Bubba Watson: A Lesson in Leadership and Presence

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="yes" overflow="visible"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" background_position="left top" background_color="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" spacing="yes" background_image="" background_repeat="no-repeat" padding="" margin_top="0px" margin_bottom="0px" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_speed="0.3" animation_direction="left" hide_on_mobile="no" center_content="no" min_height="none"]I had the pleasure of watching PGA pro, Bubba Watson win the green jacket at the Master’s Tournament this past weekend. Although I don’t make a habit of watching golf on TV there was something about Bubba that captured my attention. The man uses a pink driver, has never had a golf lesson and stands up for the equality of women. Who wouldn’t like this guy?  Because I tend to view the world through the lens of leadership, I was pleasantly surprised to witness such a compelling story of leadership and presence show up on my screen in what for me, was an unlikely setting.For those of you who haven’t heard of Bubba Watson, he’s a southern born-and-raised golf pro, father of a 2-year old and is known as an "intuitive" player. He’s famous for never having a lesson or a swing coach as a pro. And for those of you who golf, you know it’s a game of technique and mental acuity. But for Bubba, these were not the only tools he relied upon.Of course Bubba thinks about his shots, what club to use and how to get out of tricky situations, but there is more. He uses his intuition and feels the shot before he takes it. Bubba has to be completely present in his body in order for this approach to be successful. It is so intriguing and compelling for me to watch a person who doesn’t rely too much on his head and instead, creates an environment where his presence and connection to his body and intuition guides first, then confirmed with his head and backed up with technique.In addition to Bubba’s unique approach to the game, he sees and understands that he’s a leader – and uses that to make a difference. He uses his pink driver as often as possible because his sponsor, Ping,  donates money to his charity. He also uses his voice to support the equality of women. Golf Magazine promised anonymity when it asked 40 PGA Tour pros for their opinions on Augusta National, the all-male course where the Masters Tournament is played. One question was, “Does it bother you that the club's membership excludes women?” Ninety percent replied "no", but Watson replied, “Yeah, I care, and you can quote me on it -- Bubba Watson.”Bubba is a fantastic example of a whole leader. He demonstrates presence, integrates his head, heart and gut to create amazing results, and uses his position of leadership to help others. This takes courage. And at least for me, this offers me great inspiration when I can see such impact in action.Experiment: The next time you have the opportunity to lead, see if you can experiment with becoming very present first. Ask yourself if you’re really “here.” Is your mind racing somewhere else? Once you can bring yourself into the present, practice tapping into your gut and intuition first, then your head. Maybe practice on something low stakes, to begin with, but see how your choices, your actions, your decisions, and even your words feel in your body and what that quiet place inside you says about your approach before you “swing.” Who knows, it might even improve your golf game![/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]