The Impact of Employee Performance on Club Value
Golf and country clubs are complex businesses where employee performance directly impacts the monetary value of the organization. The art of hospitality places demands on managers to align on principles that foster an exceptional experience day in and day out. That pursuit of excellence fosters creativity and ingenuity, but also a sense of urgency and anxiety that can limit team cohesion and performance. Therefore, confronting 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 industry, golf 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, not 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 supported in making a decision that may be wrong. These opportunities ultimately help employees learn and build confidence.
Understanding the Context of the Club Environment
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. Club members are notorious for pointing out the negative and expecting perfection. When managers and employees don’t take criticism as a personal attack on their value, they can remain objective in finding solutions to the problems and keep exceptional customer service as the priority.
Mistakes and Conflicts Are Essential for Building Resilience
Colleagues and managers 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 don’t hesitate to take accountability for themselves and have an expectation that they will 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 something going on that is 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.
Conclusion
This level of trust evolves when teams are aligned on a mission and work together to respond to stress rather than react to it. The workplace environment thrives, and customer 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 to these problems 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.
