Rear Admiral Speaks: "Fight the battle you’re in, not the battle you wish you were in."
/Beth Ann Baldry and Alistair Tait sit down with Rear Admiral Marsha Evans about her efforts as interim LPGA Commissioner. I never thought I'd find comfort in militaryspeak, but after five years of MBAspeak...
GW: How do you think your military background will help your role with the LPGA?
ME: In the military, you learn as a very junior officer to focus on the mission. 2010 and beyond, that’s the mission. . . . In the military, we used to say there’s no prize for second place in war. There really is no prize for second place in meeting the needs of the players.I think a second aspect is what we call situational awareness. You’ve got to be aware of what’s happening in your environment. . . . People say, ‘Oh, the economy,’ and wring (their) hands about how bad it is. Well, OK; what are you going to do to overcome the challenges? It is what it is. All the time worrying about it and wringing your hands over it, you’re not moving the ball forward. I think that’s another piece of it. I think there are opportunities for us in this lousy economy. Opportunities to build relationships with prospective sponsors.Today they may not be our sponsor, but now is the time to start talking with that key list of partners we would like to have so that when the economy changes, we will be well-positioned coming out of it. Fight the battle you’re in, not the battle you wish you were in. The battle we’re in is pretty straightforward.
And this is refreshing...
GW: Is that an avenue for you to pursue, now that we’re in this economic climate?
ME: We have the opportunity to have tournaments that aren’t on the big-world scale – like this tournament, for example. . . . (Smaller markets) are an opportunity for us. This is what grows a fabulous fan base. . . .I want it to stay accessible. Not everybody lives in a megalopolis. Some live in the medium and smaller communities. For me, I think it’s critical that we have the opportunity for wide-ranging geographies.
