You don’t have to be a rabid golf fan to know that Jordan Spieth lost the Masters golf tournament after leading by five shots with only nine holes remaining. Unpredictably, Danny Willett of England shot a final round 67, while Spieth scored a title-surrendering 73 after dunking two balls into the water on the famed 12th hole. So Willet won the championship by three shots.

Let’s consider three vital business lessons Spieth’s loss provides.

1. Past successes don’t award you the next contest. Mary Kay Ash, who sold and managed her way to the top of the cosmetics industry, said this well: “Never rest on your laurels. Nothing wilts faster than a laurel sat upon.”

Apply her advice to today’s flooded job market. True, job seekers are wise to highlight their major accomplishments in their resumes, and to refer to them during their interviews.

However, a potential employer will determine what you can do for her company now, next year and beyond. How will you boost teamwork, sales and customer service? Will you adjust successfully to the new corporate culture?

2. Talented competitors surround you. Willett didn’t qualify for the Masters by winning something like the Toledo club championship. He ranked 12th worldwide among professional golfers.

Think back a few years to the condescending comments some business owners made about an upstart company called Wal-Mart. As we know, they misjudged. Wal-Mart has become the world’s largest corporation, according to revenue, and the world’s largest private employer.

So here’s a second vital message: Never assume the competition seems trivial, less prestigious or unlikely to take control. Plan, work, manage, sell and motivate as though your competitors are gaining on you — big-time.

3. One big loss will not destroy your career. So Spieth did not win the Masters, and resembled an amateur badly in pursuit of his club’s championship. Yet would you consider him washed up, a has-been? Would you bet against him in any tournament he enters? A thousand dollars or more?

Not likely, because you know that one loss, even one witnessed worldwide, will not destroy his confidence permanently, reduce his talent or erase his drive to regain and keep the No. 1 spot.

Relating to the business scene, have you experienced any of these threats?

• Downsized staff, making you accomplish more with less help.

• Company has a new owner, you get a new boss.

• Your health and retirement plans shrink drastically.

• The company transfers you to a distant location.

• You lose your job.

Once more, use the Spieth analogy. You, too, will reach top levels again. Chances are strong you have done that before, after what you considered a career-ending catastrophe. Now you are even more skilled, you have additional leaders referring you and you know you can adjust to unsettling situations.

No, Spieth didn’t win the coveted green jacket, but he certainly gave all of us three superb business lessons.

Bill Lampton
Gainesville