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It is with deep regret that the family and friends of Galba Bright wish to inform you of Galba’s untimely passing.

Galba Francis Adeyinka Bright, Human Resource Consultant and Author, died at his office on March 31 of natural causes, leaving his wife Sandra, numerous family members, friends, associates, readers and fans.

Out of respect, the Tune up your EQ website created by Galba will therefore be offline for a short period.

We thank you for your understanding at this time and appreciate the interest you have shown in Galba’s work and ideas.

Should you wish to post comments about the personal impact of Galba’s thoughts and writings, please feel free to click here or go to his blog.

The Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Galba Bright will be held at St. John’s Methodist Church, Montego Bay, Jamaica, at 1.00 pm on Sunday, April 19, followed by interment in Dovecot of St. James Memorial Park, Orange, St. James.

Why EQ Is A Set Of Golf Clubs

June 30th, 2007 by Galba Bright

457944_79592829.jpgA participant in the recent Emotional Intelligence, A Better You, A Better Organisation Learning Programme asked this great question:

How would you describe Emotional Intelligence. Is it a set of tools?

My answer? Emotional Intelligence is a set of golf clubs.

Great Golfers Use The Best Tools

tigerwoods.jpg

Wise golfers use the full range of their clubs. They use the right one in the right situation at the right time in the right way. Borrowing an old rusty set from a friend with a few clubs missing is a risky option. A golfer who does this can expect to spend most of their round in the rough.

Even The Greatest Golfers Seek Advice

The caddy performs a key role. Heaven help the golfer who chooses a putter when the caddy recommends a nine iron.

Discipline Is The Foundation of Great Golf

The great golfers make outstanding performance appear effortless. Relaxed grace, smooth swing and their state of “flow” are the result of intense focussed practice and preparation. Mental and physical rehearsal takes place far away from the prying eyes of the public.

Golfers Follow An Ethical Code

There are opportunities to shift the lie of the ball when others aren’t looking. The golfers’ principles determine whether s/he yields to this temptation.

Great Golfers Don’t Give Up

Even the best golfers can lose their form. When this happens, they don’t quit. They persevere. Even if they don’t climb back to the top, they show their character when they hit tough times.

The Golfer’s Nirvana

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Have you ever seen a golfer frown or scowl after achieving a hole in one? The golfer’s ultimate goal is to play the perfect road round.

The emotionally intelligent person aims to live a life of purpose, passion and positive impact. Armed with the right clubs and the right habits, the emotionally intelligent person demonstrates that EQ is a powerful way of being.

Thanks and all the best to everyone who participated in the programme and thanks to Andrew for his question.

This article is part of the Emotional Intelligence series. Read more articles about the fundamentals of EQ.

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6 Responses to “Why EQ Is A Set Of Golf Clubs”

  1. Ray Hobby Says:
    July 1st, 2007 at 1:20 am

    …and like all good games of golf, to be good at EI it takes a lot of practice.

  2. Ellen Weber Says:
    July 1st, 2007 at 6:44 pm

    Both are also fun and get you out into the finer fields of life! Great post - I love the metaphor for golf! Hand me my clubs…:-)

  3. Galba Bright Says:
    July 4th, 2007 at 1:56 pm

    Hello Ray:

    Thanks. You make a nice comparison.

  4. Galba Bright Says:
    July 4th, 2007 at 2:01 pm

    Hello Ellen:

    As a non-golfer, writing this post gave me some insight into why so many people enjoy the game.

  5. Ray Hobby Says:
    July 6th, 2007 at 7:15 am

    Just as Galba was impressed with the original question, I have been increasingly interested in the wider analogy and metaphor that it offers. The trouble is that this last week I have been deeply involved in the facilitation of some truly stimulating Outdoor Management Development work. Even so every now and then my mind would flit back to a comment made in the post and I would have another thought about what I would like to add and that would bring a smile to my face. Since most of the OMD exercise was in pouring rain the delegates on my course may have come to a delicate conclusion about the meaning of that occasional benign smile in that their facilitator was slightly demented …nothing new there then. So to avoid that happening any more frequently than it does anyway, I’d better get this off my chest…

    Consider the wider picture – a chance for some leisure, the game of golf, a golf course and the careful use of clubs to enjoy the perfect game. It as been said, probably by a golfer who has never quite mastered the art, that – “Golf is a good walk destroyed by a little ball !”
    However, life itself offers challenges and it is important that we face up to them. A mathematical puzzle, a game of chess and a game of golf are all examples of activities that allow us to hone our skills so that when we face a real life challenge can be more ready for it. The thing about ‘analogy & metaphor‘ is that it can put things into perspective …and that is especially true about training and consultancy presentations. If there is no ‘return on investment’ then it is all a complete waste of time ! Can you not hear the company owner and / or [especially] the accountant just saying that ? So, some more…
    Hitting a golf ball with a putter into a cup on its side on the carpet offers a simple […?] challenge, but we could enjoy some fresh air and extend that challenge.
    So now we design a golf course. A simple idea where we have a tee, usually flat, where it doesn’t really matter, to start from, and a green, somewhere on which is a little hole with a diameter less than three times that of the ball itself. The green is not necessarily flat, where it does matter, just to make life a bit more interesting. We usually repeat this challenge 17 more times to make ‘a round’. [There have been times that I would rather have had a round of toast, but I digress]. The designer, as a pre-requisite, must have a sadistic sense of humour. By surreptitious, and sometimes pure sneaky, placement the designer can add - lakes, trees, hillocks, mounds, sand traps and bunkers [full of sand, that is – even they stop short of machine-gun emplacements] and long knitted grass so as to make the challenge just a little more ‘demanding’. The designer has some considerable freedom, but essentially s/he is restrained by the expectation that the golfer may go round in 72 strokes or so. A stroke is a euphemism variously for a knock, a clout, a bash, a divot-digger, a sand-sprayer or simply [if you are lucky] a hit. I use the phrase ‘s/he is restrained’ and although it is usually a ‘he’, there WILL be a place for a ‘she’ to make an impact somewhere …isn’t there always ? The flower border at the clubhouse is one innocent example, of course.

    Now we can immediately see a direct analogy and metaphor for our ‘round of golf’ is much the same as any project we are ever likely to work on. Nature, technology, some of our associates [both senior and junior] and Murphy [now, surely, he must have been a golf course designer] all seem to conspire against us to make the challenge ‘just that little bit more interesting’. I will leave it with you to qualify and extend my analogy and metaphor to your particular situation …or to add more here. Let your mind and experience go with the flow.
    I am > almost

  6. Ray Hobby Says:
    July 6th, 2007 at 7:18 am

    […soryy, I needed a bit more room -]

    I am > almost

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