Recognizing that we work in a detail-intensive business, most club managers understand that comprehensive and systematic training for both subordinate managers and line employees is an imperative. Yet, the sad fact is that training is an afterthought in many operations, left up to department heads or front line supervisors to conceive, design, and implement.
Why is this so often the case? I offer the following as some of the factors that make training so difficult for all of us:
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First, is the standalone nature of most clubs. Busy managers have little time and, in some cases, lack the necessary skill set to design a comprehensive training curriculum for employees. Complicating this is the fact that club operations span many disciplines, including accounting, human resources, marketing, member relations, golf operations, food and beverage, aquatics, golf course maintenance, and other areas. Few, managers have the detailed knowledge of all these disciplines to design the well-integrated systems, policies, and procedures that cover all areas of the operation. - The general manager and management staff have not formally defined the standards of quality and service they wish to provide the membership. Without formal standards, how do they determine their training needs?
- Given the many positions inherent in club operations, there is the need to develop a curriculum for each position to provide employees the appropriate skill set. This is a daunting task, though focusing on critical member-facing positions is the first step.
- In addition to individual skills training, employees must be trained in the club culture and values; laws affecting the workplace; employee work rules and policies; liability abatement training such as safety, sanitation, and public health; human resource issues such as sexual harassment, discrimination, conduct, and performance criteria; accounting policies and procedures relating to their work such as point of sale training, inventory procedures, and timekeeping; and all the club’s various organizational systems that allow it to function efficiently.
- Managers at all levels must be trained in a variety of disciplines including leadership; club culture and values; various laws affecting club operations; club systems; accounting standards, policies, and procedures; human resource standards, policies, and procedures — to name a few.
- Few clubs have a comprehensive training plan that guides subordinate managers in training standards, responsibilities, budgets, resources, and necessary curricula.
- There is no easy way for the general manager to monitor training execution due to the lack, in most clubs, of training administration software and training benchmarks. Short of attending each training session, how does the GM know who is training and meeting the ongoing requirements of a multi-faceted curriculum.
- In times of tight budgets (and when is it ever not such a time?), the cost of every hour of training is multiplied by the number of employees being trained and their hourly wage — and this can have a significant impact on the bottom line.
- The management staff does not have the will to make it happen given all the other management requirements, demands on their time, and competing priorities.
- The club’s board, while demanding high service levels, does not understand the direct link between formal training and quality service or, even more importantly, the challenging task of designing and implementing an effective club-wide training program. In many cases, the general manager has not developed the training goals, assessments, plan, proposed budget, and “sold” the board on its necessity.
The bottom line on all these issues is that unless focused on and attended to religiously, they fall through the cracks. While the training requirements of a well-run operation seem overwhelming, they can be effectively implemented by a variety of strategies which we’ll talk about next week.
Thanks and have a great day!
Ed Rehkopf
This weekly blog comments on and discusses the club industry and its challenges. From time to time, we will feature guest bloggers - those managers and industry experts who have something of interest to say to all of us. We also welcome feedback and comment upon the blog, hoping that it will become a useful sounding board for what’s on the minds of hardworking club managers throughout the country and around the world.
Club Resources International - Management Resources for Clubs!
The basis for the traditional hierarchical organizational model is the military concept of “chain of command.” In this model, management is represented as the sequence of authority in executing the will of the owners—and certainly management plays that essential role. But in addition to not representing the importance of customers, it also places the employees at the bottom of the chain—thereby visually relegating them to the position of least consequence.
The Service-Based Organizational model depicts the importance of satisfying customers, as well as the important role of employees. The organization’s leaders are placed at the bottom, clearly emphasizing their role in serving the needs of all constituencies.
Instead of the traditional view that employees are easily replaceable elements in an organization, people who must be trained to do narrow, well-defined tasks and who must be closely watched and supervised at all times, the concept of empowerment says that today’s more educated and sometimes more sophisticated employees need and want to contribute more to their employer and workplace. Yet many clubs marginalize their employees by refusing to listen to them and by failing to let them contribute to the enterprise in any meaningful way.
1. Always keep an open mind. Try not to pre-judge situations or people.
As I began to dig deeper and deeper into the challenges of the club, Randy took to stopping by my office each morning. While I was anxious to learn as much as I could from him, each morning became a litany of complaints, usually that he did not have the necessary tools, staff, or time to take care of all the things for which his department was responsible. Frequently, he disparaged his employees and their lack of necessary skills. Further, I had the distinct sense that Randy was looking to me for solutions to his problems, both real and imagined.
Like Randy, John also stopped by my office each day for a few minutes. But he never complained; he only kept me informed of what he was working on. Sometimes he sought my permission to pursue a particular course of action or sought confirmation of his plans. With each passing day I grew less and less concerned about maintenance. Confidence in John and the job he was doing allowed me to turn my attention to other pressing matters.
Now we have brought out Leadership on the Line - The Workbook, a companion piece to the book that reinforces and expands upon the requirements of Service-Based Leadership in simple, easy-to-understand terms. Its focus is on building strong relationships with followers and serving the needs of all constituencies - boss, members, peers, and employees. With Service-Based Leadership members are treated well because employees are valued, trained, supported, and empowered by their leaders.
When you blame no one else for the challenges you face, when you realize that where you stand today is the result of all your past decisions and indecision, you look to the true source of any difficulties. It is never the undefined “they.” It is always the ever present “I.”
Bob was the front desk manager of an older hotel. Hospitality was his profession, but running was his passion. Each day at lunchtime, regardless of the weather, he took a five-mile run. After running he used the employee locker room to change and shower before returning to work.
“Now the Institute has taken another client: Miami International Airport, which many travelers will tell you needs customer service training like an airplane needs wings. Surveys rank its service among the nation’s worst. The airport’s terminal operations employees are taking classes taught by Institute instructors, learning leadership practices, team building, staff relations and communication skills-many formulated by Walt Disney himself.
3rd Posted Comment: “I agree with the posters who feel that senior management should lead by example and treat their subordinates with dignity and respect. It just seems like common sense, that when employees are happy and feel well treated, this will filter down to the way they treat the customers. Everyone in an organization deserves to be treated well and this makes for optimum performance.”
Attitude and morale are also important ingredients in hospitality and service operations where friendliness, good cheer, and enthusiasm are necessary requirements for success. While hiring the right people with the right personal qualities has always been a safe bet when building service teams, the very act of creating teams brings its own challenges. As pointed out in 
It seems that Michael’s meteoric success had been built upon a hard-nosed, bullying management style. He frequently flew into tirades if his employees did not perform to his expectations, yet he was a poor communicator, rarely meeting with his staff to explain his goals or desires. Further, Willard said he often berated his employees in front of others. 