In addition to possessing integrity and demonstrating competence, leaders must also be consistent in their values and vision. Such consistency requires a foundation of principles for one’s actions and a well-developed guide for how to proceed. Followers will quickly lose confidence in an erratic leader or one without a clear and compelling vision.
Being consistent does not in any way imply rigidity or inflexibility in your thinking, planning, or execution. A hallmark of leadership is the recognition that we operate in a fluid world where everything changes all the time. As German military theorist von Moltke said, “No battle plan survives contact with the enemy.” The same could be said for any plan and the constantly unfolding realities faced by every enterprise.
When a leader demonstrates consistent values and a persistent pursuit of well-defined objectives, followers can feel confident in their leader and the direction he is taking them. An unpredictable leader, who bounces from one initiative to another and whose plans, performance, and behavior are constantly changing, creates a situation much like the Doom Loop described by Jim Collins in Good to Great.
“The comparison companies followed a different pattern, the doom loop. Rather than accumulating momentum – turn by turn of the flywheel – they tried to skip buildup and jump immediately to breakthrough. Then, with disappointing results, they’d lurch back and forth, failing to maintain consistent direction.”
Employees can deal with some agenda changes from senior management, but continually changing initiatives sap them of their enthusiasm and willingness to adapt. This is particularly so when they are not involved in decision-making and they are not treated as if they matter.
This brings us to common decency and how followers are treated. While every person may have his or her own conception of what is decent, common decency encompasses those behaviors considered to be the ideal in human intercourse. Among them are:
- Respect – regard or consideration for others and their needs.
- Sensitivity – heightened awareness to needs and concerns of others.
- Courtesy – polite behavior, respect, consideration, helpfulness.
- Kindness – goodwill, generosity, charity, and sympathy toward others.
- Generosity of Spirit – absence of meanness or smallness of mind or character.
When a leader demonstrates these behaviors in his dealings with all constituents, it naturally creates strong, trusting relationships. Once again, though, consistency is essential. A leader cannot be kind one day and callous the next and expect his constituents to trust him.
As children we are taught the common decency of the Golden Rule-treating others as we wish to be treated. But as we grow older we are often faced with stressful situations and unpleasant people who cause us to develop our own defensive responses and disagreeable behaviors.
Yet, just as these habits were learned over time, they can be unlearned by conscious effort. While we cannot control what happens to us, we can control our reactions to events. Making the effort to treat others well will go a long way toward building meaningful relationships with all constituents.
Excerpted from Leadership on the Line – The Workbook, Ed Rehkopf, Clarity Publications, 2009
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.
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People often speak of an especially effective leader’s charisma – that somewhat mysterious ability to connect with people in a profound and moving way. We can all think of leaders, usually on the national or international stage, who possessed charisma. Some names that come to mind include Eleanor Roosevelt, with her quick wit and commitment to social equity, and Ronald Reagan, called the “Great Communicator” for his skill in connecting with people. More recently we recognize Oprah Winfrey and her engaging manner with people from all walks of life and Barack Obama for his undeniable ability to move audiences with his presence and oratory.
Jim Collins says that people “want to be involved in something that just flat-out works,” but I believe it is something more. I believe that people have a great need to connect with or serve something larger than themselves. Whether it’s building a skyscraper, embarking on a campaign to eradicate hunger, working on the design of an award-winning advertising campaign, or even dressing in favorite NFL team colors and attending all the home games – people need to connect to a larger purpose or endeavor.
I believe the simple concept at the heart of this book is arguably the single most important guarantor of success in any relationship, certainly in the personal arena, but beyond that in any organization or business enterprise. Such well-known leadership authors as John C. Maxwell, Brian Tracy, and Warren Blank have all recognized the central role of relationships in any attempt to lead. As Maxwell said, “People who are unable to build solid, lasting relationships will soon discover that they are unable to sustain long, effective leadership.”
Yet as with so many other aspects of management, consistency is essential to faithfully communicate and reinforce the club’s culture, service ethic, and environment for employee empowerment. Without leadership consistency, employees get a mixed service message, and their morale and commitment varies from manager to manager and department to department.
“Well, Mrs. Johnson, last year each of our servers had 20 hours of formal training, plus we conduct brief on-the-go training sessions as part of every pre-shift meeting. On average each server who has been with us for six months or more has had over 40 hours of job specific training. Last year, club-wide we averaged just over 92 hours per employee of formal training on a wide range of topics, including organizational values, legal and liability abatement, work rules and club policies, and safety, as well as job-specific skills. This was a 7% increase over the previous year. We’re currently working on a program to expand server training with a series of videos on tableside etiquette and serving techniques, which we’ll roll out next month. We’re always working on ways to improve the efficiency of our training delivery system, but keep in mind that every hour of training costs the club $10.47. I’d be happy to share our methods, resources, and job specific curriculum with you, as we could always use another set of eyes on what we’re doing.”
This leadership style differs from others in its focus on serving the needs of employees to provide them with the proper tools, training, resources, motivation, and empowerment to serve the club’s members. In simplest terms, when a club’s employees are served by their leaders, they will serve the members, who by their continuing patronage serve the club’s bottom line. An understanding of the importance of this style of leadership can be inferred from the simple question,
Over the years while serving as general manager in hotels, resorts, and clubs, I searched a number of times and read a number of books — most extolling the successful leadership techniques of Fortune 500 or celebrity CEOs, or written by Academics with a lot of theory but little practical advice for those toiling in hospitality management. My frustration in trying to find something useful finally led me to write my own leadership guidance for my team, and this ultimately became Leadership on the Line: A Guide for Front Line Supervisors, Business Owners, and Emerging Leaders, first published in 2002 and now in its 2nd edition.
Most of us recognize that our business is not rocket science. The basics of what we do are well-known to any club professional. What makes our jobs so challenging is the sheer volume of things that must be attended to daily in a detail and people-intensive business. Unless a club operation is well-organized and its managers highly disciplined, it operates in a state of barely-controlled chaos interspersed with periods of downtime. The challenge for all is to transition quickly from storm to calm back to storm while remaining focused on long term goals, ongoing projects, and continual process improvement. The solution is to organize the club so that most things happen routinely and that managers at all levels be highly disciplined in approaching their duties and efforts to improve the operation.
Given these and other specific challenges that vary from club to club, it is absolutely imperative that club managers organize their operations in detail. My own list of requirements includes:
Each of these necessities, while challenging, will improve the organization and discipline of the club while fostering consistently higher levels of service. The resulting efficiency and service of a well-run club will make it easier to attract members, which improves dues and revenues and ultimately better positions the club in the marketplace.
