Forty years ago I interviewed Jack Nicklaus at the Colonial golf tournament following the third round during which he took the lead. I was a month shy of turning 22 years old… and at the end of the line of veteran local TV reporters lined up to speak with him.
When my turn came, the Golden Bear extended his hand and said, “Hi… Jack Nicklaus.” I stammered my name. He graciously answered four easy questions and made me feel like a seasoned journalist.
The next day, he won the tournament… and there I was waiting again to speak to the world’s greatest golfer… who, at age 42, had just won for the first time in two years. He looked me in the eye and said, “Hello, David, nice to see you.”
I’m still impressed that the Ohio State legend remembered my name 24 hours later… and always have realized it had nothing to do with me. It was his amazing ability for recall. In 1995, I met his youngest son, Michael, and shared my experience. “Yes, that’s my dad,” he said. “Years ago, he learned a technique and uses it every day.” Something like: look them in the eye, shake hands, repeat the name three times, envision a friend with the same name, connect them to your friend.
These memories came rushing back recently when a ’30 Something’ client told me he was dating a woman… and needed to ask me a question about relationships. “I met her in a bar,” he said. “It was loud. She texted me her phone number and a few days later I texted back and asked if she wanted to meet for a drink.” The story continued: they went out… they hit it off… they started dating… it’s been two months.
“What do you want to ask me?”
“I was so focused on her when we met,” he said, “that I didn’t hear her name… and now I’m not sure how to ask her. What should I do?”
Coaches stay away from giving advice. Clients work with us to explore possibilities, decide actions to take, and commit to follow through. So I asked a few questions, he reflected, and came up with a plan.
Then, at the end of the session, I said, “Can I tell you a story?”
