I am Yoshida, president of Yamada Shusei Ltd., a professional apparel garment repair group in Nagaoka City, Niigata Prefecture.
On December 7, I played one round of golf at a golf course near the coast in snow, light rain, and occasional clouds, almost entirely reserved. I am a golf novice, and to be honest, I used to think, “Why do I like to play golf when the weather is so bad?” However, I realized that playing golf can be seen as a part of mindfulness to concentrate on the “here and now,” in the sense of doing the best I can in the situation I am placed in against nature.
In both management and golf, things often do not go according to plan, and the ability to respond flexibly each time is required.
Just as in golf it is important to maximize one's skills while adapting to external factors such as wind direction and terrain weather, in management it is necessary to capitalize on the strengths of the organization while responding to market changes and the competitive environment. The key to both is a balance between planning and execution, and the ability to be flexible and responsive.
The round of golf, which requires us to focus on the “here and now,” rather than worrying about the future or regretting the past, was an experience that made me realize that golf has significance beyond mere socializing.
Incidentally, the boiler at the golf course was out of order that day, so we were lucky enough to be given free access to a nearby hot spring instead. This was also a good thing.
