What fascinates me about the Tiger Woods story is failure. The idea is that in today's society there are so many outlets for children to succeed, so many outlets for children to avoid failure, so many outlets for parents to insulate their children from failure. My question is, has Tiger Woods really felt failure? Yes, he has lost golf tournaments. But has he ever looked in the mirror and saw himself as a loser? Has he ever wanted something badly and lost it? So my first question, does Tiger Woods really think he has done anything wrong? Does he think he has failed?
Most great champions have an ability to forget. Most great champions look in the mirror and see a great champion. I think Tiger Woods sees himself as a great champion. I think Tiger's dad convinced Tiger that he was a great champion early in his life. I think his women and his friends convinced him that he was a champion. I have very little doubt that Tiger will be able to forget and move forward in his golf career and probably in his personal life. So the second question is, from a public relations, economic, personal standpoint, to whom does he have to prove (re-prove) that he is a champion: the public, reporters, his fellow golfers, his wife and children, his sponsors, the buying public?
I wrote the first two paragraphs before the news conference. And I don't think his statement answered either question. My gut reaction is Tiger Woods still thinks he can have it all. He still doesn't really know failure, and he still can't decide who he has to prove himself to. The thing is I still don't think Tiger Woods knows who he is. And the only person you have to prove anything to is yourself. But when you've spent your whole life insulated from failure, insulated from self-examination, how can anyone expect one to find himself.
One day Tiger will make the speech Michael Jordan made at his Hall of Fame induction. Until then, none of us will ever know who Tiger Woods is. Unfortunately, neither will he.
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