Private golf and country clubs are complex enterprises and environments where employee performance directly impacts both the monetary and membership value of the organization. At Scratch Consulting we help clubs improve employee performance. The art of hospitality places demands for managers of various departments to align on principles that foster a consistently exceptional experience. That pursuit of excellence fosters creativity and ingenuity but comes with a risk. The sense of urgency and anxiety that can limit team cohesion and performance. Accordingly, confronting the accompanying stress with a proactive attitude is essential for all club managers and employees.
Two characteristics that must be considered in managing stress are adaptability to sudden changes in the workplace, and resilience when mistakes occur. These help teams navigate inevitable stress effectively and find creative, effective solutions that improve the overall experience for everyone at the facility.
How Can Adaptability and Resilience Improve Teams?
As a high-touch hospitality profession, club managers must respond to the changing demands of their members. Adhering to protocols and procedures and managing expectations help the team find consistency and systemize delegation for managers and their staff so they can focus on managing instead of micromanaging. Fear of mistakes and judgment from members can scare managers away from delegating, which can lead to overworking and burnout.
Adaptability Involves Taking Risks
When a staff member is forced to pivot away from protocol in response to a member’s demands and is unable to touch base with their manager, they should feel confident and supported in making a decision that may turn out later to be wrong. These opportunities ultimately help employees learn and build confidence.
Understanding the Context of the Club Environment
As demonstrated in the book Golf is Not a Game of Perfect, it is impossible to perform at 100 percent all the time. Having employees display self-awareness in their work is important in maintaining motivation through the emotional ups and downs of a challenging day. It’s also important to know that no matter how hard or excellent the work is, not everyone will be satisfied. Private club members are notorious for pointing out the negative and expecting perfection. When managers and employees avoid taking criticism as a personal attack, they can remain objective in finding effective solutions maintain exceptional customer (member) service as the priority.
Mistakes and Conflicts Are Essential for Building Resilience
At clubs, speaking truth to power can be intimidating. Staff and management tend to avoid confrontation because of fear. Conflicts are uncomfortable, and mistakes are not easy to acknowledge. An important aspect of teams that move through stressful and challenging situations effectively is that they take accountability for themselves and expect to hold each other accountable.
When You Acknowledge Your Shortcomings, You Can Change
In the stages of change, awareness is the driver of change. You have to admit there is a problem impacting the bigger systemic issue.
In hospitality, creativity is a key ingredient in providing excellent service. Managers feel a strong sense of gratitude and commitment to their jobs when they find opportunities to impress or surprise their guests with new ideas that make them feel special. These ideas then foster incredible reputations that can spread throughout the community. “You won’t believe what the pro at (Blank) Club did for me after finishing the round.” “The staff at (Blank) are so friendly! I just love the environment there!” These are statements that attract new members and guests to facilities quickly. Managers need to delegate and find effective tools for navigating the sense of urgency that often comes from golf patrons. Managers have time and space to be creative when they trust the adaptability of their team in new situations and their resilience to bounce back from mistakes.
A most desirable byproduct from “unreasonable hospitality” is the strong sense of satisfaction achieved by staff and management when a member expresses gratitude for a specific service provided.
Conclusion
A high level of trust develops when teams are aligned on a mission and work together to respond positively to stress rather than react to it. The workplace environment thrives, and customer (member) satisfaction soars. Companies can grow and adapt. When there is an attitude of collaboration rather than resentment, teams are patient enough to come up with solutions rather than quickly reacting to member complaints and demands. They can use effective and assertive communication with leadership to justify decisions rather than react to the urgency of members.
