The Sport of Business

Talking sports has always been an easy way to connect with others, no matter your age or gender. Sports are a great small talk topic or grounds for forming deeper relationships. This applies to coworkers, clients, or even prospective partners. There’s a fine line between bonding over sports talk and actually participating in the activity. Not all sports are conducive to developing relationships in the business world. In fact, hardly any sports would help business relationships along. A potential business partner may reconsider a proposal after being tackled on the football field.

If you’re looking to talk the sports talk and walk the sports walk, golf would be the best, and safest, way to further develop relationships in the business world. Here are a few reasons why:

1) Anyone can play together – Golfers come in all shapes and sizes. Anyone can learn the sport if they gather enough patience. Golf has no restrictions on age, gender, or even health (take a look at John Daly). Because of the sport’s handicap system, even skill level doesn’t matter!

2) Time to talk – Golf is a slow developing sport, especially if you decide not to take a cart. Depending on how busy the day is, a round of golf could last anywhere from 4 to 5 hours. This leaves plenty of time to talk business on the scenic course. The non-constant action leaves time in between shots to really get to know the others in your group.

3) Character Judgments – For those who are familiar with golf, you know the vast amount of rules and courtesies. Watching how a golfer handles these rules often parallel with how they carry themselves in business. If a serious game is being played, look for those who tend to improve their lie or pick up a three foot putt.

We have a lot of avid athletes, and specifically golfers, here at Ferocious Media.  It helps to bring employees closer together and strengthen working relationships.  Social media analysts, digital media consultants, and search engine marketing analysts can all find common ground by either hitting the links or talking golf strategy while making coffee in the breakroom.

You would be doing your business career a favor by picking up a golf club. What would be a better excuse to get into the sport? Many top executives frequent golf courses world-wide. You never know who you might meet out there!