Tiger's Seven Lessons OFF the Course

Tiger Woods is a great golfer. Arguably, the best who's ever lived. He's also human and, in light of recent developments, acting on lousy advice.

Woods' handlers deserve most of the blame for the way they've bungled his recent mishap. What's more, he and they have also provided a shining example of how not to deal with a crisis. Here are seven lessons that executives -- and even ordinary humans who don't live in gated communities -- can learn from his troubles:

1. Nothing is private if you are an executive or celebrity.

2. If it happens outside your front door it's even less private.

3. The more handlers you hire to spin your scandal, the more likely you are to whirl out of control and come off like a corporation instead of a human being.

4. Standing up the cops is always a bad move.

5. Telling half the story is a brilliant strategy ... to invite the National Enquirer to fill in the blanks.

6. Every day spent in hiding exponentially lowers the chances people will believe you.

7. Always keep your golf clubs in the car.

Jonathan Littman is the co-author of the new book I HATE PEOPLE! (Little, Brown and Company; June 2009) with Marc Hershon. A Contributing Editor at Playboy, Jonathan is the co-author of the best selling Art of Innovation.