Anyone who loves sports, especially golf, was heartbroken at the news of the passing of Arnold Palmer. Every member of the triumphant American Ryder Cup team, as well as its honorable European opposition, owes much to Palmer. In fact, it’s no exaggeration to say that every professional golfer of the past 60 years owes Palmer. The working-class guy from Latrobe, Pa., brought golf into the television age with a gritty grace and fierce competitive fire.
As a result, golf in America and across the globe was transformed from an elitist game reserved for the wealthy to a game for everyone. Many came to like golf. Many, many more came to love Arnold Palmer.
All of this raises intriguing questions, how did Palmer become an icon in his time who transcended sport, and what does it mean from a marketing perspective? I’d submit that in the past 60 years, Palmer — along with Johnny Unitas in pro football, Willie Mays in baseball and Muhammad Ali in boxing — became a cultural touchstone bigger than his sport
Success on the course is part of the story, but only a part. What made Palmer larger than life is something all of us can possess. From a business perspective, it’s a quality that can make you – and by extension your brand — a winner.
Basic human kindness.
OK, the Golden Rule notion of treating others as we would wish to be is older than the Scriptures. But Palmer, who at his peak dominated his sport as no other, was as aggressive when it came to decency as he was when it came time to hit a 2-iron.
Let me share a story.
Matt Coulter is a well-known sports broadcaster in Birmingham, Ala. In 1984, he was covering the PGA Championship at Shoal Creek Country Club. Coulter, then only 24, was by his own admission “a little green” in the business.
While standing in the media center with his photographer, David Morris, Coulter noticed a Cadillac pulling into the players’ parking lot.
It was Arnold Palmer. No chauffeur. No caddy. Just Arnie.
Anxious to beat his competition, a nervous Coulter walked up behind Palmer’s Caddy without a caddie.
“Mr. Palmer,” Coulter said politely, “my name is Matt Coulter. I am with the local NBC affiliate. I realize you are just arriving and want to head to the practice range, but would you let us ask just a couple of quick questions, please?”
Palmer was tugging his own bag out of the trunk and set it down hard on the pavement. Coulter feared bad timing, and feared too that everything he’s heard about Palmer – that the legend was a great gentleman – wasn’t true.
Palmer closed the trunk and turned to face the young broadcaster. More than 30 years later, Coulter remembers Palmer’s words to a tee.
“Matt, is that your name?”
“Yes sir,” Coulter replied.”
“Matt, my name is Arnie, not Mr. Palmer and I have all the time you need.”
Coulter told the rest of the story on his Facebook page.
“(Palmer) extended his hand to David and introduced himself. Yes, he introduced himself! He shook my hand as well and proceeded to give me an incredible one-on-one interview. At the conclusion – you guessed it – he thanked us. Class act. We need more Arnies.”
It’s easy to guess why Palmer’s faithful fans – known as Arnie’s Army – continued to grow over the years, even after their general’s golfing skills had faded into memory.
It’s because Arnie took time for people, not just the famous or those who could help him, but folks of every walk of life. That was Arnie’s way.
The lesson here for businesses – be they banks, hospitals, or Mom-and-Pop shops – is simple, but powerful.
Make time for people, whether it’s your bank’s smallest depositor or your hospital’s biggest donor, or your shop’s newest customer.
Like Matt said, the world needs more Arnies. And they belong behind teller windows or in hospital corridors, taking time for people.
By doing that, you’ll make your business – and the world – a bit better, building an army along the way.
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