The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., has a 12-person board, nine of whom chair major committees. The three-person executive committee consists of the president, treasurer and secretary, who all also serve on the board, and we have a significant number of other committees and subcommittees. In total, nearly 200 members serve the club in volunteer leadership roles. Along with those volunteers is a team of highly qualified professionals serving the club: Our General Manager/ COO (Kristen LaCount), Senior Advisor (David Chag, our former, longtime GM) and CFO (Bob Wolpe) as well as directors of human resources, communications and technology, golf, racquet sports, grounds, facilities, culinary, events, curling, club operations and various other departments.
In recent years, the board and executive committee have increased focus on the club’s strategic direction, empowering our general manager and her outstanding team to manage day-to-day operations and capital spending. Board meeting agendas now center on a strategic topic with joint presentations by a governor and professional director on topics such as the future of racquet sports or our long-term capital plan. Each governor submits a short advance report on the operations of his or her activity rather than reporting at the meeting.
During annual budget cycles, the executive committee meets with the general manager and CFO to discuss the overall strategic direction of the operating and capital budgets for the upcoming fiscal year. The general manager and CFO then develop draft budgets, working with the directors, and present these first to the treasurer and then to the executive committee and board for approval. Once the budgets are approved, it is the responsibility of the GM, the CFO and the directors to execute operations and capital spending in line with the budgets, with
regular oversight by the treasurer, executive committee and, according to their respective areas of responsibility, the governors. Material increases to the budgets require special appropriation approvals by the board.
The club also addresses our committee and subcommittee structure on an ongoing basis. Each time a governor’s term expires, the executive committee, governance committee chair (a board member) and the GM review that governor’s committee structure and charter to determine if it is properly focused on strategic issues and high-level operational oversight, not the daily operational issues staff is most qualified to address. This process has led to significant streamlining of our committee and subcommittee structures and charters.
Case Study
One example that illustrates our commitment to trusting our profession- als to manage is our restructured facilities committee. Previously called the building and maintenance committee, its members were all experi- enced architects, developers and general contractors. The committee got into the weeds of the daily operations and maintenance of our 23 buildings and other structures. There was also a related project manage- ment subcommittee that provided oversight of significant renovation or construction projects.
In reviewing this structure, we determined that our professional director and assistant director of facilities were more familiar with and better qualified than our committee members to handle daily operations and maintenance of our extensive facilities. We therefore renamed the committee, folded the subcommittee into it and refocused it much more
heavily on strategic capital planning and oversight of capital projects for our facilities. The result has been a better functioning facilities depart- ment and a more effective committee.
Obviously, these changes to empower our senior management team require increased accountability on their parts to ensure operations and capital spending are being carried out at the highest levels and in accordance with the budgets. Our GM, in consultation with the executive committee, performs a rigorous annual review process of our senior management, including an ongoing focus on succession planning, particularly at the most senior levels. The directors then annually review our staff in their respective departments. Finally, the president and treasurer conduct a thorough annual review of the general manager to go over her team’s and her own perfor- mance and set goals and strategies for the coming year.
Collaborating
With this approach, it is critical to stay informed and not to leave your club’s GM or other senior management on an island. I meet weekly with our GM so I am always aware of significant issues she is dealing with and can have her back with the members. Our treasurer meets regularly with our CFO, and our board members are in regular contact with their respective directors. Good communication is critical to avoiding a disconnect between the board and senior management We continue to work on improving the club’s performance in these areas, but firmly believe that member leadership of the club should set strategic direction and trust senior management to manage operations and capital spending in line with budgets.
Lyman Bullard is President, The Country Club, Brookline, Mass.