Tag: leadership

How to Elect (and Entrust) the People with Power

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There’s an inherent quirk with how members view authority. Individuals elected for board service are often popular, though not necessarily qualified, and the qualified are not always popular.  Who’s to set the balance?

GGA Partners’ Henry DeLozier spells out the importance and role of the nominating committee; who they are, who they should nominate, and how to make sure they are a trusted agent of members at large.

In most private clubs, it is the nominating committee that sets the future of the club. The proverbial queen- or king-maker, the nominating committee profoundly impacts the tone and tenor of club governance.

In clubs using an uncontested election model (members voting for a selected slate of candidates) for board service, it is the nominating committee which selects the club’s future leaders. In clubs with a contested election model (multiple members run for open board seats and are selected by a popular vote of club members) the nominating committee either proves itself to be a trustworthy and balanced agent of the members or a group of members out of touch with the preferences and priorities of their fellow members.

In either case, nominating committee members should be well-known members of the club recognized for their integrity, character, and good judgement.

Whether your club is fortunate to possess a rich pool of individuals who meet this criterion or not, there should always be a charter in place to help guide the selection process and define the role of the committee once in post.

What other steps can you take to select and shape an effective nominating committee?

Define the limits to authority

The authority of the nominating committee should be defined within the club’s bylaws and/or Board Policies Manual, with the nominating committee charter aligning with these two governing documents.

Nominating committees should not be permanent. Clearly established guidelines must be a part of the charter for the term of service. Typical terms for a nominating committee should range from three to six years – dependent upon the term of service for board members.

On an as-needed basis, nominating committees may evaluate the board’s term limits and modify them if needed for board efficiency or to accommodate the changing size of the board.

Set the selection criteria

The charter should provide the committee guidance concerning the qualifications and/or capabilities required of future board members. For example, most clubs benefit from members with legal, banking / finance, insurance, and public accounting backgrounds.

It is desirable to nominate members whose interests differ to provide balanced and impartial governance. For example, a board made up of all avid golfers can be perceived to be out of balance by members with interests other than golf. Avoid nominating members who represent “constituencies” of like-minded members. Each board nominee should represent and seek to understand all members’ viewpoints.

Selection criteria should be definitive concerning conflicts of interest – whether real or perceived – and all other potential factors that could serve to undermine the credibility of the committee and its nominees.

Ensure candidates bring value to the table

A growing number of clubs have introduced specific requirements of board members, and this is something the nominating committee should focus on when defining methods of recruiting prospective board members. Where they are relevant and a potential source of value to your club, these should feature in the charter.

For instance, you can stipulate that a prospective board member has successfully recruited a member of the club, or you could set policies for the giving or fundraising expectations of board members. Specific, tangible value delivered back to the club which symbolizes a ‘lead from the front’ mentality, setting the tone and an example for members at large.

Not only will this help send the right message, it also ensures each member of the board is accountable, bringing something beyond their invaluable rich experience, guidance and ideas to the table.

The role and responsibilities of the nominating committee are profound and great care and transparency must be given to populating the committee with the club’s most respected members.

Conflict in the Boardroom

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What happens when board members clash, causing conflict, disruption and moving the club backwards instead of forwards?

We outline the dangers of conflict, and advise on how to turn dispute into a positive, constructive outcome and ensure all board members are a true asset to the club.

Effective non-profit boards deliberate as many and govern as one. At least, that’s how it should work. Unfortunately, many club boardrooms up and down the country are more akin to a newsroom; rife with bickering, contempt, and dysfunction.

It’s understandable. Passions run high, these overtake rational, pragmatic logic and suddenly what is intended to be a progressive, forward-thinking environment becomes one paralyzed by indecision.

What should board leaders do in the face of these circumstances? Aside from preventing it from getting to this point, it’s imperative to restore levels of cooperation, deliberation and thoughtful leadership – quickly.

There are two ways of doing this: the first addresses the issues immediately and sets the standard both now and into the future; the second addresses the onboarding process, ensuring all board members are clear in what they are signing up for and what is expected (and not expected) of them at the outset.

The Boardroom Bible

The launch point for improving club governance and reducing boardroom conflict is a Board Policies Manual (“BPM”). Think of it as a boardroom bible, describing the sound principles and guidance for effective club governance.

Crucially, its guiding principles will mitigate any potential flare ups of conflict, and be the standards and expectations all board members sign up to. How? Just one example is the inclusion of specific, dispassionate requirements to support the decision-making process, based on data and insights, rather than allowing personal opinions and perspectives to creep in.

Its introduction will unite board members, clarify points of disagreement, and have everyone focused on what is truly in the best interests of the club, in any matter.

Setting the tone

Introducing new board members can inject a welcome sense of energy and perspective, providing you have the right people to do the job from the outset. There are three practical steps you can take to ensure this is the case:

1. Board Selection Criteria – Use an uncontested board election process. This requires a reliable Nominating Committee to recommend a slate of candidates in the same number as the number of board positions open.

Providing you have a highly respected and trusted Nominating Committee, known for their good judgement and integrity, you will recruit level-headed, pragmatic, forward-thinking individuals.

The key to a trustworthy election process is the trust and respect earned by those who serve in club leadership roles. Members’ respect of the individual members of the Nominating Committee will reflect in the overall trust of the committee’s work.

2. Board Code of Ethics – All board members should be provided with (and accept, in writing) the ethical requirements of board service. Such requirements typically include:

  • Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure – Ensure board members are accountable for protecting the privacy of the board and its deliberations. Board members must be trusted by their fellow board members for their capability to be discreet and impartial.
  • Conflict of Interest – Board members must avoid conflicts of interest and refrain from benefiting financially from the club’s contracting and procurement activities. Board members are expected to refrain from being a champion for self-interests in which the individual board member is a beneficiary, such as favorable tee times for certain categories of membership.

3. Business-like Governing Practices – Club members expect their board members to take a business-like approach to corporate governance. In fact, most reference points for governing practices tie directly to members’ experiences with boards of publicly traded companies, where board conduct and process is held to a high standard.

The same should apply here. Board disciplines such as the board’s function to speak as one unit and its authority to speak for the club are expected, as are financial reporting and disclosure standards.

And yet…

In contentious times, some board members cannot be dissuaded from causing conflict within the boardroom.

You can put in place the tools to mitigate conflict, but these are only tools. Tools which require genuine leadership and execution from the board president and fellow board members to be effective.

“Going rogue”, or in other words disrespecting the duty of sound governance, should result in fellow board members confronting the rogue board member firmly and fairly. While there is tremendous value in a board member who sees a different point of view, if these views carry no weight or evidence under scrutiny, they can and should be challenged.

You can never legislate or plan for human behavior, but you can (and should) put control measures in place to keep board members focused on what matters. That’s what will make them a true asset to the club.

Turning Insights Into Action

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GGA Insights exists to support you as a club leader, offering you solutions, tools, and tactics today that can help you improve your work life tomorrow.  But putting change into practice can be a challenging endeavor. GGA Director, George Pinches, offers a road map for translating genuine insights and data into meaningful boardroom action.

Most private clubs are like cruise ships; they do change direction, but very slowly. They are often steeped in tradition, and while this is a powerful asset, it can also hold clubs back.

In reality, clubs need agility if they are to respond and adapt to the fast-evolving demands of changing markets, new technology and generations of new members.

But don’t lose hope; with more data available to us than ever, there is reason for optimism.

Data can clarify the changes that need to be made, shape the direction of travel, and safeguard clubs from the obstacles and pitfalls they may otherwise run into.

But the truth is, before data can be put into such effective practice, many clubs and boards require a cultural shift to recognize the value of it.

Commitment first

When my GGA colleague, Fred Laughlin, first introduced the Club Governance Model, he stressed the importance of obtaining a board commitment before undertaking transition.

This is because research demonstrates it usually takes three administrations for significant changes to be fully adopted by a club board.

In order to move away from what we typically see – decisions based on anecdotal evidence rather than genuine insights and hard facts – this is the process to follow: commitment first, then change follows.

For you, obtaining commitment from your board and committees means convincing them that the use of data-driven decision making is mutually beneficial.

Once your board members start asking “What are the facts? Do you have comparable data or industry benchmarks to support this recommendation?”, then your club will be on track to a brighter future based on genuine insights.

Shifting the dial

It’s clear that clubs can no longer rely on decisions based on institutional memory and personal opinion. But how do you (in practical terms) achieve such long-lasting change?

When it comes to shifting the culture, timing is key.

One of the best opportunities to start a culture shift is at the beginning of a new tenure. This tends to be a ‘honeymoon period’ for the new GM or COO, when support and expectations are running high.

Take the opportunity to assess the culture and seek ways to introduce change: commitment first, change to follow. If your board has an annual board retreat, this can be an opportune time to take action.

Beyond that, I’d recommend focusing on these three key areas to encourage a sustainable culture shift towards a data-driven future:

  1. Board recruitment and development – The nominating committee can add “an aptitude or understanding of data-driven decision making” to the list of attributes when recruiting nominees for the board. The GM/COO can use the same criteria when filling senior management positions.
  2. Board policy – Alterations to the Board Policy Manual (BPM) can ensure that the decision-making policy stipulates the required data, back-up information, and consultation necessary to support a recommendation. Proponents, be they committee or management, soon learn what is expected by the board before considering an initiative or making a decision.
  3. Education – Club industry resources that extol the virtues of data-driven decision making can be shared during board and committee orientation to support the culture shift away from anecdotal to fact-based practices.

Finding ‘your’ way

Process and structure will help, but a true shift in culture can only be achieved through intelligent and thoughtful execution. In some cases, this means finding the unique tactics which work best for you and your Board.

‘Shifting culture’ will not appear in many job descriptions of club leaders. But, for a lot of clubs it should be at the very top. It holds the key to disrupting what can be a perennial cycle of decisions based on what those in power ‘think’ is right.

My advice: think long-term (beyond 5 years), actively gain the buy-in and commitment of board members, and put a structure and process in place to ensure data and intelligence are at the heart of how your Club operates.

The Indistractable Manager

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Phone calls, emails, knocks on the door… all contribute to those days when you feel busy, but achieve nothing. GGA’s Patrick DeLozier outlines some tactics aimed at eliminating those fruitlessly busy days from your calendar.

There’s nothing more frustrating than a hollow sense of fulfillment at the end of a tiring day. Fulfilling in that you’ve been busy and active, hollow in that you’re no nearer to completing any of the tasks you set out to.

The first thing to make clear is, it’s a common problem. It affects us all. And while some of these days are inevitable, throughout my 18 years in the private club industry I made a conscious effort to develop methods of mitigating their impact and focusing on productive outputs.

Winning the day

It all starts before you even set foot in the workplace.

Develop a routine that gets your mind organized and focused from the get-go. For me, it was a morning swim, followed by reading several newspapers and social media news briefs that helped put me in an optimal productive state. So whether it’s a workout, meditation, yoga, or simply a coffee, find what works for you and stick to it.

When it comes to the working day itself, I found it particularly helpful to break this into three stages:

  • Up-brief – a first-thing review, to focus and plan of your tasks for the day
  • Midday check-in – an opportunity to measure task completion, to assess or reassess priorities
  • Debrief – end of day review, to look at what has been accomplished and what needs to be addressed the following day

For the up-brief, tasks should be specific, achievable, and aligned towards set objectives, prioritizing what you need to achieve and by when. Try to avoid tasks which veer away from your objectives or can be easily completed by another member of your team. Delegating tasks can often test your sense of trust and judgement in other team members, but is critical when it comes to staying focused on what’s important (and befitting of the Club Manager role).

During the day, make time to measure where things stand. If a task due for completion is in doubt, can you call in additional resource? If team members have become distracted by inane endeavors, is there time to pull them back and refocus their attention where it should be?

Finally, don’t allow the day to go by without assessing what has been accomplished during a debrief session. This is your opportunity to not only review your own achievements, but reward team members for a job well done and completed on time. They should also understand how this has helped (or is helping) towards the overarching objectives of the Club, as this will encourage their buy-in to the bigger picture.

Conversely, you will also need to confront incomplete tasks or missed deadlines. This is where balance and accountability come in, as you need to address these without demotivating your team.

Though some may find these stages overbearing, consistent monitoring and clear communication will allow team members to stay on task and focused for success. Ultimately, accountability will combat procrastination and instill a goal-oriented culture at your club.

Working smart 

Aside from external distractions, what can you do as a manager to work smarter? Here’s what I learned from nearly two decades at the sharp end of club management:

  • Do not try to take on everything on your own. Trust your team to assist you in your success.
  • Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. And then provide them with feedback, support, and recognition for a job well done.
  • Block off time in your calendar where you will not be interrupted. Sometimes an hour per week off-site (such as a coffee shop) will allow you to complete a certain task or get some much-needed headspace.
  • Temper your access to your cell phone or tablet. This will help you to avoid unnecessary calls, texts, and social media, allowing you to make headway with tasks requiring the utmost focus.
  • Be disciplined. Don’t put off tasks just because they are more challenging to you. They will fester, induce stress, and only become harder to overcome in the long run.

There are so many simple ideas out there that can help you overcome distractions, and they can be very effective. But if you can isolate a structure which is focused, holds everyone to account, and is married to your club mission, you can unlock something greater: a productive culture. A culture driven by goals, achievement and success. And that is something that no one wants to get in the way of.

GGA Expands Senior Leadership Ranks

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Michael Gregory and Craig Johnston named partners of the firm

TORONTO, Ontario – GGA, the leading authority on successful ownership and management practices for golf, private club, resort, and residential real estate businesses, has named Michael Gregory and Craig Johnston partners of the firm.

Gregory joined GGA in 2007 following a successful college career during which he was an All-American scholar earning a business degree and captain of the golf team.  Since joining the firm, he has helped more than 400 clubs develop and implement a game plan for success. In addition to his client relationships, Michael has managed the firm’s internal workflow team of business analysts and market researchers for the past five years.

Gregory serves as a lead strategist for successful private club business and membership solutions at GGA and is renowned for his ability to use comprehensive membership and market intelligence to develop actionable strategic solutions for clients.

Johnston is a Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA, CA) and alumnus of KPMG. Prior to joining GGA, as a ranked equity research analyst for Scotia Capital, he was recognized in 2016 by Thomson Reuters as the #1 earnings estimator in his sector.

Johnston supports GGA clients in the development and implementation of goal-oriented business strategies to achieve targeted operating and investment objectives. He is a seasoned business strategist and investment executive who leads GGA’s transaction advisory practice, having successfully advised on some of the largest transactions in the club industry over the past three years.

“Craig and Michael have distinguished themselves as expert, reliable confidants to our clients and deliver value day-in and day-out,” commented GGA Senior Partner Henry DeLozier. “The firm will benefit from their joining the senior leadership ranks.”

“Both Michael and Craig have become clear leaders in our firm and mentors to our team of consultants,” said Founding Partner Stephen Johnston.  “Their work ethic and dedication to excellence in professional services is an incredible asset to our firm.”

About GGA

GGA has provided industry-leading advisory services to more than 3,000 clients worldwide including private clubs, hotels, resorts, residential golf communities, developers, homebuilders, government agencies and municipalities, financial institutions, investors and lenders. Operating out of three global offices in Toronto, Phoenix, and Dublin, GGA is a highly specialized consulting firm focused on club and leisure related assets with a professional services heritage as the KPMG Golf Industry Practice. The firm’s expertise lies in its ability to effectively meld club management and operational expertise with highly capable professional strategists and experienced business analysts. GGA personnel include former club managers with experience leading exceptional clubs, along with alumni of Deloitte, Fairmont, KPMG, Marriott, Pulte Homes, PwC, and Scotia Capital. For more information, please visit www.globalgolfadvisors.com.

Media Contact

Derek Johnston, Partner at GGA
djohnston@globalgolfadvisors.com
905-726-0701

Winning Financial Practices

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While directors carry ultimate responsibility for the financial resources of a club, it’s the relationship between the board of directors and club manager that can often determine just how well managed the finances actually are.

Bobby Crifasi, General Manager of New Orleans Country Club, reveals the formula which keeps his club on a sound, sustainable financial footing.

A mismanaged and uninformed approach to financial management can seriously damage a club’s ability to make sound business decisions.

And as the buck stops with the board of directors, it is they who must carefully measure the future financial needs of their club, plan for the sources and uses of funds, and ensure the economic sustainability of the club. Doing so is no small challenge and requires:

  • A comprehensive capital asset replacement roster
  • Maintaining a constant understanding of capital sources and use
  • Command of the club’s balance sheet
  • Sustaining engaged financial review and audit

As one of several duties, that can be a lot to ask of volunteer board members. This is where top-performing club managers step in. The more they can equip their board of directors with the information they need to fulfill their duties, the greater the guarantee of them making the soundest possible business decisions.

Bobby Crifasi manages New Orleans Country Club (NOCC) with style and grace that belies a savvy financial manager. First educated and trained as a certified public accountant, during his time Bobby has seen the Club through a natural disaster in Hurricane Katrina which led to $5 million in unplanned renovations. On a day-to-day basis, Bobby ensures that the Club remains on solid financial ground by keeping his board fully informed on the Club’s financial facts.

“All of our financial information is sent to the board in advance of the board meeting,” explains Crifasi.  “I receive our financial reports by the 10th of each month and that allows a week or so to investigate any variances before the financial information is sent with the board package. If there was anything of significance that I thought the board should know sooner rather than later, I would report on it at the House Committee meeting or email the board directly.”

Keeping the board informed of financial performance metrics is a key for Crifasi and his team, “What we do is provide a lot of financial data comparing this-month to this-month-last-year and year-to-date-this-year to year-to-date-last-year comparatives on a monthly basis.  We do good, old-fashioned spreadsheets with all this information monthly.”

Among the keys that are faithfully tracked at NOCC, Crifasi emphasizes the mission-critical factors in the balance sheet and income statements, “On a monthly basis we focus on key balance sheet items like cash, notes payable, and any other balance sheet items that may have changed significantly during the month.  In addition, we look at our Statement of Income and Expenses and talk about any variances during the month and the factors that may have caused that.  We track initiation fees and dues to ensure we are on budget with those as they represent such a large part of the financial picture.”

On a practical level, NOCC uses a rolling budget process to enable adjustments as conditions require, “We have a rolling budget for the food and beverage operation which is adjusted each month to reflect additions or deletions to the banquet business as well as current forecasts for our restaurant business.”

Given the significant impact of rising labor costs in private clubs, Crifasi adds, “We also look at labor in each department to ensure it is tracking as projected.”  GGA observes that labor expenses are typically the largest category of expenses for facility operators, with benchmarks generally ranging from 52-58% of total expenses for public, semi-private, and resort facilities and slightly higher at 55-62% for private member clubs.

Astute financial management starts with the key information boards require to make sound decisions. Crifasi’s meticulous approach and proactive relationship with his board has helped to simplify an area that other managers can often find complex, providing a financial foundation for the long-term success and stability of NOCC.

If you want to follow in the footsteps of this top-performing manager, four-point approach to financial interaction with board members will provide an invaluable process to work from:

  • Collect and analyze the key financial information
  • Organize the financial details in ready-to-use formats that facilitate comparative analysis
  • Back up the data with detailed department analysis
  • Be ahead of the information curve

Don’t Let Them Ignore You

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GGA Partner Henry DeLozier highlights 5 key attributes to help golf course leaders achieve recognition for their talents and efforts.

We all want to be recognized for our talents and efforts. In fact, in a world where we take more than 93 million selfies a day, being ignored is certainly one of life’s biggest disappointments. One long-held suggestion to avoid being overlooked or taken for granted is this one: “Be so good they can’t ignore you.”

It’s advice offered by comedian Steve Martin, author Cal Newport (in a book with the same title) and printed on T-shirts and wall posters that adorn corporate breakrooms across our country. No matter our objective – recognition that leads to a promotion or simply the satisfaction that comes from a boss’s or colleague’s “good job” – excellence that demands attention seems a logical and valuable strategy.

Here are five attributes that can make you so good that you cannot be ignored:

1. Great attitude is a key factor in your success and ability to be noticed, whether you’re a golf course superintendent, golf professional or club manager.

Savvy employers hire for attitude above other attributes. Stated in the negative, no one needs a grumpy or uncooperative manager leading today’s work force. There is enough friction in getting operational teams to perform at the high end of their capabilities without someone with a negative attitude pulling us down.

According to author Emily Smykal, whose findings were part of a CareerBuilder study by Harris Poll, nearly three in four employees (72 percent) spoke to the power of a positive attitude. “Positivity leads to a more productive workday and creates a better environment for fellow employees,” she writes. “Great employees consistently stand out for their upbeat attitudes and earn positive reputations for themselves.”

Building and keeping an attitude that leads others toward common goals requires a comprehensive understanding of the job’s requirements and a willingness to teach others to work harder, better and smarter. What’s more, great attitudes are contagious.

2. Eager learning keeps everyone involved sharp.

Constant learners tend to be open, creative and receptive to new or different ideas – even if they’re someone else’s. Heather Huhman wrote on Glassdoor that an eagerness to learn shows openness to new ideas, willingness to think beyond today’s facts and invaluable curiosity.

Robert Half, a specialist in recruitment and employment services, recommends that every resume show an eagerness to learn. This trait adds value for the employer and expands the performance potential of the employee. When you’re learning and growing, you are becoming a more valuable employee and one whose contributions are easily recognized.

3. Trustworthy teammates, especially in troubled times, are valued for their consistency, stability and integrity.

Difficult and exigent circumstances reveal those who can stand tall and steady in crisis. One’s day-to-day commitment to being a trusted and respected teammate is manifested in a thousand acts. Ensuring that your actions match your words is an important trust-builder, as are genuine eye contact, thoughtful interactions, an openness to criticism, and the willingness to express oneself openly and with trust.

The world champion sprinter Carmelita Jeter breathlessly testified to the power of trusting teammates at the 2012 London Olympics when – after running the anchor leg on the women’s 4×100-meter relay team, she said: “I knew they trusted me like I trusted them. And I would not let them down.” Jeter and her trusting teammates bested a world record in the event that had stood for 27 years.

4. Mental toughness is critical when we encounter adversity, in life and on the job.

Are you resilient and persistent enough to overcome challenging circumstances? According to Inc. magazine, qualities that make you mentally tougher are patience, perspective, focus (on priorities) and the willingness to confront adversity. The mentally tough understand that criticism or adversity is often not of a personal nature and see it as an opportunity to keep pushing toward their goal.

5. Careful planning – Planning is critical to sustained success. Managers who take a focused approach to plans and planning outperform their club’s budget. Advance planning reduces risk as managers identify potential threats and opportunities. Established, well-stated goals and objectives simplify and clarify your intentions.

This article was authored by GGA Partner Henry DeLozier for Golf Course Industry Magazine. 

GGA to Offer Sophisticated Electronic Voting Services to Private Clubs

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Exclusive partnership with Simply Voting provides private clubs access to a secure online voting platform for club elections.

Global Golf Advisors (GGA) and Simply Voting have formed an exclusive partnership to provide a secure voting platform designed to allow private club members a simple and easily accessible manner in which to cast ballots during club elections. GGA will begin offering the Simply Voting system as a stand-alone service or in combination with this governance guidance platform to private clubs worldwide.

Founded in 2003, Simply Voting Inc. is a full-service provider of secure, hosted online elections. Multiple independent third-party audits have validated the integrity and security of the platform. The company has worked with over 2,000 organizations across the world including government entities, political organizations, educational institutions and unions.

“Engaging private club members to participate in important elections can be a challenging and expensive proposition,” stated GGA Manager Martin Tzankov. “The Simply Voting online system eliminates the need for paper ballots and multiple mailings. Members have the ability to access the voting platform at their convenience and once identity is authenticated, a tamper proof ballot is provided that is easy to understand, complete and submit.”

The Simply Voting system is equally easy for club managers. In addition to voter authentication and tamper proof ballots, the system provides a branded club website, computerized tabulation of results and a variety of reports.

“Online voting is quickly becoming the accepted practice across business, government and organizations to provide an efficient and effective method to ensure election integrity,” commented GGA Director of Private Club Services Michael Gregory. “We view the Simply Voting system as complementary to our governance and strategic advisory services and another opportunity to assist our clients in maximizing their operating efficiency.”

“As we sought to introduce our voting system to the club industry, we felt it important to partner with a company whose corporate values aligned with our promise to deliver an excellent product with honesty and integrity,” commented Simply Voting President Brian Lack. “Global Golf Advisors, with its excellent reputation, was the natural choice. We believe the company has the depth and breadth to ensure our shared goal of providing an efficient voting system to private clubs will be met.”

Increasing membership satisfaction is a key goal of all private clubs. The Simply Voting system, with its accessibility, integrity and ease of use, will ensure members will be satisfied with the voting results of important club elections.

About Global Golf Advisors

Global Golf Advisors (GGA) has provided industry-leading advisory services to more than 3,000 clients worldwide including private clubs, hotels, resorts, residential golf communities, developers, homebuilders, government agencies and municipalities, financial institutions, investors and lenders.  Operating out of three global offices in Toronto, Phoenix, and Dublin, GGA is a highly specialized consulting firm focused on club and leisure related assets with a professional services heritage as the KPMG Golf Industry Practice.  The firm’s expertise lies in its ability to effectively meld club management and operational expertise with highly capable professional strategists and experienced business analysts. GGA personnel include former club managers with experience leading exceptional clubs, along with alumni of Arthur Andersen, Deloitte, KPMG, Pulte Homes, PwC, and Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets. For more information, please visit www.globalgolfadvisors.com.

About Simply Voting

Simply Voting Inc. is a full-service provider of secure, hosted online elections. Driven by dedicated staff who value transparency, high security, and the need for customized solutions, Simply Voting delivers excellence in providing secure, efficient voting solutions which create value for their client organizations. Launched in 2003, the Simply Voting system has been employed by over 2,000 organizations from municipalities, universities and unions to safely execute their elections. Many reputable third parties have audited the product, technical infrastructure, and corporate infrastructure, confirming the integrity and security of the system. For more information, please visit www.simplyvoting.com.

For additional information, contact

Michael Gregory
mgregory@globalgolfadvisors.com
416.524.0083

3 Attributes of an Outstanding Club Manager

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What does it take to be an outstanding club manager? And for clubs seeking to fill this role, what attributes should they be looking for?

GGA’s new Executive Search Director, Patrick DeLozier, explains what it takes to be among the best private club managers.

It takes a particular type of individual to be a club manager.

Seldom is it a job with set hours and set responsibilities; it is more often a vocation which requires an unprecedented level of commitment and drive.

Rewarding? Yes. Challenging? Most certainly.

Throughout my time both at the sharp end of club management, as well as participating in national associations and state boards, one thing was abundantly clear – the role of the club manager is inextricably linked with the success or failure of a club.

It is, therefore, an appointment clubs cannot afford to get wrong.

But what makes an outstanding club manager?

1) Strong work ethic

High performing club managers are leaders with a relentlessly strong work ethic.

They are dedicated, committed and visible to the whole club – including both their membership and their team.

Beyond the general day-to-day requirements, the best club managers have a sense of when and where to be at all times. Not simply to be seen, but to demonstrate leadership and accessibility, consciously engaging with everyone they encounter in a meaningful and constructive way.

For team members this means being willing to mentor, offer guidance and invest time in their well-being and progression, whatever the role. For members, it is going the extra mile, ensuring exceptional service levels and a commitment to continuous high levels of satisfaction.

The club manager should be the face and voice of the club, not tucked away in a back office.

2) Forward-thinking

Effective managers do not stand still. They are always growing, always looking forward.

For them, success is just fuel to improve, and failure is an opportunity to learn and avoid repeat mistakes.

They are relentless when it comes to innovation: they recognize trends, the importance of future generations, and consider how to best position their club to take the opportunity they present.

As golf and particularly private clubs move ever more towards service and experience, the most forward-thinking club managers are tuned into three important things:

  • Continuous investment in the property (and the areas in which to invest)
  • Attracting, training and motivating the right people for their team
  • Perfecting operational execution to create the ultimate experience for members and guests

3) Welcomes accountability

A high performing club manager never waivers when it comes to being accountable and holding oneself to exceptional standards of integrity and honesty.

While moral and ethical accountability is of paramount importance, so too is business accountability.

Successful managers engage in business intelligence and the ability to root decisions in evidence and fact. They embrace performance targets, and motivate their team to meet them.

More broadly, outstanding club managers welcome the existence of a strategic plan to determine the direction of travel, underpin all that they do, and provide a vision for the future they can unite the entire club behind.

To perform such a complex and varied role, a club manager will need an armory of attributes – not just three. But these traits should serve as a good foundation for what it takes to be an outstanding private club manager and help to safeguard your club from choosing the wrong candidate.

Recovering from the missteps of inadequate leadership can be an enormous burden, so if your club needs guidance in the recruitment of a new club manager or leader, please connect with me for an informal discussion.

Connect with Patrick DeLozier

Looking Outside the Boardroom

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Board members are an important source of experience and knowledge. But when making strategic decisions on the future direction of the club, that expertise can easily be hampered by a lack of access to valuable data and actionable information.

GGA’s Bennett DeLozier explains how to connect your board with the critical insights they need from outside the boardroom.

Scenario: you’re a manager, it’s sunny, you’re in a board meeting, fluorescent lights buzz overhead.  The group is brainstorming capital improvement projects ahead of next season.  The topics of budget, capital reserves, assessments, competitor offerings, and attracting new members swirl around the room.

Someone claims that what members “really want” are new amenities, another counters that new amenity supporters are mostly younger members in restricted categories, a third comments on the price of dues for this group.  Opinions begin to diverge on membership pricing, someone mentions member satisfaction, people start using the word ‘should’, and a healthy, productive conversation turns to conjecture.

In this situation, a common reference point can bring everyone back on task. You’re confident you probably have data points on all of these topics somewhere in your office or in your inbox.  You’re scrolling, scrolling.  Before long, the meeting adjourns with decisions on hold, and you leave with a list of research tasks and staff projects to tackle in advance of the next one.

Board Members Need Information

While this scenario may be an overdramatization, it’s not terribly uncommon.  This is what happens when intelligent, capable people face important decisions without actionable information.  It deters strategic thinking and is taxing for the manager and staff.

Board members are usually smart, business-oriented people and they expect to have empirical discussions just as they have done in their own line of work.  Their job is to strategize, and a strategy is only as good as the information which informs it.

The most effective club managers gather, consolidate and deliver a war chest of information to the boardroom in order to facilitate better, easier, and quicker decisions.

The Right Kind of Data

A word of caution: not all data is good data and managers are wise to beware the data ‘dump’.  So, what does the right kind of data look like?

  • Data that is current. In a perfect world, the provision is real-time data and predictive analytics.  Data should be updated as frequently as possible and be on-hand for timely, relevant insight before annual planning exercises and performance monitoring activities take place.  In some markets, data that is 12 months old is out of date.
  • Data that comes from multiple sources. A combination of internal club data and external market data are required to be informed at both a micro and macro level.  Data from the club’s management and point-of-sale systems or reports from department heads alone doesn’t cut it.
  • Data that is useable. In presentations and speaking engagements we’ll often joke about the graveyard for strategic plans: in a three-ring binder on your credenza collecting dust.  Cheeky, but true.  Data should be readily available and accessible in a digestible manner.  Having to look for it, go get it, wait for it, or set-aside-15-minutes-for-everyone-to-skim it usually means your data isn’t seaworthy.
  • Data that works for you. Transferring the right kind of data to your board requires you to have a framework for gathering, analyzing, and succinctly documenting all the research and information that is Your data framework should not create more work for you. In other words, you need technology to gather, centralize, and process that information into synthesized insights.

What kind of information do boards want?

They want consolidated internal data to inform them about the club’s financial and operational performance, as well as member satisfaction, habits, preferences, and attitudes.  They want external data which informs them about competitive offerings, prevailing market trends, industry standards, and helps them contextualize the club’s performance relative to others.

Most importantly, they want to know about progress – where the club is now relative to where it needs to be or where members want it to be.

Why don’t boards have this type of information?

Simple. Because their manager hasn’t given it to them.  Usually the manager hasn’t given it to them for really good reasons: they don’t have the time, resources, money, or – in some cases – the culture to support data-driven decision-making.

To be clear, managers should not be expected to have the ability to answer every question which comes their way.  However, they should be expected to successfully guide the process of strategic decision-making at their club.  Here are six tips to make you more efficient and effective at connecting your board with critical insights:

  1. Survey members on satisfaction every year, if not more regularly. Be deliberate and selective with attitudinal surveys, capital improvement surveys, and club votes, but be adamant about doing a satisfaction survey every year.
  2. Know your market inside and out, literally. Knowing your internal market means helping your board know the club’s performance and members.  Knowing your external market means keeping your board apprised of competitors, industry standards, trends, and best practices.
  3. Maintain a constant grasp on the state of your club’s operational and financial data. Being able to reference, provide, or recite details about the club’s finances and operating performance is one of the most effective ways to enhance your command presence in the boardroom.
  4. Keep your data organized and ready to go on short notice. Get yourself in a position where you’re prepared to deliver an informed response to any questions which come your way or threaten to derail a productive discussion.
  5. Report on performance metrics before you’re asked. Be proactive about regularly updating your board on current status, changes, and evolutions within the club.  As the saying goes, they don’t know what they don’t know.
  6. Build upon your data and monitor how it changes over time. This will provide your board with a sense of progress and will serve as a powerful cache of information when it comes time for your annual performance evaluation.
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