Last Monday Michael Harrison and Peter Short delivered a magnificent inter-livery golf day at Verulam Golf Club - home of the Ryder Cup. With 96 people either playing or attending socially, it was a great celebration of fellowship with other livery companies and organisations with whom we have a close relationship, such as the Chartered Institute of Marketing and St Dunstan's College.
The analogies between business and sport can be overplayed, with references to teamwork, achieving goals etc. But there seem to be parallels between the City of London and the game of golf.
Compared with other countries, the City has more of a principles-based framework for operations, rather than being rules-based. We all know the importance of integrity and trust e.g. "My word is my bond".
Golf is a self-managing sport. There are no referees. Players are expected to play with honesty and integrity, doing the honourable thing, declaring a penalty against oneself rather than doing what is personally advantageous.
Neither golf nor the City would claim to be perfect but, at their best, both aspire to the same enduring principles.
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