BOARD RETREATS are an essential part of any club’s governance and should be on the board calendar to occur annually. A retreat provides the board and management with time away from the club to have in-depth discussions monthly meetings do not allow. It also fosters stronger relationships among board members and management by making it possible for everyone to interact on both business and social levels.
Benefits to be gained from a board retreat are numerous, including:
- Building alignment on mission, vision, goals and values.
- Board members forming strong relationships with other members.
- Deeper and more meaningful discussions on timely topics.
- Being strategic in planning and decision-making.
- Accomplishing club business.
- Benchmarking with other clubs.
- Thanking and rewarding board members for their service.
In a recent poll of 24 clubs that conducted retreats, 20 replied that annual retreats are the norm. The majority of clubs surveyed hold the retreat offsite at another private club; this provides privacy with fewer chances of interruption.
It is also an ideal way to see another comparable (or better) club in operation for benchmarking purposes. A full tour of the facility, combined with golf and dining, provides social interaction while offering the opportunity to observe how another club performs. An invitation to allow remarks from the host club’s president or general manager as part of the agenda can open channels of communication and facilitate idea-sharing.
The Strategic Plan
One of the most important topics for the retreat is reviewing and updating the club’s strategic plan. Using an outside facilitator for this portion of the meeting allows an objective third party to lead discussions and review what the board has accomplished the previous year, while also setting goals, objectives and action plans for the coming year. Using someone with expertise in the club industry for this purpose will enhance the process by providing relevant resources and insights on current trends, capital planning and best practices in club governance.
If the club does not have a strategic plan, it is critical to set aside time to go through the planning process during the retreat. The board needs to take a deep look at the club by reviewing its mission and vison statements and conducting a complete SWOT analysis to identify the club’s top strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. From here, the board can break down the top goals as either facility- or non-facility-related, and then drill down into which goals can be realistically accomplished in the next 12 months.
Other Topics
Other important agenda topics for a board retreat, in addition to creating or updating the strategic plan, may include:
- GM/COO State of the Club Report. This is more in-depth than the usual monthly reports from management. KPIs would be reported in-depth, including member and staff turnover and statistics, net promoter scores for each. and a high-level overview of staff performance and the goals achieved.
- Board Self-evaluation. An electronic survey should be distributed to the board in advance of the meeting to critically evaluate the board’s leadership based on metrics that have been established in advance. The retreat will allow time to review the results and plan for improvement.
- Evaluation of Committees. The annual retreat is an ideal time to review the goals and objectives of each committee and establish new ones for the coming year. Committee members’ performance can also be candidly discussed, as part of assessing their potential to become future board members.
Budgets. The retreat allows in-depth operating and capital budget discussions to occur without time constraints.
Kevin Carroll, CCM, CCE, ECM, is vice president of Club Consulting, McMahon Group. He can be reached at [email protected].