This is a photo of a leadership development group from PCL Construction. It is Tuesday, January 28, 2020 and the 15 of us are meeting in Palm Desert, CA for our second of four learning modules. Since Coaching and Developing is one of the leadership competencies we are focused on in this module, we have asked Sean Richardson, professional golf coach and seriously great person, to demonstrate some real-life coaching.
Our agenda:
- Sean watches each one of us on the practice facility, then offers suggestions as to what we might concentrate on in the 18 holes that follow
- we play 18 holes, each one of us assigned as an interested observer to another golfer
- as we play, we each spend 9 holes asking life and character-defining questions of our cart-mate. This is a big Sean Richardson coaching lesson: we cannot possibly hope to provide meaningful insight as a coach if we do not know the person and his/her aspirations. So, the goal of our questions is to dig as deeply as possible into the cart-mate’s:
- life goals/dreams/hopes/interests, including:
- family aspirations
- professional accomplishments
- community involvement
- ultimate legacy
- learning motivations and preferences
- personal philosophies/beliefs
At the conclusion of the 18-hole event, we gather in the clubhouse to hear from:
- each of the 14 of us about what we have learned about our cart-mate’s life
- Sean Richardson, about his instruction/coaching philosophies
and to draw any conclusions about how any/all of this relates to our work both individually and together on the program.
It is now April, 2021. We feel the best way to describe the powerful impact of Sean’s presence, attitude, knowledge, skills and abilities will be to ask each participant to tell Sean what they learned in his January 2020 session. And given that we are some 15 months later in the ask, it will be fair to say that whatever we remember about Sean’s teaching will be with each one of us forever.
What follows are our word-for-word testimonials:
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Sean: Thank you so much for the time you spent with us. Even though I am not a golfer, your discussion and demeanor were inspirational to me in their validity to everyday life. It is a true talent to be able to impact and inspire people across the spectrum to become better coaches and I thank you for sharing that gift with us.
Richard Hewitt
Sean: It was a pleasure meeting you in module 2. Your perspective on coaching and the discussions we had around the connection to coaching golf and leadership stuck with me. You gave me a short lesson on golf where, by the end of the day, I improved considerably and enjoyed the game that much more. But the greater gift in that lesson was the realization that sometimes it just takes a minor tweak and singular focus to create change and improvement – not necessarily a complete overhaul. This lesson can be applied to my leadership daily and I thank you for that.
Ryan Andrews
Sean: It was wonderful to meet someone whose passion is helping others find their passion and hone their skills. Whose dedication is helping people reach their goals and reach their ultimate potential. When people think of you they will remember what you gave to others and that is a real lasting tribute and legacy. We will be lucky if one day our legacy can be seen in the light with such revered company. Best wishes to you, your loved ones and everyone whose life you have touched and continue to.
Dan Cettiga
Sean: You have the heart of a coach, this allows you to provide a series of selfless teachings to individuals who likely do not realize the value in said teachings until some time after the service is rendered. To me, this is the highest form of service to humanity; to give yourself to people without expecting anything in return. You embody selflessness, and you have reinforced to me that true fulfillment comes from within – thank you for this, and on behalf of all of us who benefited from your teachings at PCL – thank you.
Jordan Cloutier
Sean: Although I love just about all sports and anything outdoors, I struggle with golf. Leading up to my session with you, I questioned how such a limited amount of time with a golf coach could benefit me in my leadership journey. However, I was blown away by the quiet, simple and impactful leadership that you demonstrated during our short time together. I am sure it was quickly apparent to you, though you didn’t say it, that I was not very good at golf. You didn’t focus on how much I had to learn, but rather focused on the one item for me to focus on that would have the greatest impact to me during our time together. My golf game improved more in a few hours by focusing on one item than it had over the last decade of advice from various people. I have retold the story of my time with you to many people and groups, and use this simple principle on a regular basis. Leadership does not need to be complicated, and you demonstrate the power of simple, quiet leadership.
Tyler Kautz
Sean: Our time together was short however in those few hours your impact was grand. I will forever remember the gift you gave me; the gift of “one”. For me personally it has created pause in my life and reminded me to focus on “one” thing at a time….and for the rest of what is going on your “one” teaching has enabled me to relish in the moment, enjoy present company, to turn off the noise and embrace frustration. Thank you Sean for this “one” wonderful, transformational gift.
Myke Badry
Sean: The short amount of time I got to spend with you had a great impact on me both as a golfer and a leader. You will be happy to know that every time I take the club back, I think of you. That impact has made me a much better golfer.
You should also know that every time I think about my leadership development, I think of you. Your ability to singly assess each of our needs that afternoon has stuck with me. In my role, I too need to be able to singly assess individual needs of others. That has made me a much better leader.
Trent Johnson
Sean: Great to meet you, the advice I took away from our single golf lesson was to how a small changes can have a large improvement and not to get overwhelmed with fixing everything at once.
Landon Mitchell
Sean: In the brief time we had together for some individual instruction in the desert, you had me work on one thing, but it made all the difference. I was off balance in my swing so you asked me to get centered over my feet, find balance and get my feet flat on the ground. It has stuck with me every time I played with, but it is also such a great metaphor for what I need to do as I continue on my own journey. Find balance and get centered with my feet firmly flat on the floor. With advice like that it will be hard to go wrong with any challenge that lies ahead. Thank you for that gift both on and off the course.
Chris Ritter
Sean: Your focus on the single most impactful, simple change, will stay with me throughout my career and always be a focus of mine when improving myself as well as helping others improve and succeed. Thank you for this gift. My golf game has also improved based on your advice.
Andrew Moles
Sean: You may remember I was one of two people who had not golfed before. What struck me about the way you worked with me was not just your coaching but your kindness and presence. As a facilitator, I tend to notice how people show up and you exuded such an authentic desire to be in service. Thank you.
Geoff Curzon
Sean: Your gift to me is to help me understand that a great coach sees the work ahead for each of his students, yet knows he should only share the next, best step to take, so that the student can truly focus on one building block at a time. For me, you are the consummate builder and at PCL, we can offer no greater respect.
Peter Greene
Sean: Your gift to me was your uniquely engaging use of the power of simplicity. As coaches and facilitators it’s easy to sometime forget that small, specific modifications of behavior are what leads to long term, impactful change. You modeled that in an authentic, inspiring and entertaining way that genuinely connected with your audience…not easy to do. It’s a lesson that I still think about regularly. Thank you!
Ken Lawson
Sean: When we were together as a group you spoke to us about purpose. I remember that one of your purposes was to bring joy and a love of golf to anyone who played it with you, no matter the skill level. I was one of the few lucky ones who was privileged to have played the whole golf game with you that day. And, it was by far the most enjoyable golf game (and best golfed) I have ever had. You helped me to focus on the right things, not get caught up in whether I was doing it just right, and you knew when to add more to my plate to make me even more successful. I left that game truly believing I could enjoy golfing in the future rather than dreading it. Above all of that, it was the conversations and storytelling from you that made it the most enjoyable. I am grateful to have been one who benefited from your purpose.
Harmony Carter
Sean: I am forever grateful for your contributions to our leadership program and for your support/understanding of the time I spend with my daughter hitting the links! You truly have a gift for coaching and for helping people reach their potential. I am a better person because our paths crossed. Thank you my friend.
Mike Olsson
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One of the many interesting things that we learned about Sean is that fishing is his “golf”! Although he may wear a golf cap in the process, the challenge, the learning and the enjoyment we all get from golf … he gets from fishing. Go figure. The look on Sean’s face in the first and last pictures here is what each of us would love to experience after a successful golf shot.
Thank you Sean. What a difference you have made in our lives! As the dolphins said in Douglas Adams’s 4th book in the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “… thanks for all the fish!”
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