Big Break

Do you watch the Big Break on the Golf Channel?  The series has been running for seven years or so and has featured men and women, young and old, competing for a chance to play in PGA Tour and LPGA Tour events.  There are also, as they say in the game show world, lots of cash and other valuable prizes.  One guy who was on the show – Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey – has actually had some success on the tour, one guy caddies regularly on the Tour (most pro caddies are great golfers) and many others, particularly the women, have played well on the Duramed Tour, which is the LPGA’s developmental tour.  (Update – I forgot about alum James Nitties who also has had PGA Tour success – thanks Tarek!)

So why, other than my well-known obsession with all things golf, am I bringing this up?  Because as I was watching the show I had a thought about business and I wanted to share it.

The programs are basically a series of skills competitions:  how accurately can you drive the ball, how far, how well do you putt, how are you in match play.  In short, it tests the basic skills the contestants need for a job, that of professional golfer. The format also tests performance under pressure, which is, in my mind the biggest factor in pro sports that determines success and failure since most high-level athletes have great skills.

So what was my business thought? Wouldn’t it be great if we could do this for job applicants!  I mean, the usual process today – interviews, checking references, maybe a small project or memo – doesn’t really tell us that much.  While I’m pretty proud that most of the folks I’ve hired over the years have worked out very well, there have been a few duds.  Maybe some sort of compressed career test like Big Break would help.

Then I started thinking about the tests.  What skills?  Writing reports and essays? Office politics? Delivering a stand-up presentation? Brown-nosing?  All of those are important, but at the end of the day it come down to just a couple of things:

Think clearly.  Express your thinking well.  Accept responsibility for your output and work well with your team.

I’m going to think about how to check those and would love your input.  Who knows – maybe there’s a game show in there (and don’t tell me about Trump’s show – that’s not even close!) we can sell to some reality channel.  Maybe it’s just a different way to interview ( wouldn’t it be cool to put all the applicants in the same room and let them discuss a business issue?).  Our lines are open – fire away!