble request for forgiveness. This simple, yet elegant act is so rare these days, particularly amongst elite athletes and celebrities (or politicians) who often seem to carry themselves with an aloof attitude toward personal responsibility.

Leadership starts with personal responsibility. The toughest decisions in leadership occur when a leader is forced to put their ego aside and make an unpopular choice.

Tiger certainly created a tough situation for himself through his actions, yet instead of hiding behind some nebulous statement, or dancing around creative language and double-talk, Woods came out and asked for forgiveness:
“I am deeply aware of the disappointment and hurt that my infidelity has caused to so many people, most of all my wife and children. I want to say again to everyone that I am profoundly sorry and that I ask forgiveness. It may not be possible to repair the damage I’ve done, but I want to do my best to try. “

Tiger demonstrated the leadership principle of personal responsibility, even in the face of public humiliation. He showed his vulnerability, his human side.

People need to know that, as a leader, you are human. That you thinks and feel as a human, not a pre-programmed robot. To inspire people to follow you, they have to know that you lead with your intellect, your skills, and your soul. Tiger demonstrated that today with his statement.

It may be easy for the mediocre mind to balk at Tiger’s statement, claiming “he should have apologized” or he “should have begged for forgiveness”, but how often do we admit when we are wrong? How often do we apologize for hurting others, or asking for forgiveness in the wake of a personal transgression?

I am not here to defend Tiger’s actions, but I am in strong support of pointing out the lessons to be learned from his very public fall from grace. It is easy to point fingers, judge, and crucify someone else (particularly a public figure) when they screw up.

Leadership is not about making all the right decisions all the time, but it is about recognizing one’s shortcomings and taking responsibility for them.

And that is what Tiger did. Love him or not, Tiger is a champion, and a leader.