Business owners get so engrossed in running their businesses that they get into a rut and wonder why they are not able to lower their “handicaps.”

Learning to lower one’s golf scores can be quite a challenging task. For most handicap players the short game presents the best opportunity to shoot lower scores. Mastering the wedge and putting may be the fastest way to play better golf.

Is there a short game that businesses can use to improve profits? Would mastering the quality game be the fastest way to “play better business?”

When we review the Toyota fiasco during the past few months, it may be easy to cite quality as the way to lower the handicap. It makes one wonder, though, whether this may be the only factor. Could there be other causes that inhibit business and trade growth?

For small businesses, the prosperity of owners is tied directly to the success of the businesses. In golf, despite the differing courses, some golfers are able to thrive. Similarly, strategies deployed by business owners directly affect their fiscal growth, despite the harsh operating environment. What are their secrets? Surely, it cannot just be about quality?

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