Willoughby Golf Club is located within a private, gated community of 375 single-family homes with meticulously maintained South Florida vegetation surrounding natural lakes and wetlands. Serving 678 members with about 60 full-time staff and 120 seasonal staff, the club has a beautiful Arthur Hills golf course with an inclusive golf program for players of all levels, a bustling competitive tennis program with the best facilities in the area, a 4,800 square-foot fully-equipped fitness center, a resort-style pool, and a 25,000 square-foot clubhouse with multiple dining outlets. The community is comprised of professionals and former executives from all over the U.S. and six countries who now embrace the South Florida lifestyle, WGC’s team plays an integral part in ensuring the recreational and social needs of its members are fulfilled.
Women at Willoughby. After a 15-year career in law enforcement—and with a job offer on the table for a chief of police position in a neighboring community—FBI Academy graduate Michelle Reilly decided to pivot to a decidedly different professional arena—the private club world. As the director of security at Willoughby Golf Club (WGC) in Stuart, Fla., Reilly would head a team of security for the 403-acre private gated community with 375 single-family homes as well as the country club grounds. That decision has resulted in a 20-year journey that has been rewarding for both Reilly, who has been the general manager and chief operating officer for the last 10 years, and for the members of the WGC community.
In 1999 when Reilly began at WGC, the club was transitioning from developer-owned to member-owned. In these twenty years, she remembers the club always having women in primary roles, “We’ve had two women GMs in the past 20 years and one female board president who served a three-year term. I have been here for the past 10 years as GM and LuAnn Giovanelli, CCM, was here for four years prior to that. For 70% of our history we have had a woman general manager.”
Reilly points out that WGC’s board has always strived to ensure that there is female representation among its leadership, noting that there is an active group of female community members who encourage other women to apply for positions.
“As for the staff, we have always hired the best person for any position, whether male or female. Our leadership team is 50/50 male and female. Three out of four men are back-of-the-house though, so the club feels very much managed by women because we are front and center more often. I always believed that the staff and leadership should be representative of the community that we serve and that is about as close as we can get,” Reilly said.
The female members help drive this culture because they are invested and involved in keeping the community thriving. WGC has very strong female participation in all activity areas, and most of the member-coordinated clubs are run by women, such as book club, bridge, ladies organized golf, ladies tennis, and others. A few years ago, a few members initiated a ladies-only happy hour, which has become a well-attended weekly event. Reilly said, “Our ladies are not shy about coordinating and starting what they want, and we are happy to provide them with the staff support they need.”
Board member Mary East added, “The women at Willoughby don’t just have a seat at the table, we have a voice! And Michelle sets a great example of how to get things done.”
Leadership Perspective. Reilly has a disdain for boredom, a penchant for seeking challenges to stave off restlessness, and a need to be always moving toward an end-goal. In 2006, she left the club for three years when the GM position opened and the board declined to allow her to interview for it because she lacked the formal training and typical career trajectory for a GM position. An unfortunate fact in today’s slowly-but-surely-changing corporate world could be cited here: that men are often promoted based on their potential, while women advance based on their accomplishments. In 2009, the club president called and offered her the general manager position, and though she cherished her fulfilling interim experience building houses for Habitat for Humanity, Reilly was ready to get back to Willoughby and dive into club/community management.
“Being the GM/COO at Willoughby is like running eight separate businesses, so I don’t get bored! And the environment is beautiful, too,” Reilly said, referring to the fact that she is GM of the club as well director of the community’s HOA, and overseer of the various operational areas such as the landscaping of the community’s 375 homes, the security aspect, all golf-related activities including the golf shop, the tennis program, food and beverage, etc. The challenge is what makes the job fulfilling and the culture of the club is what makes it possible.
“I have worked in environments that were hostile to women. My first day on the police department, I rode with a guy who said he didn’t think women should be cops. I asked him just to not make up his mind about me yet. We ended up being good friends. So, I know it when I see it. That has not been my experience at Willoughby Golf Club. Ever.”
Reilly’s leadership style is to be candid about expectations. She reports directly to the club president, does not like to be micromanaged and does not micromanage her staff, allowing people to perform their jobs and fostering a real sense of teamwork. Club committees are advisory in nature and the club’s board has advanced a very strong belief in empowering the GM/COO.
Board member Mary East noted, “Michelle has created a culture that is highly professional, but also friendly and personal. She deserves credit for building a very strong team and setting an example of high standards and mutual respect. She is goal-oriented and results-driven and the overriding principle is always what’s best for WGC members.”
Reilly added, “A benefit of having female leadership is that it empowers our women membership and staff. I set a strong tone about acceptable behavior and how we communicate with one another. I am also very driven to advance: I went from police officer to deputy chief in 15 years, and director of security to GM in 10. So, I require that the young people on my staff have a plan about where they want to be and how they are going to get there. I am happy to facilitate training and fund it if I can, and our member-driven foundation supplements these efforts by awarding money for the education of staff and their families.”
The hospitality industry is notorious for making work-life balance tough. Reilly says her staff at Willoughby work through this together, “Teamwork—that is the secret for us at Willoughby. We cover for each other and encourage each other so that we can succeed at work and at home. The key is having a deep bench of people who care for each other.”