“Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good.”
~ Charlotte Whitton
There is no argument that the private club industry has been and continues to be dominated by men. Charlotte Witton’s exasperation stated above—while a gender stereotype of the past—is changing in the industry due to the successful achievements of women at some of the most prominent clubs today. When assigned to write on this interesting topic, I thought it prudent to ask the women I know in club management I know and may have worked with during my 40-year career in hospitality management to identify any gender-specific obstacles they may have faced. I also asked them if they thought being a female was in any way an advantage.
The surveyed group was comprised of former general managers who are now in other positions still tethered to the private club industry, current GMs, assistant GMs, clubhouse managers, a golf pro, and a club business manager.
None of the women said they would be farther along in their careers if they were men. Most understood and embraced the challenge of competing not with men, but on doing and being their best.
Without naming the respondents, following are some of their notable and interesting replies:
- “When I first became a GM in 1991, the bias was unbearable from some of the male members. They were not going to have a “woman” manage their club. There was though absolutely no bias in the boardroom, or from committee chairs, whom all judged on performance, not preconceived notions.”
- “Women in club management shouldn’t be treated as a separate or special class—they need to excel in all aspects of the profession, starting with finance so they can compete in a male-dominated industry.”
- “Historically, there has been gender bias in the private club executive search firms.”
- “I once appreciated that a search firm would clarify if the club would consider a female, but these only plant doubt in the minds of the search committee and a hurdle for applicants that should all have every avenue open to them.”
- “We can’t change the clubs that don’t have females on the board or any position of leadership. What we can change are the narratives and attitudes we may inadvertently inject into the workplace at-large based on gender and perceived abilities and disposition. We have to continue to approach our jobs as though there is no bias—we can change the tone.”
- “I believe women in club management have made great advancements and will continue to do so. I have been asked several times why I have not pursued a general manager position. It’s not because I fear male competition; it’s that I feel that I do not want that responsibility. I love my club and what I currently do. And when your members treat you well, why change a good thing.”
- “The difference for me was having leaders in my early career that gave me every opportunity to demonstrate my abilities and expected no less than they would from male coworkers. I believe this early encouragement and staying focused on my work product and goals helped me to excel and have doors opened.”
- “From a management standpoint, men tend to be more receptive to new ideas from women and often less combative. If there were ever an issue on the golf course that needed settling, I was almost always the first to be sent to the scene. My colleagues and the membership always felt that I could best smooth over a situation as the guys would not get as mad at me as in a heated case. Women are better diffusers in a male-dominated industry as men tend to keep their cool with a female around.”
- “As a young manager, if you’re not lucky enough to have a brilliant GM, finding a good mentor is difficult for females.”
Maria Bartiromo, a notable television business journalist, magazine columnist and author, recently interviewed one of the only 33 women CEOs of the Fortune 500 companies, asking her why she felt there was such gender disparity. The reply was interesting. Bartiromo felt women are more risk-averse than men stating, “While men will go for the top job while only being 70% to 80% prepared, women won’t commit to pursuing being the CEO until they are 100% to 120% prepared.”
In past years, more women are graduating with degrees in hospitality and business administration than men. These ambitious, well-educated women are on the road to the highest positions in private club management. As more women achieve and succeed as COOs and CEOs of private clubs, the fear of the risk of failure erodes and the notion of gender as a qualifier of success in business will continue to disappear.