A King, An Army and Little Things

"The King is dead... the Army marches on...  and little things matter." - Anonymous




An umbrella seems like a little thing - until it rains. Seeing a 'thumbs up' sign might seem like a little thing - unless you're one stroke down, in the rough with one hole to play - and the sign comes from Arnold Palmer. And whether you call a man Arnie, Arnold, The King or some other popular moniker might be a small matter - but not if he deserves to be called Mr. Palmer.

I was a young executive with IMG when I first met Arnold Palmer in 1986. He was bigger than life and even nicer than his press clippings declared. I could see why they called him The King in an instant.

Here was a man, who could 'walk with kings and keep the common touch'. By now everyone knows Arnold Palmer was a transformative figure. Not only did he alter the game of competitive golf and shift the balance of power, but he did it while opening the game to a new generation of golfers. He did it by being the 'everyman' who walked into a country club setting and claimed his place - politely, with respect... but make no mistake, forcefully.



"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated" - Arnold Palmer

My favorite story about Mr. Palmer is not about his golf prowess, his excellence as a businessman or the way he defined the American Dream. It is not about his overwhelming charisma, his humble nature, or how he helped invent modern day sports marketing.

My story is about the day he took time out from his very busy schedule to pose for a photograph with my wife Sally... and later signed it to her dad Ken, for his 75th birthday. Unbeknownst to Arnold, Ken had once golfed with his father Deke at Latrobe G&CC in 1960 (give or take a year or two).



But that's just a part of the story. Fifteen years later, I asked Mr. Palmer if he might send a note of congratulations to Ken on is 90th birthday. Arnold agreed, on the condition that I send him some information about Ken, so he could send a customized note.

True to his word, shortly before Ken's birthday a letter arrived on APE letterhead bearing the signature of one Arnold Daniel Palmer. In the long letter, he complimented Ken on his many holes-in-one (more than I have had!) congratulated him on continuing to play into his nineties and encouraged him to keep it up. "It will keep you young" he said in closing.

A man who is among the most famous sportsmen of all time, doesn't have to take the time to send a personal note. But to this man... it was simply a part of who he was.

Little things.

Arnold Palmer and Mark McCormack formed a team that created an entirely new industry. IMG was an audacious experiment in 1959 when it was formed by a handshake between these two men.  It became an amazing agency... one that created the opportunity for me to earn a living, doing things I loved, in an electric environment. I owe much that I have accomplished and the lions share of what I have learned in business to these two giants.




















So we lost a King last week, one that led an army of people into a new age of golf, leaving a legacy that transcends the game and one that firmly proves that "Nice guys can finish first."

To me he will forever be Mr. Palmer.

Just one of those little things.

A Handshake And A Mission

This month of May 2012 marks the ninth anniversary of the loss of a visionary man, Mark Hume McCormack (1930 - 2003).

I was fortunate to meet Mark in 1986 and the man universally recognized for pioneering the modern sports marketing industry left an indelible impression on both my career and my life.

This column could very easily be filled with his myriad accomplishments.  Names like Jean Claude Killy, Wayne Gretzky, Bjorn Borg, Mohammad Ali, Jeff Gordon, Chris Evert and Arnold Palmer would be bantered around.  Hallowed places of sport such as Wimbledon, Augusta National, Yankee Stadium, St. Andrews, Madison Square Garden, Wembley and The Indianapolis Motor Speedway would surely be mentioned.

But that's not what makes Mark McCormack special to me.

It was his thirst to innovate, his desire to do things better.  It was his creative nature, his drive to be first tempered by a common touch.  And it was his love of and appreciation for competition that drove him always into new territory... a true pioneer in every sense of the word.

I love to tell the story of how IMG was born with a handshake between Mark McCormack and Arnold Palmer... it is one I continue to tell with pride today.

His company, IMG, was an audacious experiment.  His team of executives and staff were a collection of talented people, from all corners of the world, who could make the seemingly impossible possible.  And his energy and enthusiasm filled the halls of IMG offices from New York to London to Paris and Aukland to Johannesburg to Hong Kong.  For goodness sake, MHM, as we IMGer's affectionately referred to him, was well known in New Delhi, Hamburg and Kuala Lumpur.

Mark was, quite simply, on a mission.  A mission to innovate.

He was legendary for some of his quirks.  He maintained a meticulous file of index cards on people and projects that he would fill with handwritten notes allowing him to keep track of details, large and small.  And he was forever preparing to-do lists on yellow note pads... and then knocking off the tasks one by one.

He was feared by some, admired by many and respected by all... but never ignored, underestimated and rarely, unknown.

What I like most about Mark was his dedication to IMG and the people that made up the company.  And what will stay with me forever is the way he steadfastly kept after his goals.

With a handshake and a mission.