The article headlines this statement . . . .
“Bryson DeChambeau threw everyone under the bus,
never holding himself accountable for his wayward shots.”
Yes, golf is far different from ministry in at least one way. As the article goes on to say — “It’s the golfer vs. the. course.”
“Professional golf is the ultimate individual sport. It’s the golfer vs. the course — with a little help from technology-tested clubs that players are paid handsomely to promote. . . . . Since each club in a player’s bag has been tested repeatedly, the fault lies with the swing alone if the golfer hits a wayward shot. A single stroke can mean the difference between victory and failing to make the cut.”
Golf is an individual sport. Ministry involves a team and the attendance of many members and friends. It also operates on the volunteerism of a wide variety of a good number of people.
Nevertheless, there is one common factor that the article highlights and that prevails in both golf and ministry — blame-shifting! That is the point of the article. DeChambeau refuses to take responsibility for his mistakes.
“If I can hit it down the middle of the fairway, that’s great,
but with the driver right now, the driver sucks,”
“DeChambeau threw everyone under the bus except himself,
never holding himself accountable for the poor shots.
“He had pointed the finger at the company and not in his own direction. Once a teammate throws another under the bus, trust disappears, and culture becomes severely infected. We as leaders cannot allow a self-inflicted wound to hurt the program and must implore everyone, including ourselves, to be accountable. Our words to our team after we struggle are crucial. If we lose our poise or place blame elsewhere, our ability to lead diminishes quickly.” [1]
Failing to recognize or acknowledge one’s mistakes or sinful actions will quickly erode both ministry or pastoral credibility, as well as growth. Many leaders and pastors do not understand this key dynamic in the operation and leadership of a ministry or church — Once a pastor throws others under the bus, trust disappears, and the culture becomes severely toxic.
The article goes on to state . . . .
“The obstacles we overcome make us stronger and more effective. When faced with a problem, we must be prepared and harness the right words and the right messaging, because, during difficult times, real character reveals itself for all to examine.
DeChambeau can apologize and can regret his words, but only his humble actions moving forward will allow his teammates to regain trust.”
There may be two other differences between golf and ministry. “Humility” is at a premium when it comes to ministry leaders, and “trust” is subject to far more damage when it comes to ministries and ministers.
At times, the damage and the lack of humility cause leaders and pastors to conclude it is best to move on to another ministry. Other times, the attendance continues to precipitously drop to a point where the loyalist finally suggest that option.
What happened?
It was not the mis-hits, but the blaming of the driver!
Some genuine and honest humility would say . . .
“I stink at some things, AND this is one of them. Some days we get it right somedays and somedays we get it terribly wrong. We sin in our words, actions, decision. We fight a self-serving spirit like all of Go’s people, and sometimes we lost the fight! We made a terrible decision, responded in a self-serving manner, were stubborn when it was pointed out that we were wrong — sinfully wrong. We should have, and we didn’t. We could have, but we wouldn’t.”
That’s true with golf, business, ministry, marriage, and family! We are all going to disappoint our fans, co-workers, church members, spouse, siblings, children, and parents! Then we have a “DeChambeau Moment” — a choice to either blame the “club” or take responsibility!
What happened?
A Lack Of Humility
&
A Loss Of Trust
♦♦♦♦♦
What Happened?
It was not the mis-hits, but the blaming of the driver!
They threw everyone under the bus!
Other Information And Links:
1. https://thedailycoach.substack.com/p/being-accountable-for-failure
Being Accountable for Failure
Bryson DeChambeau threw everyone under the bus, never holding himself accountable for his wayward shots.
Jul 26, 2021 “Professional golf is the ultimate individual sport. It’s the golfer vs. the course — with a little help from technology-tested clubs that players are paid handsomely to promote.
No golfer does an endorsement deal simply for the sake of it — their livelihood is too important. Since each club in a player’s bag has been tested repeatedly, the fault lies with the swing alone if the golfer hits a wayward shot. A single stroke can mean the difference between victory and failing to make the cut.
“If I can hit it down the middle of the fairway, that’s great, but with the driver right now, the driver sucks,” American golfer Bryson DeChambeau said last week after a disappointing showing at The Open. “It’s not a good face for me, and we’re still trying to figure out how to make it good on the mis-hits. I’m living on the razor’s edge like I’ve told people for a long time.”
DeChambeau threw everyone under the bus except himself, never holding himself accountable for the poor shots. But we all know better, and even DeChambeau when facing the onslaught of criticism backed off his anger toward his Cobra driver.
But the damage was done. He had pointed the finger at the company and not in his own direction. Once a teammate throws another under the bus, trust disappears, and culture becomes severely infected. We as leaders cannot allow a self-inflicted wound to hurt the program and must implore everyone, including ourselves, to be accountable. Our words to our team after we struggle are crucial. If we lose our poise or place blame elsewhere, our ability to lead diminishes quickly.
After a rough outing or a challenging quarter, it’s easy to lose focus, drop our guard and surrender our mental toughness. However, during rough times is when we need those qualities the most. We must demonstrate focus, an ability to withstand criticism, and most of all, mental toughness. The obstacles we overcome make us stronger and more effective. When faced with a problem, we must be prepared and harness the right words and the right messaging, because, during difficult times, real character reveals itself for all to examine.
DeChambeau can apologize and can regret his words, but only his humble actions moving forward will allow his teammates to regain trust.”
All Things Church 