“I’m such an idiot,” Phil Mickelson

Yes, Phil Mickelson collapsed on the world’s biggest stage earlier this year, losing the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in stunning fashion by recording a double-bogey on the final hole. But while everyone else focused on the negative, we at Business Under Par looked deeper and determined how he successfully got to the point of being minutes away from his third major tournament win in a row.

There are lessons to be learned in his process, and in the outcome. And despite some late season struggles, floppy Phil—known as much for his short game wizardry as his other talents—is one of the world’s best players who elevated his game by focusing on what he wanted to accomplish.

In business, we all hear about how proper planning prevents poor performance, but sometimes it’s difficult to determine when a plan becomes successful. But for Mickelson, and for professional golfers, winning a major tournament is the ultimate stamp of approval.

Mickelson was once dubbed, “The Best Player to Never Win a Major.” When it counted most, Phil came up short, and his critics vigorously denounced his aggressive, carefree—some would say stupid—way of playing in the big tournaments. He went more than 10 years without ever winning a major tournament.

But Mickelson learned some tough lessons in that decade, and used his experience to help create his new strategic plan. The similarities with real business were striking.

We may never know what Phil’s mission statement was—or if he officially or knowingly ever created one—but understanding the mission is the key to any plan’s success. Phil’s probably read something like this: “Phil Mickelson, one of the world’s best golfers, ensures that he will win major golf tournaments by preparing, practicing and focusing on the mental and physical skills needed for success at golf’s biggest events.”

A good strategic plan identifies the company (in this case Mickelson), educates about what makes the company unique (he is one of the world’s best golfers), guarantees the mission (Phil ENSURES that he will win major golf tournaments), and expresses how the guarantee will be delivered (Phil will prepare, practice and focus on golf’s biggest events). A good mission is easy to understand; his was.

The other key strategic plan elements were then put into place. Phil outlined his strengths and weaknesses, and reviewed his personal organizational structure. Since “he” is the company, his personal evaluations were similar to what successful businesses do on a regular basis to ensure they are doing things properly and effectively.

He then determined the critical issues facing him, and created actionable steps that would put him on a successful path. A few of Phil’s action steps were: develop a better pressure swing with coach Rick Smith; hire short game guru Dave Pelz to help create a game plan for the majors; spend the necessary preparation time with “Bones”, his caddie, at the major courses.

His execution was nearly flawless. He won three majors in two years, and was in position to win the U.S. Open and join Tiger Woods as the only man in recent history to win three majors in a row. But he made a six on the final hole due to questionable strategy (did he deviate from the plan’s mission of doing whatever it takes to win golf’s biggest events?), and lost by a single stroke. What this proved was that every step in a plan must be executed, and focus can’t be lost—even for an instant.

Over the next few months after the U.S. Open, Mickelson didn’t play up to his potential and had disappointing finishes in the last two majors of the year. Now we’ll see how resilient Phil is, an intangible element needed for any plan’s success.

Mickelson already has all of the money he’ll ever need, a terrific family and a few major trophies on his mantle. Soon it will be evident if Phil’s mission and goals have changed, or if he still is committed to the personal plan that took him to the ultimate heights of success.

Real world challenge: You are bored with the same, old networking lunch event and speaker format.

Golf world solution: Organize a fun, golf-themed event at a local course. A putting contest is easy to set up, and many times PGA of America pros can give an entertaining talk about the game or provide a few quick tips that your attendees will enjoy, even if they are non-golfers. Affordable golf-themed gifts can also be purchased and given away as door prizes or welcome gifts. Use a local PGA professional as a sounding board for your ideas.