PGA of Canada

37 1 PETER CRAVEN, A PRACTICAL ALTERNATIVE TO FOLLOWING YOUR PASSION, GLOBE & MAIL, MARCH 3, 2017. This report would not be complete without a men on of the passion and pride that the Head Professionals all reported they had for their role, their clubs, and the game of golf. Amy Wrzesniewski, a professor of organiza- onal psychology at Yale University, iden fied three classifica ons of work in her research: i) Job – a way to pay the bills; ii) Career – a path to increasingly be er work; and, iii) Calling – work that is important to an individual's life and a vital part of their iden ty. 1 This study has found evidence that most, if not all, Head Professionals believe their work is a calling: a role that allows for the expression of their core values and beliefs related to leading people, serving customers, running a business, and most importantly, living an fulfilling life. True commitment to any task must come from within and not from an external mo va onal source such as a corporate slogan, manager's performance feedback or amount of salary one receives. There can be many challenges to successfully transi on from back shop assistant to associate professional to Head Professional. This transi on is made even more difficult if one is not clear on how to set appropriate development goals for each transi on step and is then only par ally commi ed to the achievement of each goal. Do what you love…love what you do… I've worked harder in the golf industry than in any other role… you absolutely need to be passionate about the game and everything associated with the role… success comes from hard work and passion! -- Debbie Savoy-Morel There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart. Pursue these. -- Michael Nolan RECOMMENDATION: TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR DEVELOPMENT To accelerate their careers, aspiring golf professionals need to ac vely manage their development. And this begins with the formula on of career development plan. Drawing upon the experiences of the Head Professionals who contributed to this research, the following seven steps are recommended: 1. STEP BACK AND TAKE STOCK OF CURRENT ROLE – assess what you like about the work you are currently doing. Do you feel good about what you are doing; confident in your skills, who you are working with, compensa on, and the amount of autonomy/control you have over your day-to-day ac vi es? 2. REVISIT, RESET CAREER GOALS – if your assessment in Step 1 was posi ve, consider what future roles in the golf industry will meet your needs related to the type of people you like to work with, amount of challenge, autonomy/control, skills u lized, compensa on, and work / life balance. 3. DETERMINE ABILITIES GAP – based on the knowledge, skills, and mindset requirements for each role, assess your strengths and weaknesses in terms of mee ng the requirements. Iden fy your top two strengths and weaknesses. 4. IDENTIFY DEVELOPMENTAL OPPORTUNITIES – with the help of a mentor, brainstorm as many on- the-job experiences that will put you in a posi on to both leverage / refine your strengths, as well as teach you what you need to learn to address your top two weaknesses. 5. IDENTIFY FORMAL OR INFORMAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – iden fy at least one course (formal) and one book / online resource such as a Ted Talk (informal) related to your development requirements. It is important to anchor your new learning to a proven theory or research model to help you ra onalize any new approaches or techniques. 6. ADOPT A BIAS FOR ACTION – once your plan is set, including any necessary support required, get started and complete the ac vi es in your plan. 7. REFLECT, LEARN, AND CHANGE – take me to both personally reflect on the experience and what you learned and seek feedback from others. Consider all the feedback received, adjust your behaviors as required, and implement new behaviors in the workplace. By repea ng this cycle your new behaviors will become habits that will result in life-long change.

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