David Novak 0:04 

Welcome to How leaders lead where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world, I break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode, you'll have something simple, you can apply as you develop into a better leader. That's what this podcast is all about. Today, we're back again, for part two of my conversation with Fred Ridley, chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club. If you haven't had a chance to listen to part one yet, stop and do that first, believe me, you don't want to miss a minute of it. Now, it's not easy to preserve the incredible tradition of a place like Augusta National Golf Club, while also making sure you're moving into the future with new ideas. That tension between preserving tradition and driving innovation is something we can probably all relate to. Fred has some great strategies that help him lead the way. And I have no doubt you're going to find all kinds of good stuff here to apply in your own world. So here's part two of my conversation with my good friend, and soon to be yours, Fred Ridley.

You were forced to cancel the the April 2020. Masters due to COVID 19. And you had a huge decision to make as to whether to even hold the Masters in November. What's the backstory on how you came to the decision that the show could go on?

Fred Ridley 1:31 

Well, you know, in March, when this was all sort of converging, I remember getting into the club, sometime around the middle of March, maybe it was about the 10th of March, maybe the Wednesday of the Players Championship Tuesday or Wednesday, we had some good counsel, we had some consultants we were working with, we're really following the virus in this progression. And, you know, I remember that when I arrived to the club and got settled in my office, I was told that we probably have four or five days to make this decision. And after being at a meeting for a couple of hours, I said, I think we have 24 hours to make this decision. Because this is everything is starting to kind of converge on this issue. And within Dali was probably within 24 hours, or certainly no more than 48 hours, the NBA had canceled their season. And then of course, we know what happened with the Players Championship when they played, they played the first round and then made a decision to play the second round without spectators. And then ultimately decided to cancel the tournament. So I just think I think it was it was the sort of thing with the momentum of the issue. There was so much unknown, that we felt like that we could not have the tournament in April wouldn't be responsible. But we also were determined that we weren't going to going to say that we were canceling it. Because I knew that if if in fact, there was a possibility of having the tournament rescheduling the tournament, I knew that's what we would want to do, and then what we could do. And I think that's a testament really not only to our organization, but to the entire, but I call the golf ecosystem that really came together. And you know, there were some given some take rescheduled this tournament, that tournament didn't happen in 2020. But it really was all done for the good of the game and the good of the sport. You know, I think not only golf, but I think all sports has done extremely well in not only reacting in managing through this crisis for their own sport sake. But also in looking beyond that into how can we use our platform? How can we use our sport? How can we use our facilities to help with testing to help with vaccinations, etc. So I'm very I'm very proud of all sports and out and how they reacted and contributed to this.

David Novak 3:51 

You know, you had to do a lot of coordination. I know with the NFL and the SEC to ensure TV viewing in November. How do you go about getting that kind of collaboration? You know, it's

Fred Ridley 4:03 

like anything else. It's, that's where friendships and relationships come in and sort of intersect with business. I mean, clearly, we all have our priorities, our business priorities, and we have our responsibilities to our customer constituents. But we also know that all of this works better if we work together. And there was there was really a coming together. I mean, just a great example was that, you know, the cooperation of the NFL in our partners CVS. With regard to the Sunday broadcast, we would not have been able to have the Masters on national network television, had the NFL not agree to move all the CBS games and CBS agreed to do that to move them into the late slot. So we had we had no competition with the NFL. When we of course we had we did have to move our finish early, which we did the year before for a different reason for weather. So we couldn't compete with the NFL. The Tired day, but the fact that they were willing to do that. And then on Saturday, the SEC moved their feature game to a night game. There was a lot of cooperation. I think it was a win win for everybody. But we couldn't have done it without our friends.

David Novak 5:13 

And it was a great tournament, no question about that, you know, staying on the COVID subjects for a little longer hear it. You mentioned earlier, you're proud of sports, how they'd really stepped up and really helped fight this pandemic. Tell us about your partnership with Augusta University Health.

Fred Ridley 5:31 

We early on, you know, the focus was was on testing. And we just felt that if if the resources were there, that Augusta University and au health, you know, had the wherewithal had the expertise to really ramp up testing. And so we along with the Community Foundation of Greater Augusta Community Foundation together contributed $2 million to that effort. And so I think many more 1000 people were tested as a result of that, you know, created we created a drive thru testing system, like a lot of communities did. But it got to the university and au health has been wonderful partners, you know, they're involved in the Harrisburg project, you know, their campus, their medical campus is down there. So it's a good example of the leadership in a community, the second largest communities you mentioned in the state working together. More recently, we've been focusing on the vaccination front. And we've done that in a couple of ways, obviously, with financial support. But we've converted some of our properties in Washington Road into vaccination centers. And so while we don't know the exact number, we're confident is going to be in the 1000s per day that we'll be able to go through and be vaccinated at that site. We've also funded pop up clinics around the area as well as mobile units. And the key to the mobile units, David is that they're actually able to go into these underserved communities. And really, instead of having patients come to the centers, we're going to the patients, as the supply of vaccinations increase, it's really going to be I think, a virtuous cycle where we're going to get more people and more shots in the arm. And we're going to get this thing under control.

David Novak 7:07 

Great, you know, I love that. And is it safe to say, Fred, that you're using social responsibility as a major driver to make Augusta National in the Masters brands even more impactful and relevant?

Fred Ridley 7:19 

I certainly hope so, David, and I think that really kind of points to what I feel is probably the biggest challenge that I realized, in leading this organization, that is, how do I honor the long standing traditions, and the culture of this organization that has periods so far, yet, take those traditions and culture. And I don't like the word modernize. But I can't think of another word right now. But to really move us into the future in a way that we can use our brand, in a much broader way than perhaps we have in the past. I'm very sensitive, I'm very careful. You know, we don't want to change our culture. But we're blessed with the resources to do so many things. And so I just think that we can look at a broader sort of Canvas as to what our outreach is going to be, we certainly is always going to be through the game of golf and using the game of golf. But I think this is an example. And I'm sure there'll be others, and we're looking for others where we can go beyond just the game of golf, to try to make the difference.

David Novak 8:24 

Fred, there's there's no question that Augusta National in the Masters is one of the kind in the world of golf and in all sports for that matter. How are you leveraging that differentiation in the world of digital and social media,

Fred Ridley 8:37 

I believe that broadcast television is always going to be a big part of reaching our audience. But the realities are that people are consuming content in a much different way than they have traditionally done. And so our focus in that regard has really been pretty simple. And that really is to give people content in the ways that they want to consume it. And that clearly means focusing on digital, you know, we're getting ready to open up a new facility across Washington Road, which when we get finished landscaping and berming, you won't be able to see it, but you can see it pretty clearly right now. But that's that's going to house you know, not only our television partners, both domestically and internationally, but also a large portion of that facility is going to be dedicated to digital content and the production of digital content. So I think I really think that's where the future is. We've got a great team, we've expanded that team recently, but that that is going to be a big focus of ours in the coming years.

David Novak 9:37 

You know, anyone who follows golf knows that the Masters is is the tradition like no other. How do you balance that thread between playing it safe and pushing the envelope because here you just built this global broadcast center, you know, across from the property in Washington Road. I mean, that's a feat in and out itself, I understand there's a huge tunnel that goes underneath the road that didn't even have to close the road as you built this, and it'll be ready to go this April. I mean, that's, that's pushing the envelope. I mean, how do you how do you balance that?

Fred Ridley 10:11 

Well, I think you hit the nail on the head, it is a balance. And I think if you have a set of principles and beliefs that you can always go back to, and you can always test what you're doing, then I think that's how an organization stays grounded. You know, and so, you know, someone asked me the other day, why it was important to do some of the things that we're doing. And I started thinking about, you know, people who have been coming to the masters for many, many years, and the way that they go away in the way they say that they're treated, they're treated with courtesy and respect, and smiling faces and hospitality, like they've never seen before. And so I think as long as we look at these new opportunities, through the filter of those, those values that are part of our, of our DNA, we're never always gonna make the right decisions. But we'll make the majority of those will be the right decisions. And so that's the way I really look at it is putting him through those filters of our of our founders, principles of excellence, Respect for others of continuous improvement. And I think if as long as we stay at that high level, then what sort of emanates from that will will be good.

David Novak 11:25 

Can you tell us a little backstory on just this tunnel underneath Washington Road? That had to be an incredible engineering feat? For sure.

Fred Ridley 11:33 

Well, it's been a really a game changer, because we do have quite a bit of property on the other side of Washington Road. And, you know, as you know, Masters time, it's pretty crazy on that thoroughfare. So, to be able to have a tunnel that can accommodate basically 218 Wheel vehicles at the same time going in opposite directions. It's really, it's really amazing. So like I said, it's a game changer. And, and it did, it did employ, you know, some pretty cutting edge technology. I mean, I don't think that type of construction has been used very often, we had to get cooperation from our local and state authorities. I mean, without the Georgia Department of Transportation, we could not have done that project. So that's just another example of relationships, long term relationships, the trust has been developed over the years between those relationships and and it's it was everybody working together on that one,

David Novak 12:26 

that's absolutely incredible. You know, when you in the club decide to do something, you certainly have a tradition to do it in a manner to 18 wheelers, that's something else, you know, the Masters is the only major tournament that's run completely by the membership. The committees are headed by members, you've got some CEOs and some of the most influential people in the world in charge of everything from security to parky to trash collection. What's it like leading such high caliber leaders?

Fred Ridley 12:56 

Well, let's put it this way. There's no There's no shortage of confidence in the committee leadership that we have. But no, it's really amazing, David, I mean, you know, you mentioned the, you know, the type of people that are doing this, to me, one of the great things about Augusta National is really the affection and the dedication and the loyalty that the membership has to the organization. And that really reflects itself in in people that run big companies and they leave their egos at the gate, they will do anything. I mean, it may be heading up to grounds committee and picking up trash, it doesn't matter. But that's going to be the best operation anywhere in the world. And I think that that's a unique element of the masters. Although having said that, you know, I always want to be mindful. And we all should be mindful that we have literally 1000s of volunteers that come in every year. And notwithstanding the great leadership of our committees, we couldn't do it without those volunteers. I think they enjoy as much as we appreciate having them. But nevertheless, that's really the lifeblood of the tournament.

David Novak 14:00 

Sure is, you know, and shifting gears a little bit back to the community. I know that you and Betsy have lived in Tampa Bay for a long time. So congrats on your Super Bowl win. That had to be exciting to watch Tom Brady, take the team to the promised land in your hometown. Did you get to go to the game,

Fred Ridley 14:16 

we didn't go to the game. I think if you're looking at it objectively, just from a football fan, if you if you were disinterested in the game, it probably wouldn't go down as being one of the most memorable Super Bowls. But that's not the way we looked at it. We thought it was exciting, the most exciting Superbowl we've ever seen. But I'm really so happy for our time and for the entire team. And you know, there's an example. And I know you've done a podcast with Tom but there's an example of the leadership that he brought to the Tampa Bay organization. I think the impact of that I think actually exceeded the talent that he brought when he when he came down last year. I mean, you could just see it in the eyes of these young players, how they looked up to him, and how they didn't want to just appoint him and he really was the glue that brought all this together. So I'm so proud of him and the entire team. And and it's amazing, isn't it? How? How sports really energizes a community. And it does great things. And of course, we had quite a year in Tampa and probably the most unusual sports year in the history of, of sport by winning the Stanley Cup, the Super Bowl. Ray's got to the World Series. It's been amazing.

David Novak 15:24 

He was only fitted you don't. And, Fred, I know your most important partner in life is Betsy. What kind of role does she play as the the first lady of Augusta National?

Fred Ridley 15:34 

Well, we've been married 43 years. I don't even know what to say. I mean, she is my soulmate. She knows how I think inside and out. I'm not sure I'd be Chairman, if I work for Betsy Ridley, you know, she's been around Augusta for so long. You know, she has so many friends there. She respects the traditions of the organization. And we're a team, there's no question about it.

David Novak 15:57 

Augusta employs hundreds of team members. And I understand you, you have worked with your leadership team to codify your mission and core values. Can you talk about why you did this with your leadership team? And, and and you know, how you how you look at culture is such a venerable institution.

Fred Ridley 16:16 

Sure, I think our core values are essentially the core values that have been a part of the organization for many, many years, but they hadn't quite been codified as in the way that that we did. And I think there are a couple of important aspects to that one is, and I mentioned a minute ago, is that, you know, if you have a foundation, you always can go back to that foundation, then you're not going to get too far off track. I mean, if you're able to judge your actions, you're intense by what your underlying values are. And then I think that that it to me is a common sense, solid way to run an organization. But secondly, and very importantly, this was a bottoms up process. This was not something that I dictated in an organized while I organized it, but I didn't really run it, I didn't run the process. It was a very collaborative, everybody was involved, everybody had their input, there were dozens of iterations. And before I ever saw it, I just think that process that we went through and doing it brought the organization closer together, and made us a strong organization. So and I mean, if you go, if you go around the club and the various departments, I'll bet you 90% chance that in every office, in every work area, you're gonna see a little green card case into the wall case of the people's computers, right there, hey, look at that, dozen times a day, it makes me so happy when I see those cards, I carry one around in my briefcase, you know, because I think I've learned tremendously from our people that really translates over to what I do with a law firm.

David Novak 18:02 

You know, in preparation of for this, this time together, Fred, I talked to a few of your staff members. And you know, that green card is something that they live by now. I mean, they're so proud that they developed this and it was a bottom up approach and you know, everything to get the language down the way how they did, which it's very impressive. I think it's terrific that you put so much value on continuous improvement in the standard of excellence that they Clifford Roberts and Bobby Jones founded the club on and 88 years ago, a lot of leaders, Fred, they discard the past, you know, they come in, and it's a new day, a new sheriff in town, but But you and your team, you really have said several times in this conversation, how much you embrace the past and tradition of the club? How critical is it in your mind? And why do you think leaders get off track?

Fred Ridley 18:51 

You know, I think there's a natural tendency for anyone coming into a new job as the chief executive to make their mark. I mean, we're all you know, we're all human beings, we want to, you know, hopefully leave an org an organization better than we found it. And that's certainly the way I feel. And I know that my successor is going to feel the same way. And and I think sometimes in trying to execute on that goal, that I think sometimes leaders and companies loses their way. And I don't think it's at all inconsistent, maintain your values and change you can do both at the same time. And I think maybe a better word that changes evolve, you can evolve and still be true to your values. But again, I think if you look at the many great things that this organization has done over the years, you know, all the focus maybe has changed in recent years a little bit. I mean, there's a reason for that. And I also think that that a simple thought, you know, it sounds kind of like a cliche, but when you talk about excellence, and if that just if that permeates your DNA and every thought that You know, it overlays everything you do, it's a pretty powerful influence or, you know, its excellence and continuous improvement. And I mean, if you were to look, review the committee reports I get every year, you would think, Okay, I can't even think of anything that masters could do better. I mean, I get pages and pages of memos of unbelievable ideas. The point is, is that people are thinking they're stretching their How can we get better? And and there will be, there will be one or two great ideas come out of every committee every year, we implement those. So it's a never ending process.

David Novak 20:35 

got curious, Fred is an organization like Augusta National put emphasis on leadership development within your within your team?

Fred Ridley 20:43 

That is such an interesting question. Because if you had asked me that a year ago, I would have had a hard time answering it. But we we actually are at this very moment, we have reached out to several outside people, for us to interview them, for them to interview us for that very purpose of how do we how do we, how do we go to the next step? We how do we get to the next level of leadership. And so we are undergoing that process now. And then hopefully, that will provide a foundation for programs inside programs, internal programs that are continuing. I think we have so much potential, and I get so excited when I talk about it, because I think we've done so much, maybe without that formal training. And, and I think I think there's so much potential in horizon, if we kind of take that next step.

David Novak 21:31 

You know, I also understand that you make it a point to spend time with every function, personally, from the housekeeping staff to the technology group. Why do you make that such a priority to be with the troops?

Fred Ridley 21:44 

Well, part of it is I really enjoy it. I love the people. Like I said a minute ago, I've learned as much from this job as any anything I've ever done. And to understand how important it is for a leader to spend time with the people really that that make the organization run. It's a energizes him and energizes me, I used to kind of underestimate how important that was, well, maybe, you know, they don't really talk want to talk to me, they've got their job to do. But I can just see it in their eyes. You know, I mean, I'll go into the laundry department, and you know, there'll be on their break, and I'll be talking just, I can look at the body language these people are, they are energized, they're fired up, and I walk away feeling the same way. So it's, it's a mutual thing. You know, that's great,

David Novak 22:34 

you know, and I also know, Fred, that you're a stickler for knowing as many first names as you possibly can at every level in the organization. You know, what do you have an experience that made that a real priority for you?

Fred Ridley 22:47 

Well, I think it's because you know, it's not natural, I'm not very good at it. And so I think sometimes when you're not very good at something, you probably spend more time trying to be better at it. And so, you know, I'll use little tricks, you know, whatever I can do to remember names. And then when I go into a meeting, I always make sure I study up and if I've forgotten a couple of names, and I refresh my recollection, because, you know, it's hard with that many people, you know, but, but again, those little personal touches, they have such an impact. So I do it with enthusiasm. I think it's really important.

David Novak 23:22 

You know, it seems like your formula for successes as a leader is to put the team members first, build their capability in the member, the guests in the patron experience will get even better. How did you develop this people first philosophy?

Fred Ridley 23:36 

Well, I think just perhaps by watching others, and by perhaps, being on the other side of that equation, when I was a younger person, you know, I have, I've had several people in my life that I've really looked up to, and I've learned so much just by watching them, and I saw how they paid attention to me, and what an impact that had on me. So how much they enjoy doing that is sort of something when you practice something, and you get positive feedback, and you get positive results. All of a sudden, it becomes part of who you are. And you enjoy it. It. It makes life fun. It makes life enjoyable. And so I just, I just I like it. It makes me feel good. It makes me feel like perhaps I'm helping other people, but I've been the recipient of it. So I know. Yeah.

David Novak 24:27 

And now Fred, we've got the 2021 Masters coming up. Can we expect anything new and what are you most excited about this year?

Fred Ridley 24:35 

Well, a little different from November, we're gonna have a few 1000 patrons. And I think we're ready for that. Really excited to have the golf course showing at a time of year which would is it's at its best. I mean, our golf course team did an unbelievable job in October or November rather October getting ready for November, but it was not the best time to here it is to have the count petition in the players were very complimentary. You know, we had a lot of rain. So the course was very soft. You know, hopefully that won't be the case in April. So I'm just looking forward to kind of getting back to some more degree of normality. And I think it'll be a big step towards 2022. I think people are excited to come back under the members are excited. We're going to have our families back, which we couldn't do and in November, so it's going to be great. You know, I

David Novak 25:26 

know, it's an incredible 24/7 responsibility that you have. But what's the most fun you have personally hosting the masters?

Fred Ridley 25:34 

You know, it's great to see a lot of friends. I mean, I know, certainly all of the players are in their mid 30s and up, but I, you know, I'm not, that's not really what drives me, I think I think it's really seeing two things, I think, is seeing the golf world sort of get together in one place. That's probably what I missed the most from November. And even to a large degree, we won't quite be there in April, it is a place that anyone involved in the game of golf wants to be that first week of April, I mean, and to see that Wednesday night function we have where we invite, you know, our international friends from around the world. I mean, to me, that is like a melting pot. And that that is probably my favorite, my favorite day, my favorite night of the week. That's really what I look forward to. And then the other thing, you know, just on a personal level, is I mentioned that, you know, my three daughters are huge golf fans, I think, coming to the Masters, they're all in their 30s Now, but coming to him to him or Mary, coming to the Masters is probably the highlight of their year. And they have so much by we've had so many memories as a family. So I think those two things are what really I think about the most,

David Novak 26:45 

you know, Friday, you know, I think about it, you've seen all kinds of volatility as a commercial real estate lawyer, and, you know, Matt, that business, you know, you know, how volatile it could be, and now you had to lead through COVID? What advice can you give based on what you've learned on on how to lead during the toughest times?

Fred Ridley 27:04 

Well, again, I think, you know, I've always felt that leadership was more about people than process. And, you know, I think it's, it's trying to instill confidence in the people that are in your organization, that things are gonna get better. And I mean, if they see the boss, you know, with a long face, and wringing his hands or her hands over the current circumstances, they're gonna have a hard time getting through that. I think really just setting that example of a positive attitude. That, you know, this is we're going through a tough time, but we're resilient, we can get through it together. And that's really been the word and important resilience is one that we have really almost has become our our watchword is that we're resilient, we're gonna bounce back, we can get through this. And yeah, a lot of times you can talk yourself into feeling pretty good. That's kind of what I've been focused on.

David Novak 28:01 

Yeah, it'd be beats B and E, or any day of the week. Anyone, Fred, that watches you in action during the press conference realizes that you're a master communicator? You know, how do you get ready to handle the the high hard ones, that you know, they come your way every now and then?

Fred Ridley 28:18 

Well, there's a lot of preparation I try to be to have facts to back up everything I say. Not gonna say anything I don't believe in, you know, with all my my heart. Overall things just be honest, and be prepared.

David Novak 28:32 

You know, Fred, you mentioned earlier that either liars aren't necessarily known for being great leaders, and, you know, liars. I've got a lot of friends who are liars. And I have a lot of friends who are great leaders as lawyers. But you know, there's a lot of butts of, you're the butt of a lot of jokes as a profession, you know, and you take all kinds of shots. Was there ever a time that you felt underestimated as a leader because you're a lawyer?

Fred Ridley 28:54 

I don't think people think about lawyers as being leaders. And, you know, although I do think in the sort of the modern practice of law, that that teamwork is more important. It's more emphasized, you know, I think lawyers work in teams more than they used to. But there still is this sort of underlying feeling. And I hate this term, but you hear it a lot when you when you talk about lawyers, and that's sort of eat what you kill. I think that my progression is a lawyer and what the advice I give to young lawyers, as soon as you experience the power of those relationships and people and working with your colleagues, and seeing how much sort of reflective glow you get from their success. As soon as you've learned that and you experience it, then you realize that there's so much more potential if you don't care about the credit that you get. It takes a while to learn, but I'm going to always emphasize to our lawyers that you know, the practice of law, any profession, I think anything you do is not a sprint, it's a marathon. And so you just want to keep hitting those singles and doubles. I tell our young lawyers, and I've talked to my daughters about this who are all in business or professions that do good things for people, you know, add value to people's lives, without any expectation of anything in return and do it every day, you know, little things, big things. You're gonna be unbelievably surprised how that starts coming back to you. And it's cumulative. It's like the power of compounding interest. You know, it doesn't happen today. But it'll happen over time. So while while I don't think lawyers get a lot of credit for being good leaders, I think they're more than you think. And I mean, we know some of Yeah, absolutely. I think there's a lot. There's a lot to be said for that.

David Novak 30:41 

You know, Fred, this has been so much fun. And I know I've taken more time than I should. But I'd like to have a little bit more with you with a lightning round of q&a. All right, what three words best describe you?

Fred Ridley 30:52 

I would say that I'm determined a lot more competitive people think I am. Lastly, and I say this with hope, because this is ultimately determined by others, but I hope I'm trustworthy.

David Novak 31:07 

If you could be one person for a day, besides yourself, who would it be and why?

Fred Ridley 31:14 

I would, I would like to be Bobby Jones. You know, he is the, to me, the quintessential renaissance person. You know, he's, I've read so much about him. I mean, just about everything there is to be read. He was a great champion golfer. He was a scholar, you know, got his master's in English from Harvard. He was well read well written. Probably the most humble, considerate athlete that I've ever read about. And I love to be inside that body for a day just to see what it's like.

David Novak 31:51 

What would be your biggest pet peeve? Fred?

Fred Ridley 31:54 

Oh, people who are self important.

David Novak 31:57 

What's something about you that few people would know? My

Fred Ridley 32:01 

first and last girlfriend are are identical twins. My bias, my junior, my junior high sweetheart was an identical twin. And my last girlfriend is a woman I've been married to for 43 years as an identical twin

David Novak 32:23 

is incredible. Do you have any hidden talents?

Fred Ridley 32:28 

Um, well, I think I think I'm sort of an architect designer want to be? You know, I guess I guess by the question, I had to say I'm pretty good at it. Although clearly an amateur I mean, I, my my wife and daughters calling me a serial renovator because we bought a house in 1981 that we live in that we've renovated about seven times. And I get into the weeds with the architects and I drive them crazy. But I like I like doing that. And I think I think I'm reasonably

David Novak 32:58 

good at your favorite hole at Augusta National

Fred Ridley 33:02 

number 15. And it's just it's a whole that, you know, when you say something's your favorite, a lot of it has to do with your experiences, you know, so I just if I had a good drive there, you know, for the members T's standing kind of at the top of that hill, looking down over the water, you know, imagining the people on the back kill the masters. I just, I just feel it makes me feel great. And I just feel like, I can do this, I can hit the green. And so I just love that feeling. That's my favorite hole.

David Novak 33:33 

And Fred, if you had to pick one, and you only get one because I know there's so many what would be your favorite masters?

Fred Ridley 33:39 

Well, David, it would have to be the 2019 Masters tournament and Tiger Woods returned to glory, as gymnasts put it. I know we were so excited as that day progressed to watch the drama that unfolded on the back nine. I think when he walked onto the 13th, green after having played the 12 hole, you know, the really the high point of aim and corner that we all had a feeling it just might be the day. And of course, as you know, he came through he won his fifth green jacket. And what struck me and what I remember the most about that afternoon, as he finished play, he was walking to the scoring room from the 18th green. And there was a line of young players who greeted him. And the respect they showed for really for their idol people that that watched him as they were growing up in golf. It was just something really cool to see. And so it was it was a time when we are we're very proud of Tiger Woods and what he's meant to the Masters tournament.

David Novak 34:31 

And of course, Fred, we all know that tiger just had this terrible injury had Have you had a chance to talk to him.

Fred Ridley 34:38 

I have David just this week, Tiger and I exchanged a couple of texts and I was really heartened at the optimism that he displayed and he was in great spirits. I know he's determined to come back. And if anyone can do it, Tiger Woods, can we wish him all the best?

David Novak 34:54 

Absolutely. We sure do. Fred, I know you have three daughters and I I understand you now have a grandson correct game. What's it like being a grandfather?

Fred Ridley 35:06 

Wow, it's, it's great. You know, my daughter who there was a mother of my grandson lives, too. She and her husband lived two blocks from us. So I would say, five days a week, at least. They either come by or we go over there. So I'm seeing him often. But he just turned three. And if I miss a week, for some reason, if I'm traveling, unbelievable change is so much fun. And I know you I know you've got grandchildren, I'm sure you do. It's

David Novak 35:34 

just so much fun. If you already got him his first set of clubs, or you're waiting for that.

Fred Ridley 35:38 

Now he's got a little plastic set of clubs, you know, he hasn't shown a tremendous amount of interest in really developing a swing. I mean, I've seen some of the old videos when Tiger was was too. And he was already hitting it. 100 yards, but I don't think he's going to be a Tiger Woods. But I do hope he plays golf. His dad's a golfer, you know, pretty good golfer, and I'm sure he'll play golf. I'm looking forward to

David Novak 36:00 

that. Yeah, yeah. Well, and looking forward to wrapping this up here. What do you see is your unfinished business, Fred? And, you know, I don't know if people even like to talk about legacies. But if you had to use that word, you know, you know, how do you see yours?

Fred Ridley 36:15 

Well, I mentioned and we talked to quite a bit about the mission of Augusta National and the values I'm sort of focusing on. And I think maybe this might be a little bit in reverse order. But I've given a lot of thought to vision. And other words, where do we want to be not only just at the end of my tenure, but where does this organization want to be 10 2050 years from now, what are the possibilities? That's a difficult subject. And of course, I won't be making decisions necessarily, but I think we have a very talented, very energized organization, they want to do more, they want to make a bigger difference. And then the in the game of golf and in the world. And so I've spent a lot of time thinking about that future. Nothing concrete yet. But that's that's what I'm spent a lot of time doing.

David Novak 37:04 

Well, I want to thank you so much, Fred, for giving us so much time and and sharing your observations. Thank you for the example you said for all of us who who want to reach for greatness, and be kind to other people.

Fred Ridley 37:19 

Well, thank you, David, thank you for everything you're doing to promote leadership and you're doing great things. Well, thank

David Novak 37:25 

you very much.

Well, there's no doubt about it. Augusta National Golf Club is a very special place. And it's got a very special leader in Fred Ridley. He is blazing new trails while staying true to the legacy and core values of the club. Can you believe that on day one as chairman, he started working on the Augusta National Women's Amateur tournament, that was a major innovation. Now let me take a minute and share some coaching for how you can apply this in your life as a leader. Every organization has tradition. This week as a part of your weekly personal development plan. Make a list of the traditions that you want to preserve. That list will help you see the values that really matter to your organization. And then, with all that in mind, start thinking about the bold initiatives you can take to move your team and company forward. Now that's the kind of balanced creative thinking we need more of in this world. So do you want to know how leaders lead? Well, we learned today is that great leaders preserve tradition and drive innovation. Thanks again for tuning in to another episode of how leaders lead where every Thursday you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world. I make it a point to give you something simple on each episode that you can apply to your business so that you will become the best leader you can be