“Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships.”
— Michael Jordan
We have all heard the many wonderful and witty quotes about teamwork—the importance and the power of it and the undeniable results it can bring. We know it is important and necessary in our clubs, but we do not always know how to implement positive, results-driven teamwork that will benefit the club, the members and your department heads collectively.
The idea behind “partnering” each department’s products and services is to create experiences, lead generation and unique offerings that each department individually may not be able to create. Foster a competitive advantage by using the knowledge, skills, talents and teamwork of your fellow club department heads to not only increase catering leads and services, but also to increase event success and revenues.
Here are a few tips and tactics for how to encourage department heads to work as a team within your club to drive revenues:
Have a Process
Communication is very important when it comes to teamwork. Make sure that when creating a strategy for a team to work together, each member knows exactly what will happen, who is responsible for what, and what timeline to follow. This process will require a meeting or brainstorming session to determine how the team will go about increasing prospecting opportunities and member services, so set “meeting rules” and implement best practices for efficient and productive team meetings. Determine when these discussions will take place—weekly department head meetings, weekly F&B meetings, weekly revenue-focused meetings, or ongoing discussions via Google docs or e-mail are all possibilities. Set a time limit and have an agenda—do not let yourself get off track talking about operational issues. Keep the focus of the meeting on how your teamwork can effect positive change in the club.
Which Departments Should You Partner With?
Every department within the club should take the time to meet with every other department to determine where their synergies and opportunities lie. For example, if the membership and catering departments are looking to help each other out, they should be talking about how the catering director can be involved in the enrollment and orientation process in order to position catering as a member benefit with the new members. Additionally, each department can pass leads back and forth—membership prospects that do not end up joining the club might be great leads for the catering department and catering leads are wonderful prospects for membership. Discuss how the catering department can help to re-engage existing members or foster team participation to build awareness of the club at community events. Tennis, golf, spa and fitness departments can all work together to develop cross-training activities in order to provide members with a well-rounded healthy lifestyle. These departments can work with the catering department to develop their respective services and activities into meeting packages and provide lessons or activities during breaks or cocktail hours for corporate meetings, fitness boot camps for brides and grooms, etc.
Know Your Talent
Part of the teamwork process is team building and a large part of that is getting to know one another and the obvious and hidden talents that each department head and team member possesses. So many wonderful things can happen when you tap into this talent. Think about the vast knowledge that each department head has about his or her area of expertise and how this can benefit the club and your members. This knowledge should be shared in the member newsletters—education is key.
One club was able to help new members who were new to the area with information about landscaping. As they settled into a new home and an unfamiliar climate, they did not know where to begin. The membership director had the golf course superintendent call them to welcome them to the club and lend his expertise in landscaping. What a home run! The value of their membership increased because of the knowledge of the staff.
Department heads also make great educational speakers for member programs such as how to plan the perfect party, how to get fit through exercise and healthy eating, how to throw a themed dinner at home, and more. These collective talents also create an incredible competitive advantage at our clubs.
Partnering within your club keeps your staff dynamic, vibrant and energetic. A club with great teamwork usually translates to a happy staff, and that is great for members, revenues and employee retention as well.
To recap:
- Review how and why you are meeting; make the process more efficient and streamlined
- Have a pre-conceived process with each of your fellow department heads for working as a team
- Look (with a fresh eye) at every department within the club and how you can partner your services and talents to create new and exciting event packages, member events and lead sharing
- Use your co-workers’ talents and skills to develop member benefits, and increase member retention and your competitive advantage
Lynne LaFond DeLuca is the executive director of the Association of Club Catering Professionals and a private club industry consultant. She has worked within the private club industry for 25 years, and conducts seminars and workshops for the private club and special events industries. You can reach Lynne at [email protected], or visit the website www.TheACCP.com. Follow her on twitter www.twitter.com/ClubCateringPro and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AssociationofClubCateringProfessionals.