Over the past 20-some years, Europe has dominated the U.S. team Ryder Cup, and we’ve struggled to have any momentum to ink out a win. But this year wasn’t like the others. There was a noticeable difference in the team’s attitude from the opening tee shot to the final putt; something was very different.

The Ryder Cup is a team tournament, played every two years with the best 12 U.S. golfers against the best 12 European golfers. The tournament alternates between being played one year here in America, and two years later, it’s played somewhere in Europe.

Why was this year so different? Yes, the U.S. was a clear favorite on paper, but several times before we came into the tournament a favorite and had our heads handed to us with a loss. Why was this year different? I think it was the management style of Steve Stricker, the U.S. team captain. Steve is the only U.S. Ryder Cup captain that never won a major championship, and he has a consistent above-average scoring record. He’s the kind of golfer that’s not overly talented but will outwork you to reach his full potential to win.

That aside, he was very different from all the other captains. He admits he hates the public spotlight and is somewhat socially awkward. Additionally, he doesn’t like to take the credit for success. The U.S. team succeeded clearly with talent, but it was the leadership of Steve Stricker that made the difference. For example, during the post-tournament press conference, someone asked Steve what the reason for the success of the U.S. team was.

He said, “There’s no magic formula; I got out of the way and let these guys do what they do best. I knew I didn’t need any rah-rah halftime motivational speeches. They didn’t need any other great athletes to give them a pep talk. I tried to give them the environment to succeed, and that’s what they did. They were great out there.”

Management 101: stop trying to control everything and don’t over-manage people. Get out of the way and, most importantly, don’t micromanage. Let the people who know what they’re doing be the best version of themselves… It seems like a simple recipe, doesn’t it?

Are you getting in the way of your team and not allowing them to be the best version of themselves?

My 2-Cents.