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Forming Your Own Board of Directors 103

some energy into cultivating a broader spectrum of relationships.
Around that time, I was invited to one of the bigger and more pop-
ular golf events in the greater Washington, D.C., area. It seemed like
the kind of opportunity I was looking for to make some new con-
tacts, but I had no clue how to play (and I always suspected it was a
boring and time-consuming pastime).
Nevertheless, in the spirit of career advancement and open-
mindedness, I reached out to a fellow CEO colleague who was good
at golf. I explained to him that I wanted to learn how to play well
enough to not embarrass myself or the rest of my foursome if I went
out to play a round with business acquaintances. And I asked if he
knew of any golf pros for lessons.
He suggested I go out to play a round first to make sure I enjoyed
it, at least a little, and offered to take me out on the course the next
weekend. I managed to get the ball off the tee and onto the fairway
and actually enjoyed the afternoon. I could see why it’s a good sport
for business—there’s a lot of downtime while you’re moving from
hole to hole or waiting for others to tee off where you can talk and
get to know another person. So my friend connected me to his pro
and I signed up in time to have a few lessons before the tournament.
In the meantime, my friend introduced me to several members of
the club, which made my investment in golf and in my relationship
with him pay off almost immediately. I’m still playing (and even have
a reasonable handicap) and have joined a club where I invite business
associates to dine with me or play golf. This wouldn’t have happened
if I hadn’t made that first phone call.
But it hasn’t been a one-way street. These relationships have also
provided me with an opportunity to give to others. For example, I’ve
referred several of my friends and colleagues to that golf pro. While
this might not have helped my CEO friend directly, it did help some-
one in his network (who was also now in my network) and signaled
to him that I appreciated the connection.