Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved golf. Over the years, I’ve encountered many thrills. I had a couple more this past week at the U.S. Open Women’s Golf Championship at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn. For people not familiar with the Twin Cities, that’s a suburb of Minneapolis.
Not only did I get a chance to witness Anika Sorenstam make eagle on her last hole of a U.S. Open, but I had the opportunity to play the course less than 24 hours after the best women golfers in the world – same tees and pin placements. I’ve been lucky enough to play Augusta National two weeks before and after the Masters. It’s incredible how tough they can make a golf course – Greens as hard as concrete. Rough as long as an African prairie.
I just wrote a column about the power of golf. Look for it in another week. It touched on how golf is a powerful networking game. In what other environment can you see your customer for four to five hours straight, without interruption from phones, meetings or competitors, for that matter? In the United States, an estimated $28 billion in annual sales is attributed to contracts and relationships initiated on the golf course. That’s why more than 20 million rounds of business golf will be played this year.
Golf has exploded and one of the reasons is that women are taking up the game in droves. More than 25 percent of the golfers in this country are now women, up significantly since the early ’90s. The U.S. Open crowds set records, including almost 11,000 juniors (ages 17 and below).
If you aren’t playing golf, you should consider taking it up. The least you should do is make it part of your vocabulary. After all, you can’t talk about business all the time.

Spring. The final four. Minnesotans golfing one day and snow another day. It’s amazing what we can see happen in the span of a week. I fly back to Minnesota for the Minnesota Twins Opener and it snows. Then the next day I’m watching basketball in Arizona in a short sleeve shirt. I know for me, I travel to so many different cities for speeches and it is always exciting to see the natural changes that come about this time of year. Flowers blooming. Trees starting to bud. Kids riding bikes outside. If you’re involved in business, you can relate to how quickly things change no matter what time of year. Things change quickly whether it’s facebook, plaxo or linked in or any of the other networking tools people use on the internet. I believe it’s important to use these tools but to keep making personal contact with your customers, vendors and employees. To me that means sending a birthday card, walking by and saying hello. A handwritten note with a printed article you saw means more than a forwarded email. Think of it like sending a real flower versus a virtual flower there’s no comparison.

I’ve been lucky enough to attend 25 Super Bowls, but I’d have to say this year’s game was definitely one of the top three.

When I picked up USA Today several days before the game, nine of their 10 sports writers predicted New England would win. This was the mood of the entire sports world. And just to show you how much I know about athletics, I was proud to predict that New England would bury the Giants. In fact, the day before the game I called my close friend, Lou Holtz, and told him of my prediction. He told me to stick to the envelope business. I should have known not to make a prediction to an ESPN football analyst.

I thought this Super Bowl would be like so many before it. BORING!!! I’d rather watch two guys fish. Most of the games have been over by the third quarter. Not this one. I was sitting in the Giants section, and people stood all game long. And I’m accustomed to sitting down, except for big plays.

Earlier that day, I attended a big breakfast party on Super Bowl Sunday in which Tony Dungy was one of the speakers. After the speech I went up to Tony and told him that on a scale of 1-10 – with 10 being the highest, he was a 12. It was music to his ears. The surprise of the breakfast was LaDainian Tomlinson who received the Bart Starr award, which goes to the NFL player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership in the home, on the field and in the community. Bart Starr presented it personally. LT was so choked up that it was difficult for him to give an acceptance speech. The honor overwhelmed him.

When you see a superstar this human and humble, he serves as a great role model. And I would say of the 1,000-plus people in attendance, 25 percent had to be young kids who are impressionable. No sport has enough role models like Tony Dungy and LT.

The day before I attended a fashion show with NFL star quarterback Rodney Peete and his wife Holly, who is a superstar in her own right. The fundraiser featured the Best Damn Sports Show personalities and a bunch of celebrities modeling clothes to raise money for Parkinson’s disease. It’s great to support superstars doing work for a cause.

Now I’m off to Myanmar (Burma) for 10 days to the Cheif Executive Organization meeting… until then.

For the last six years I’ve been ringing in the holidays by volunteering as a Salvation Army bell-ringer. For years I walked past these hearty souls and threw a couple bucks in the kettle to make me feel good about myself and the great things these contributions do.

Every little bit helps. It doesn’t take that much to make a difference if we all give. That concept was reinforced dramatically when a Salvation Army representative told me that one year more than $3 million in pennies alone was collected in kettle contributions worldwide.

One thing that shocked me during my experience was the number of people who put in bills. The majority of people contributed $1s, $5s, $10s and even $20s. I thought most people would contribute loose change, especially when leaving the store. But some people contribute on the way in the store AND the way out.

A lot of parents give money to their kids to put in the kettle to teach them a valuable lesson about giving. Most of the kids are thrilled to contribute, although a few are reluctant. I’m sure they are thinking of the things they could buy with the money.

What a lesson to teach your son or daughter at an early age – to contribute to society. It reminds me of many things my parents taught me. When I was 20 years old, my father made a point of telling me that one-fourth of my life should be devoted to volunteerism. And I have followed that advice, volunteering with a variety of organizations over the years and serving on many non-profit boards.

Giving is a year-round activity. A good New Year’s resolution would be to find a worthy cause and support it wholeheartedly throughout 2008.

It’s been a busy 72 hours as I provide tips on the Mackay 66 to the internet world.  I’ve been interviewed on podcasts, radio shows and soon to be filmed on a live webcast.  It’s a great reminder to me about how the book tours I’ve done recently added a virtual component.  While I still spent time in nearly 45 cities, the email announcements were a large part of the past book tour book building.

It’s all about learning new skills.  Often with technology I ask the salesman to give me extra tips so I am better equipped to use the newest tool.  This both saves me time and gets me maximizing the technology.  I am able to learn faster when I practice and have someone better than me showing me how to use the tools.

Today I keep in touch with my kids and grandkids through email, letters, phone and Internet pictures.  What’s next for staying connected in 2008?  How do you keep in touch with your customers, family and friends?  I’d like to hear more how you keep up with the newest technology changes.

I had the great honor of speaking to the Notre Dame MBA program last Thursday, Sept. 20. I try and do one MBA program every year and have now spoken to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Michigan, USC and many more. There’s nothing like getting in front of hungry students who have had a little taste of the business world. It’s completely different from my typical raucous sales and marketing audience. You could hear a pin drop, as the students listened intently and took notes.

Being at Notre Dame brought back a lot of memories from my dozens of visits to that campus when my close personal friend, Lou Holtz, was the head football coach there. I recruited Lou to the University of Minnesota in 1984 and he followed with 11 glorious years at Notre Dame.

Even though the football team is off to a poor start, Notre Dame is a special place. As I wrote in my book, “Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty,” Notre Dame has one of the three best networking alumni clubs, along with Wellesley and USC. After another trip to that campus, it’s clear to see why.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a professional athlete, businessperson, actor or politician.

Brian Kilmeade, cohost of Fox & Friends on the Fox News Channel, interviewed me and 90 other people for his new book, It’s How You Play The Game: The Powerful Sports Moments That Taught Lasting Values to America’s Finest. Kilmeade, author of the New York Times bestseller The Games Do Count, writes about how a defining moment in sports changed each individual’s life. Many talk about how the discipline and rules they learned on the field, prepared them to handle life and overcome adversity with dignity and sportsmanship.

Individuals featured include Arnold Palmer, Terry Bradshaw, Mia Hamm, Dorothy Hamill, Richard Nixon, Bob Dole, Gene Kelly, John Wayne, Simon Cowell, Jeff Immelt, Rush Limbaugh and many others.

My story starts on page 257 and goes back to when I was 15 years old playing in the St. Paul Open golf tournaments, which was one of the top tournaments in the country at the time.

I was having an incredible experience and was playing well when I reached the 18th hole. I looked up and saw 20,000 people – including my family and friends – standing there, watching me. It was a par five. I had a 2 iron in my hand, and I rimmed the cup for what could’ve been a double eagle. I couldn’t even see the ball. I just saw the crowd’s reaction, and I knew that something special had happened. When I got up there, I saw that the ball was just 10 inches from the cup. I couldn’t believe it. With all those people watching me, I didn’t want to seem like I had to think through a shot like that, so I just went for the tap-in, and I missed it.

I still think about that moment today. But it taught me a lesson that I still adhere to today: Never take anything for granted.

With college graduates scrambling to find jobs – if they haven’t already – I want to remind you that school is never done. If you are smart, you will be “in school” all of your lives. Your real education is just beginning.

Here are a couple lessons, which weren’t necessarily covered in school. If you’ve been out of school, The University of Minnesota, for a few years – or a lot of years – this advice is still for you; consider it a refresher course.

• Develop relationships and keep networking. If I had to name the single characteristic shared by all the truly successful people I’ve met over a lifetime, I’d say it is the ability to create and nurture a network of contacts. Start strengthening your relationships now, so they’ll be in place when you really need them later. In the classroom it was mostly about your individual performance. Success in real life will require relationships. Who you know determines how effectively you can apply what you know. So stay in touch.

• Find advisors and mentors. Advisors will not be assigned to you, as in school. You should actively seek your own mentors. And remember, mentors change over a lifetime. Start connecting with people you respect who can help you get a leg up in each aspect of your life, personal and professional. Make it as easy and convenient as possible for them to talk with you, and always look for ways to contribute to their success, too.

If you want to succeed in life and work, keep on learning. I’m a big believer in lifelong learning. You don’t go to school once for a lifetime; you are in school all of your life. So make continuing education a priority.

Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters is a special place. My wife, Carol Ann, and I are golf junkies and we’ve been coming to these hallowed grounds to watch The Masters Golf Tournament for several years now.
We’ve seen Phil Mickelson win a couple times, as well as Tiger Woods. I’ll never forget Tiger’s playoff with Chris DiMarco, including his memorable chip-in at the 16th hole. Watching these golfers and their focus is really a treat.

This year, Jim Nantz, who broadcasts The Masters for CBS TV, gave us a personal tour of the Butler cabin where the green jacket will be awarded to the tournament winner this Sunday, April 8.

I also ran into Gary Player, who is playing in his record-tying 50th Masters. We reminisced about our first meeting, back in my varsity golfing days at the University of Minnesota many years ago. Back then The Saint Paul Open was one of the top tournaments on the men’s professional golf circuit. Prior to the tournament, I had a chance to meet Gary when he was taking a lesson from our team coach, Les Bolstad. Later that evening I went to dinner with the world’s future #1 player when he was still an unknown.

The following day at The Saint Paul Open, I saw Gary after he teed off at first hole and ran up to him to say hi. I wanted to tell him what a great time I had the night before.
His steely eyes remained focused on the fairway ahead and he never broke stride. “Harvey, please don’t talk to me. I must concentrate. I will see you when I’m finished.”
I remember how devastated I felt, but I learned a valuable lesson on the importance of focus, which has helped me in my business career.

Many years later when he was world famous, Carol Ann, and I ran into Gary and his wife in South Africa. I reintroduced myself and reminded him of what happened on the golf course.
Gary’s wife told me, “Don’t feel bad. He doesn’t even talk to me on the golf course.”

That’s the focus that it takes to do your best. If you have the ability to focus fully on the task at hand, and shut out everything else, you can accomplish amazing things.

Arnold Palmer, is also at The Masters and hit the ceremonial first ball, resurrecting a tradition that has not occurred since the late Sam Snead hit the first drive in 2002.
Let me tell you about a tough lesson Arnie learned about focus, which appears in Carol Mann’s book “The 19th Hole”:

“It was the final hole of the 1961 Masters tournament, and I had a one-stroke lead and had just hit a very satisfying tee shot. I felt I was in pretty good shape. As I approached my ball, I saw an old friend standing at the edge of the gallery. He motioned me over, stuck out his hand and said, “Congratulations.” I took his hand and shook it, but as soon as I did, I knew I had lost my focus. On my next two shots, I hit the ball into a sand trap, then put it over the edge of the green. I missed a putt and lost the Masters. You don’t forget a mistake like that; you just learn from it and become determined that you will never do that again.”

My message to you is to keep your eye on the ball. Don’t let friends distract you when you need to be focused.

How many times have you heard an athlete talk about focus? It’s a topic I also hear about frequently in business. The most common complaints? Too many irons in the fire. Too many projects spinning at one time. Too many interruptions. Too many phone calls. Too many emails. Too many things to do. Too little time.

Stay focused as best you can, and don’t let things happen to you – not when you can make things happen.