Once a year, the “girls” at Baltimore Gas & Electric and I go golfing. I have worked with Jeannette, Darlene and Doreen on-and-off over the past eight years, and we enjoy bringing each other up to date while trying to hit an itty-bitty tiny white ball. This year, we graced the Turf Valley Country Club on the hottest recorded temperature for that day EVER!
It was the first time out for the season for most of us, so we reasonably decided to play “best cart ball” which means that we would take the best ball that was hit from one of us in the cart, and keep the game moving along. Good thing too, since it was so bloody hot!
Our game is a social event, and we try to stick to the rules (as much as you can stick to rules with a “best ball” format!). Scores are kept more as a frame of reference, but we have won some tournaments in the past, so the score is no slouching matter.
Jeannette and I were in one cart, and Doreen and Darlene were in the other, keeping the official score. What cracked me up is that the end of each hole, we’d ask, so how’d you do and compare scores. Of course, we know how we did (that’s an achievement orientation) and the comparison to others is more about competition. Both are normal and natural in teams. It’s when the competitive aspect moves ahead and overshadows the desire to do your best that makes a team less constructive and more aggressive.
Question: What kind of team are you on? More constructive and achievement oriented or more aggressive and competitive?
