Driving The Swing

Roland Folger loves a game of golf, particularly when it teaches the ceo of Mercedes-Benz Thailand/Vietnam to hone a career he’s been constantly perfecting for more than 40 years.

- Wendy Kay

Roland Folger admits he’s still learning on the job, four decades after starting his career in prestige cars. In fact, it’s the unpredictability of his day-to-day role as the CEO of Mercedes-Benz Thailand and Vietnam that intrigues him the most. “When I come to the office in the morning, I never have an idea what might come up next,” he says. “There is really, literally, never a dull moment. Never for a second does it get boring. I’m often faced with something I’ve never done before, something that requires a new approach, and that’s the fun part of it.”

Apparently, Roland learns some of these new approaches on the golf course. Describing the sport as counter-intuitive (the harder you try, the less you’re likely to succeed), he says the game offers ideal triggers for discovering new strategies. “I’ve played a lot of sport and golf is quite different,” he notes. “If you manage to swing in a relaxed, focused way, you’re going to hit much harder than if you try to swing hard with your club. So the essence of golf is to be in a relaxed state, but very highly focused. A good lesson to be applied in business.”

Roland learned another crucial lesson strolling the course. He was cultivating a business relationship over a game, the bets were high and Roland knew he was losing. Imagine his surprise when his golfing partner not only told him to forget about paying up, but actually made him feel like a winner.