Three minutes to a better culture

It seems that every day of the past 2+ years, the hours have moved at the speed of light. The days are packed with golfers, complexity, and issues that require attention. The team opens the doors, and it feels as if no time later, they are headed back home, preparing for the next busy day. As the leader you have stood atop this crazy period and tried simply to keep the orchestra playing. There was little time to stop to connect with a team member even for a brief conversation. There was never enough staff to spread the effort. The days were fast, things were busy, and you were happy to watch the parade of golfers moving through the clubhouse.

Although everyone looks to prioritize the day, the sheer nature of the COVID golf season, together with the Great Resignation, made the opportunity to stay connected with staff on a regular basis just about impossible. Certainly these are legitimate reasons for everyone remaining in their own lanes, working desperately to provide service, maximize the experience, while hoping to keep the wheels on the bus.

This In My Opinion post is asking you to make the time for your staff and golfers, stopping throughout the day to have a conversation, looking to ask simply: “How are you doing?” If you and your managers can set up the days going forward to fit in three minutes, I believe you will create a happier, more engaged team over time. In addition, you will learn more about your service and where the property is falling short of expectations, as you all connect with golfers. Here are my three thoughts about sharing three minutes:

1. Build time into the schedule for all managers to connect: When people put it as a thing to do, they will be proactive in getting it onto their daily schedule. It can become a habit.
2. One at a time: The management team will want to work out who is doing the connecting and when. It is important it doesn’t appear staged. It’s also important that every team member gets to connect with a manager throughout a month, throughout a quarter.
3. Spending time with golfers is invaluable: It is important not only to exchange nice words, but also to learn how they feel about the staff, the product and the experience. The more golfers that the management can talk with, the more you will learn about those intangibles: the positives and negatives vital to every golf operation.

Of course, you hope the property remains busy as a struggling economy approaches. It is probably safe to say, however, that staffing will…