Window Into PGA Of America's Thinking: "Teachable Moment"

Given that no major women's organizations ever denounced the "lil girl" Tweet and even more lame Facebook posting of Ted Bishop, or saw fit to praise the PGA of America for removing the organization's volunteer president with one month to go in a lameduck presidency, the below "Governance Statement" making the email rounds could be seen as a brilliant piece of foresight by the author and sent to all of the PGA of America's board of directors and officers.

Or, a case could be made that the PGA of America jumped the gun in a ploy to make the organization relevant and seemingly progressive, when the organization seems even less so to very many after besmirching a reputation by handing out the death penalty for shoplifting.

I'll let you decide.

GOVERNANCE STATEMENT ON REMOVAL OF PGA PRESIDENT TED BISHOP

On October 24th, 2014, the PGA of America Board of Directors followed Constitutional requirements for an emergency situation that it was faced with due to the gender-based insensitive comments and policy breach published by former President Ted Bishop on social media on October 23rd. The Board acted quickly and decisively because these intensely public comments were directly opposed to our mission to grow the game through inclusion, diversity and accessibility. Based on this situation, the Board moved swiftly to mitigate the damage caused to the reputation of the Association.

In this case, there was ongoing communication among Board members and PGA executive staff throughout the day on October 24^th. The PGA’s stated mission for diversity and inclusion for all individuals is a paramount principle of the Association, and any statements made by the PGA President are deemed to reflect the will of the Association and all of its members

Ultimately, Mr. Bishop was offered the opportunity to resign his position, but he declined. During a conference call held shortly thereafter, in which Mr. Bishop participated, the Board unanimously voted to remove Mr. Bishop from office. Shortly thereafter, the PGA informed all of its national and Section leadership, membership and media of this decision, through a formal release.

Due to Mr. Bishop’s removal from office, the PGA Bylaws prohibit him from

serving on the Board of Directors in the role of Honorary President, nor will he be granted the rights and privileges of a PGA Past President. Mr. Bishop will always be recognized as the 38^th President of the PGA of America, and his record of service during this time period will remain intact.

Mr. Bishop also retains his status as a member of the PGA of America, therefore enabling him to enjoy the same rights and privileges of all PGA members, including the ability to attend events put on by the PGA.

It is important to note that the Board of Directors took a clear and decisive action. It was the right thing to do, and it demonstrates the critical leadership role that the PGA must play in the game at all levels.

The role of the office of President of the PGA of America is to represent the membership and further the mission of the organization.  The statements made by Ted Bishop were not a sentiment that represented the viewpoint of the Association and it was in direct conflict with our very mission of growing the game across all communities.

In fact, those remarks made on social media completely contradict the strong actions our organization has recently taken to create more opportunities for girls and women in the game. We have made significant strides in many ways to be more welcoming, inclusive and diverse including the creation of the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship scheduled for next summer, the rapid growth of PGA Junior League Golf, and the early success of the Drive, Chip & Putt Championship.

Just last week, the PGA hosted the 3^rd annual Sports Diversity & Inclusion Summit, with eight other major sports organizations in attendance. To have led such an important gathering and, within 24 hours, not have acted the way we did through the removal of our President, would have made the PGA look hypocritical and completely out of touch.

On a Friday in the fall when people are going to high school football games, carnivals, Octoberfests and college weekends, here's guessing most of the world's population was not going to couple the Diversity & Inclusion Summit with a Ted Bishop Tweet. I know, big limb there.

We likely would be facing intense scrutiny far beyond the world of golf had we not moved at a rapid pace.

Well, that is correct in the sense no one increased scrutiny of your financial statements of board make up or membership make-up. I'll even predict that the PGA of America and PGA Tour will continue to be confused my most major media outlets outside of the sport. Another limb!

Instead, our swift action has been roundly applauded by the LPGA and KPMG, our partners in the upcoming KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.  In their public statement, the LPGA noted, “The PGA of America's quick and decisive action sent a strong message - reinforcing a consistent belief that with so many positive gains being made among golf's leading organizations, there is simply no room nor willingness, to take a step backwards.”

In addition, Christine Brennan, a highly regarded sports columnist for USA Today, tweeted the following: “A top male sports official is ousted over sexist remarks. First time I've ever written that sentence.”

She also told Golf Channel: “I would now say that golf is now a leader in the fight for women and sports.  And we couldn’t have said that 48 hours ago.  That’s how big of a watershed moment this is.”

Watershed moment? "I have to go now, Duane, because I, I'm due back on the planet Earth."

These highly influential external forces, both in our game and outside it, see the PGA doing the right thing. Being a forceful leader in an area where our game has had a very checkered past.

It is important that I remind you that members of both the national board and section boards are entrusted with the unique position of responsibility to represent their constituencies with every statement they make.

So, Board members, officers and senior staff of all levels of the PGA must exercise prudent judgment when making any public statement because those statements, whether we like it or not, are directly attributed to the organization and to the membership of the PGA as a whole. That responsibility is taken very seriously.

Simply put, there is a heightened sensitivity and responsibility to statements made by the members of leadership groups because of the far-reaching ramifications of the statements. That is abundantly clear from the events of October 23^rd and 24^th.

The events of October 23rd and 24th? You mean the things that happened in the world that actually mattered and actually changed lives, like a school shooting and Ebola news? Those events?

We have all heard of the term “teachable moment,” and this certainly qualifies as such. But it’s not just a teachable moment for PGA leadership – it is for everyone associated with the PGA of America. The words we say and write, especially with the enormous power of social media, can shape opinions and, in some cases, can define careers. And often in very negative ways.  As we learned in this instance, it can cost you your position.

Does anyone really think this was a teachable moment, other than to teach the PGA's volunteer officers to stay off of social media?

As leaders of the game, whether from a national stage or as you drive the game at your facility, PGA Professionals must remember that you are held to the highest levels of professionalism and integrity, and you must always act to uphold those levels.

A separate PR document sent to the various directors, officers and "others" was labeled "Ted Bishop Removed Pushbuttons."

Pushbuttons!

That folks, is your new piece of jargon for today! And who says this site is not educational?

Some of the key "pushbuttons":

Q.    Why did the Board of Directors take this action?

A.    The board felt that the comments made through social media violated the PGA of America Code of Ethics Bylaws.

Any PGA members out there the by-law "Code of Ethics" that address Bishop's Tweet? Please post.

Q.    What gives the Board of Directors the authority to take such an action?

A.    The Constitution of the PGA of America is very clear with regard to the Board of Director’s authority to take action due to an emergency situation in the best interest of the Association.

Emergency? Were lives in danger?

Q:    How is Ted Bishop’s comment different than other similar comments about women that often go unnoticed and unpunished?

A.    Context and responsibility of the role is critical to consider. We cannot comment on the statements that any other organization or individual makes. The role of the office of President of the PGA of America is to represent the membership and further the mission of the organization. The statements made by Ted Bishop were not a sentiment that represented the viewpoint of the Association and it was in direct conflict with the very mission of the PGA of America of growing the game across all communities.      

I feel so much better now that the game will grow. Though it would have been fun to blame Ted Bishop for golf's continued lack of diversity and gender imbalance for the next 20 years.

Q:     Was this the last straw? Is this one of many moves Ted made that angered the Board?

A:    Ted always been an outspoken President, that has not changed.  The Board’s decision was based solely on the insensitive gender based comments Ted made on social media last week.

Well at least we got that part of this cleared up. No double secret probation for Ted. That in itself is shocking.