Professional Organizing and the Sport of Curling

Why should you care that I’m an avid curler? Because the tenets of curling have much in common with my professional philosophy. Learn something about the sport, and you’ll learn something about my approach to organizing.

Here’s my Top Ten List of similarities between professional organizing and curling.

1. Courtesy and good conduct prevail, on and off the ice.
2. So do teamwork and mutual encouragement.
3. A clear strategy is needed from the outset.
4. The target is clear. But there’s more than one way to reach it.
5. Success demands effective use of space, time, balance, and rhythm. Often all at once.
6. Flexibility pays off. Changing tactics is sometimes the only way to succeed.
7. There aren’t many rules, but those we do set, we believe in.
8. Honor-based refereeing demands the discipline to call one’s own violations. And the grace to refrain from judging others’ violations.
9. A team plays to win. But never at the expense of the other team’s dignity.
10. A little sweeping can make a difference.