Playing golf is a course in leadership

"Noom" Congsin Congcar, 54, is among golf enthusiasts who enjoys personal development in the field of sports, human-behavior psychology, and business.

“I was born in Thailand but grew up, received my education and worked in Canada before I moved back to Thailand about 18 years ago in pursuit of golf,” he says. “Due to the country’s geographical location, Thailand has a wealth of wonderful golf courses, many of which are also price-friendly. With the world-class facilities, Thailand has become one of the top dream destinations for golfers.”

Noom started with dreams of becoming the first Asian to play ice hockey in the National Hockey League. Things, however, did not go according to plan. He lost his mum at 13 and then suffered a serious accident, which forced him to bury his dream.

When things don’t go as expected, most people would be disappointed and that’s normal, he says. Noom, however, adapted himself and considered what he calls the “Winning Mindset” through four steps: diagnose the challenge to win; set a winning aspiration; execute a winning plan; and put in winning efforts.

Throwing further light on his "winning mindset" philosophy, he says, sometimes even after getting the first three steps right things don’t work out. That’s where the last one – “winning efforts” – comes in, which means striving for the same goal but changing one's tactics.

Noom says he thrives on challenges, and golf is the kind of sport that gives instant feedback on whether you have succeeded or failed. Golf involves decision making, critical thinking, and acknowledgement of responsibilities, he says.

“When playing golf, I have my goal in mind and I have to hit the ball in a certain direction to achieve my goal. But to make the ball land in the hole depends on many factors. If it goes as per my plan, then I am happy. If not, then I start to engage with the 'Winning Mindset' philosophy," he says.

Noom elaborates that golf is a great way to not only relax but also hone one’s leadership skills. “Golf is like planning a strategy and overcoming the challenges along the way. Creating a possibility environment with self-control and self-reflection is what is needed.”

He uses these strategies for decision making. As he progressed in life, one of the most challenging tasks for him was to make decisions. How to be a good child to his parents, be a professional athlete and do good business?

With his “Winning Mindset” philosophy and athlete mindset, Noom aims to create value for the four key groups in his company: Employees; customers; stakeholders, dealers, partners and regulators; and shareholders of the MUFG and Krungsri Group.

He says his focus is on delivering the best service to his customers. Noom has encouraged 5,000 employees to spot pain points that they see every day, then share and find the solution, and while finding solutions improve what his customers are looking for, especially electric car users.

In addition, he has become a certified professional golf teacher and is planning to embrace new challenges and keep growing with the current trends.