Ambition is a powerful weapon in the busy world of club management and hospitality. It’s what propels many of us on a quest to be great, to explore new frontiers, and to be visionaries in the world’s best clubs. Yet ambition is just the beginning.
While the desire to move forward, to manage a bigger club, assume greater responsibilities, or gain respect among people in the industry is valid and understandable, timing and positioning are key elements in the journey.
The issue is when we are set to go, it doesn’t always mean that the right opportunity is prepared for us. The difference between a career that grows with strength and one that crashes is often based on knowing when to move and why.
Moving for the Wrong Reasons
One of the most common errors in a career of club management can be leaving too early and for the wrong reasons. Boredom, frustration with a boss, or impatience with the pace of advancement are all emotional drivers that, however real, do not necessarily lead to the most informed decisions.
Yes, a bad working relationship or stagnation will get to you. But jumping ship too soon could earn you lateral or even reverse moves, ones that may not bring you any closer to your long-term goals. Very often, however, the grass is not greener; it’s a different shade of the same headaches, in a new place. Concentrate on what you can control and do the best you can with it.
Skipping Steps
In an industry built on service, relationships, and deeply rooted culture, the learning curve is layered. There’s real value in doing the hard yards. Those “in-between” roles, those quieter years where you’re still growing, shape your leadership instincts and your resilience.
Jumping into top jobs without being adequately experienced can lead to problems later on. Chiefs who have not weathered budget cuts, committee politics, personnel crises, or member discontent may discover they are lacking experience in high-pressure situations. More dreadful, a negative impact in a top job, particularly in the first few years, can linger as a reputation, and the next role becomes harder to attain.
And on the flip side, staying in one position for too long will also breed other doubts. Are you still learning? Still growing? If not, it’s easy to think that you’ve plateaued. It’s an art and a science, one that requires self-awareness and honest thinking.
Choose Roles That Let You Grow
Growth isn’t always larger prestige or a larger salary. Probably one of the greatest highlights of a career is the result of jobs that place you in the questioning position, stretch your skill set, or venture you out of your comfort zone.
Staking out a club with challenges in the areas of board dynamics, significant operational efficiencies, or poor employee culture might not be glamorous, but it will likely teach you about leadership, communication, and strategic thinking more than any top-performing property ever has.
Variety Builds Depth
There’s an urge to find your lane and maintain it. For instance, working through a set of golf clubs or remaining within proprietary models only. But variety can make your grasp of the industry all the stronger.
Working in different types of clubs; member vs. proprietary vs. resort or a different type of club gives you a richer, more advanced understanding of how clubs work. It makes you more adaptable, more internationally conscious, and better equipped when it comes to handling complex stakeholder relationships.
It’s Not Your Club
Understandably, you want to make a difference quickly. You come from outside with new energy, new ideas, and a need to be proven. But clubs are living, breathing entities. They belong to the members, not to the manager.
Successful change is a slow process. More so than that, it is a matter of trust. And trust is something earned, not asserted.
Spend the first few months observing, listening, and learning about the club’s identity and history. Build the trust of the membership and board by demonstrating that you’re concerned with the club, not with what you want. And once you’ve got their trust, they’ll trust you enough to lead. The members will be hungry for your leadership. But it must be earned on their terms, not yours.
Your Positioning Tools
Professional development is about more than being a resume builder. Engaging in industry credentials, conferences, and workshops, or finding a mentor, makes you into a committed practitioner of the art of leadership.
By playing a role in industry debate, conference presenting, writing, or mentoring up-and-coming managers, you become visible. You’re showing that you’re not just gunning for job titles, you’re adding value, sharing knowledge, and assisting in shaping the next generation of the profession.
And don’t underestimate the power of a strong network. Surrounding yourself with a quality set of peers, mentors, and recruiters can help you gauge your readiness, interpret opportunities, and get candid feedback about how you’re perceived in the market.
Know Your Value
You need to know your value in the marketplace. That means being up front about your experience, skills, and leadership qualities, but also knowing what type of club is best for you.
Do you thrive best in a progressive or conservative environment? Do you provide well with a hands-on board of directors or prefer autonomy? Identifying the environments in which you’ll shine makes it easier to make intelligent decisions regarding which jobs to pursue
Play the Long Game
The most effective careers aren’t built on speed, they’re built on strategy. Understanding where you want to be in the long term provides you the freedom to make deliberate, smart moves that further that bigger goal.
At times that is waiting to finish what you started. Or, taking a sideways move to have exposure to a new skill set or club design. Maybe it is passing on a shiny opportunity because it’s not something that fits your values or level of readiness.
These are decisions requiring patience, but they form careers with depth, credibility, and legacy.
In a world where speed is so highly valued, it’s so easy to feel behind if you’re not perpetually moving forward. But give yourself the time to build, to think, to get it right.
By focusing your attention on what really matters: learning, giving back, building relationships, and positioning yourself for success, you’re not just climbing a ladder. You’re building a valuable, respected, and lasting career.
And, when the opportunity is right, you will not just be ready. You’ll be the obvious choice.
Contributed by Michael Herd, Head of International Search & Consulting at KOPPLIN KUEBLER & WALLACE. Michael can be reached at [email protected] or www.kkandw.com/international.
