The gracious man

I just came across an article from the May 2013 issue of Esquire, and I have to share it with you.

It’s called “How to be gracious, and why,” by Tom Chiarella, one of the magazine’s best writers. Chiarella hits it out of the park with this one. He writes about eye contact, a firm grip, listening, introducing people, etc.

My favorite excerpt: “Do not pump the hand, unless the other person is insistent on just that. Then pump the hell out their hand.”

I try to be gracious, I really do. I know sometimes I fail. But I still try.

In golf, being gracious is so important. It’s a gentleman’s game. And likewise, it’s a gentleman’s business. It’s not a coincidence that more often than not, it’s the gracious people who are successful in this business. The jerks, the egos, the stiff suits — they might hang around, but it’s usually from job to job.

If I were a college professor, I’d make this short article required reading for every student. I don’t care how smart you are — if you’re not gracious, you don’t stand a chance.

In the new issue of Golfdom, which will be out very soon, we spoke to several gracious men. You’ll see what I mean…