2018-07-06 email topic – Let Me (Re)Introduce Myself… all 3 of me

In keeping with the old adage “no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care”, I thought it would be worthwhile to step back and clarify what my goal is in asking for a small bit of your precious time to read these blog posts.

My name is Mike Dickoff and I hang my shingle in Minnetonka, MN.

Since 2012 I have been focusing the lions’ share of my time trying to add some value to the golf industry… building software solutions to help golfers play more often, providing information to golf course operators that helps them manage their businesses more effectively, teaming with golf industry entrepreneurs to create innovative new services, etc.  The anecdotes, ideas and experiences and data accumulated during that time is the subject of these emails and related blog posts.  I’m hoping to give you stimulating food for thought on topics that are important to your business and am always interested in hearing your feedback on whether or not these messages are hitting the mark.

I believe in the Power of Threes so I’ll tell you three things about myself that might help you decide whether you have any interest in hearing what I have to say:

#1 – I’m an analytical nerd… Math major in college, wrote my first computer program in 1975 on a computer with 16k of memory (that’s about enough to store this email), got an MBA at the University of Chicago and spent my entire business career in the bowels of computer systems… programming, designing, planning, evaluating, selecting… culminating in founding and managing a software business with customers in 30 countries and 600+ employees.  Why is that important?  My assertions will always have some data and analysis behind them… no fact-free opinions. I also spend considerable time studying the golf software industry and will frequently provide facts and opinions that can be useful to course operators as you try to find software solutions that are the best fit for your businesses.

#2 – I spent almost 30 years immersed in one of the most successful companies in the world.  Accenture is the world’s leading systems integrator.  During my time there (1979-2008) we grew from 3,000 employees (40 in Minneapolis) to almost 200,000 (2,000 in Minneapolis) and I had the opportunity to work with and learn from thousands of very talented and hard working people and to get exposed to the best companies in the world in health care (Mayo Clinic), financial services (Ameriprise, Wells Fargo, US Bank), airlines (Delta, Air Canada, JetBlue, WestJet, Virgin Blue, AirAsia and many more) and information technology (too many to mention).  Why should you care?  My experiences at Accenture taught me that every industry has its own set of unique issues and challenges, but 80% of the problems are the same in every industry… some of the insights picked up on this long and winding road can be useful in the golf industry.

#3 – I’m addicted to golf… but I’m not a particularly skilled golfer.  How does that help you?  I’ve noticed that many people working in the golf industry are either pro caliber players and/or don’t have an opportunity anymore to experience what Joe Golfer experiences… for example, when is the last time you booked a tee time?  I empathize with Joe Golfer because I am him… much of what I say will reflect the day-to-day reality experienced by many of your customers.

For your reading pleasure, I write under 3 alter egos:
#1 – Mike Dickoff – I’ve named these weekly blog posts “Gimme 5” because what I’m requesting from you is simple… please give me 5 minutes of your precious time each week and I promise to give you some stimulating food for thought.  It will usually only take you a minute or two to read my post but if it doesn’t prompt you to think about it for at least a few more minutes I have missed the mark.  I am always excited to hear your thoughts… please feel free to post comments with your thoughts and we will take them to heart.

#2 – Golf Nomad– I play 50+ golf courses a year and visit with another 200+ and occasionally my inner Golf Nomad spits out a blog post at https://blog.grouplooper.com/category/golf-nomad/

#3 – Golf Gadfly– Gadfly is one of my favorite words… “a person who interferes with the status quo of a society or community by posing novel, potently upsetting questions, usually directed at authorities.”  When feeling feisty I do my best to live up to the moniker at https://blog.grouplooper.com/category/golf-gadfly/