After being the punch line of many jokes, care of late night hosts Jay Leno and David Letterman, sneered at by wives (and girlfriends!) across the globe and shuned by all those who once adored him because of mistakes he made in his personal life, Tiger has returned to the one thing he always excelled in – his career in golf.
After a brief hiatus from golf and a stint in rehab to deal with his “affliction”, Tiger has officially made his return to work. Will all the publicity surrounding his return affect his on the job performance? Well he did choose one of the most reputable venues to return to … the Masters where tight security will ensure there are no surprises from the spectators including impromptu visits from some of the women from his past.
This kind of pressure would have an effect on anyone’s game; even the greatest golfer of all time. Constant attention from your peers (and in this case his spectators) can cause a disruption to your focus therefore undercutting your productivity at work. It is similar to the average person being micromanaged by an over bearing supervisor who is watching and waiting for his employee to make the slightest mistake so he can pounce on him and catch the employee in the act. Do you call that a productive working environment? Not so much.
Tiger, like many employees, go to work and put their personal lives aside to concentrate on the task at hand whether it is winning the Masters or closing that sale. In this case, thanks to the media attention and his celebrity status, Tiger’s personal life is out in the open. No hiding that! It is common knowledge what Tiger has done (15 was it at last check? I have lost count) while the average person is likely to keep their personal situations to themselves to avoid being judged by others . Will all this negative attention affect Tiger’s success?
In any event, whether he won or lost the masters (he didn’t win incase any of you non-golfers were wondering), his image has been forever tarnished. Few of Tiger’s sponsors decided to stick by him during this ordeal which has reduced the buying power his persona will bring. Although what he did in his personal life did not directly affect his performance on the course at the time, it has affected his image as a clean cut family man. And image is everything when you are in the public eye.
As one of the many wives internationally who’s perception of the one time sweet and innocent mentor and role model to many has been forever changed I believe that regardless of how well he does going forward, his career (and marriage I am sure) will never completely recover. Sounds like your personal life can have more of an effect on your career then you think.
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