Leadership Lounge

This article first appeared in the March 2019 issue of BoardRoom Magazine Research shows that 60-90% of strategic plans fail. Developing a strategic plan takes discipline, brutal honesty, and requires foresight with trends, the economy, and society. Consider, for example: Club #1, 2008: built a ‘formal dining room’ significantly larger than its casual dining in a new clubhouse even though club trends and their consultant advised against it. The dining room is now closed excep

It’s finally fall, and football season is in full swing. Whether the team you root for plays on Saturday, Sunday, or at the local high school, there is no denying how much hard work the players put in day in and day out to help achieve their goal of victory each week. A very successful college football team’s mantra (and subject of a pretty motivating hype video--if you are into that sort of thing) on their drive to a history-making season was: “They don’t put championship ri

Earlier this year, as a part of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting; the organization issued an article that boldly stated “ The shift to an experience economy has the power not only to change how we spend our time and money, but also to promote inclusion and democratize happiness.” As the club industry works to combat member attrition and gain a share of the fiercely loyal Millennial population, here are a few ways clubs can cash in on the four pillars of the Experience

It’s no secret that the traditional private club model is changing and while change may feel a bit scary (Look how far this club in Europe is going),the only constant in this world is change and without it, there is no moving forward. Global club trends and consumer expectations present a very exciting time for the club industry! A few months ago, we discussed the hotly-discussed topic of bringing Millennials to clubs and offered some suggestions to combat the top perceived r

O-mo-te-na-shi. Some words in foreign languages don't have a simple translation into English, and omotenashi is one of them. The most widely accepted definition is "Japanese hospitality" or "Japanese service". The term gained widespread attention during the bid process to the International Olympic Committee in 2013, and is becoming even more frequently heard in advance of the 2020 Olympics--to be held in Tokyo. The Michelin guide defines omotenashi as: '“Omote” means public f

Here’s a familiar sight at every golf club: Long-time members arrive, eager for a relaxing day on the course. Their tee time comes up, and after stopping in the golf shop for their cart reservation, they go out to the first tee to begin their round. They’re cheerfully greeted (by name!) by the staff, led to their cart, which is clean and charged and ready to go, and a great day of golfing begins. It’s precisely this seamless scenario that led them to join this club in the fir

“If you don’t get culture right, nothing else matters.” John Taft, CEO, RBC Wealth Management The word “culture” has many meanings. For most people, it refers to a community’s shared tastes and values, including things like social norms, music choices, food and fashion preferences, sports loyalties, religious beliefs, and many other mores and customs. Sometimes communities with a shared culture are specific to one particular location; sometimes they exist in many places at on

On April 16, 2017 The Wall Street Journal published an article "Behind United Airlines’ Fateful Decision to Call Police" about the recent debacle on United Airlines where a passenger was injured and dragged out of the aircraft for failing to give up his seat. In the article the author highlighted that the airline, and the airline industry in general, is deeply ‘policy focused’, with employees fearful to step “outside the lines” if the “book” says otherwise: “Deviating from th

This article originally appeared in BoardRoom Magazine in 2014. Customer service means different things to everyone. Wikipedia defines customer service as “The provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.” Businessdictionary.com defines it as “All interactions between a customer and a product provider at the time of sale, and thereafter.” But what does this mean in the club business? My general rule of thumb is to first realize that very often our cu

With a wide variety of leisure options available for today's society, private clubs face steep competition. That's why strong member loyalty is one of the most important things you can have in your arsenal to keep a competitive edge. Many members also belong to multiple clubs at a time, making loyalty to one an even more coveted jewel. Photo by CardonWebb.com Loyalty isn't just an ethereal feel-good concept; it also translates into hard numbers. Studies show that loyal custom