Belgian’s top woman golfer gave a talk on the subject of "Overcoming barriers in Business" and bendy fruit.

There are many ways to begin a motivational talk but waving fruit is not usually one of them. As we waited for stragglers, sipping our drinks, a tall woman, all in black, was going over her notes and eyeing a banana on the table. Myself and other internationals had gathered in the lounge area of Brussels’ Espace 53 to hear Belgian’s top woman golfer on the subject of "Overcoming barriers in Business".

Banana clutched firmly in her hand, she began with "Hi, I’m Lara Tadiotto and I am really nervous". It so happens they were the first words she said when she met one of her heroes Laura Davies on the first tee at a tournament.

Lara talked us through her history, born in South Africa and at three months the family moved to the Congo where she stayed until she was fifteen then onto Belgium. Her mother, seated close by, beamed with maternal pride as she watched her daughter confront one of her own fears: talking in public. "I’m actually very shy." And yet she can stand in front of crowds and strike that little golf ball. Horses for courses as they say in the racing world.

Lara has been top of her profession in Belgium for what seems like forever. She took up golf properly at 19 and within only a year was Belgium’s number one. It took her only another two years to join the pro circuit and stand on the tee shoulder-to-shoulder with the world‘s best. At 35... "I can still beat all the young Belgian women coming through," she said with obvious delight.

Lara guided us through how to deal with pressure and its attendant obstacles.

She talked of controlling emotions - vital on the first tee when you’re up against the likes of Laura Davies - by putting them aside, since "emotions can reduce by 50 percent your ability to do your job, no matter where you work."

Other sound advice followed such as dealing with mistakes by repairing them gradually, surrounding yourself with the right people and not trying to control what you can do nothing about. "Like in golf you can’t control everything, can’t change the wind or the weather. Don’t worry about what you can’t do anything about and concentrate on changing what you can change"

This very informative, laid-back event was part of a series organised by the Reist Organisation. Part of the company’s stable is Value Added Golf, a new networking outfit in Brussels, (born out of the successful After work Golf). One of the founders Ken Reist said, "I want to increase the number of non-golfers coming to our events. And increase the business opportunities for our members and non-members, too."

And the banana? Lara likens the way she lives her life and her career to bananas. And why not? "If you taste a banana and you don’t like it. Don’t keep eating from the same tree. Find another tree. Don’t be scared of change. If something isn’t right for you, you have to be proactive and move on to do what you like, what you do best." She stressed that this striving constantly for something better, trying to go higher not only improves our professional life but is all a path to learning more about ourselves.

At the end of the talk, she answered questions from the floor and most people stayed on for drinks afterwards. Business cards were flying as they often are at these occasions and by the time the evening was over everyone had met everyone else who had shown up.

Difficult to guess how many listeners went out and changed their lives but Lara finished 2007 with a fine victory in the Mauritius Open. Must be the bananas.

(copyright expatica 2008)