The Heart Behind the PING Brand with John A Solheim

Today on the Servant Leadership Podcast, we welcome John A. Solheim, the Chairman of PING Golf, one of the most iconic and innovative golf companies in the world. John grew up working alongside his father, Karsten Solheim — the engineering genius who invented the PING putter in his Redwood City garage. Under John's leadership, PING became a dominant force in professional golf, at one point holding 70% of putters on tour. The Solheim Cup, created by John's parents, has turned into one of the most premier events in golf. John has led with a simple but powerful philosophy: take care of your people, and they'll work their hearts out for you. John is now in his third generation of family stewardship, having handed the CEO role to his son John K., while continuing to pour into the company's design and direction. His faith, his family, and his love of engineering have always been at the center of everything he does. Join us as we talk about leading a family business across generations, the servant leadership culture that has defined PING from the very beginning, and why taking care of people is still the greatest competitive advantage of all.

Timestamps:

00:00 Opening

00:14 John A Solheim Intro

01:17 Welcome John A Solheim

01:26 The Birth Of PING

04:13 From Aircraft Landing Gear To Putter

05:57 Care In Making Putters

07:48 Switching To High Quality Materials

10:00 Changing The Design To Get With The Times

11:24 Path To The Largest Family Name In Golf

12:18 The Solheim Cup

14:14 John’s Journey - From Architecture Student To PING Exec

17:13 ROTC Time And Nearly Going To War

20:28 Donation Clubs For Veterans

21:29 Charitable Act Rewarded

22:34 Servant Leadership - Take Care Of Your People

25:56 Protecting The Golf Pros

27:34 The Solheim Family Members’ Roles

31:21 Succession At PING

32:59 Stewarding The 3rd And 4th Generation

34:25 Family Working As A Team

36:38 How To Set Your Family Up For Success

38:49 Leading With Faith

40:17 The Constant Evolution Of Golf

41:54 Ten Rapid-Fire Questions

48:09 Importance Of A Servant Leadership Podcast

49:48 Closing

Learn more about PING here:

https://ping.com/en-us/discover-ping/history

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