10 STRATEGISE: your development
In his book Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump, former Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly analyses Donald Trump's behaviour on the golf course as a way of explaining his ethics, modus operandi and leadership style.
Trump loves to play golf. He owns 14 courses around the world and operates another five. He boasts they are the ‘best on the planet', that he has a handicap of 3 (which is excellent), rarely loses and has won 18 club championships.
In his research Reilly was unable to substantiate any of the club championships. He explains how Trump cheats, sometimes with the help of his caddies and Secret Service agents, by getting them to move his badly hit golf balls to better positions. He also lies about his golfing scores (what Reilly has titled the ‘Trump Bump') and ignores the game's rules of etiquette. At the same time, he inflates the worth of the golf courses he owns, happily underpays contractors and ignores the concerns of neighbours who live near his golf courses.
As with every aspect of his life, for Trump it's about winning. Never admitting defeat. Never admitting he is wrong. Putting himself first and using all the tricks in the book to beat his way to the top. That's his strategy.
On the surface you could say it's working. He often does get his own way, but it's not a sustainable strategy over the long term. It's certainly not a strategy to deploy if you want happy, healthy, engaged and motivated employees!
Trump has ...
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