Change has engulfed and will define us. Change usually arrives suddenly and without warning. Change often seems threatening until one develops an understanding that change is a certainty that can be made highly advantageous.
Ginni Rometty, executive chair of IBM, told Fortune magazine editor Alan Murray, “There is no doubt this (novel coronavirus) will speed up everyone’s transition to be a digital business.” She identified four areas of change:
- The movement to the cloud will be accelerated. Clubs and operating businesses must make this change on the fly. Club leaders must have a comprehensive understanding that is updated frequently.
- The move toward automation will be accelerated. Club managers and leaders must quickly embrace and implement greater efficiency and member-facing accountability. Change now for the future.
- Supply chains will be rebuilt. Club managers are advised to review—and make more efficient—the club’s supply chain by eliminating middle-men and process delays. Expediters will be rewarded.
- The movement toward new ways of doing work will be accelerated. Top-performing clubs will leverage the pandemic to implement advanced methods for executing work and providing services. Re-tooling such routine practices as monthly billings, guest policy tracking and point-of-sale transactions will happen quickly. Likewise, separating work from jobs will be one of the biggest changes in the wake of the pandemic.
Private clubs will be changed by the pandemic. As you ramp up at your club, use change to your benefit.
Almost two out of three (63%) respondents to a recent survey of Fortune 500 CEOs expect technological transformation to accelerate. Doug Merritt, CEO at Splunk, a big-data platform, shared two important observations: first is the rapid digital transformation and the second is how the pandemic has elevated the importance of gathering and interrogating data.
Tom Peters, author of “In Search of Excellence” (1982) and “Thriving on Chaos” (1987), pointed out decades ago that the power of thriving on chaos requires focus on five keys: 1) being responsive to the customer; 2) innovating constantly; 3) creating partnerships with those connected to your organization; 4) establishing a vision based on change; and 5) measuring what is really important.
Surrounded as we are in chaos, now is the ideal time to thrive.
Henry DeLozier is a principal at GGA Partners, an international club management consulting firm that provides specialized services to more than 3,000 clients from offices in Toronto, Phoenix and Dublin (IR). He can be reached at [email protected].