June 13, 2023

271: Rising through the Club Ranks: Tom Wallace's Story

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Do you ever wonder what it takes to rise through the ranks and thrive in the club world? This episode of Private Club Radio features a fascinating conversation with Tom Wallace, an award-winning manager and partner at KK&W. From shining shoes as a teenager at a country club to becoming the general manager at Oakmont Country Club, Tom shares his incredible journey and the valuable lessons he's learned along the way.

We uncover the secrets of Tom's success, including his holistic approach to human capital and the importance of creating an employer of choice culture. Stay interviews, leveraging relationships with members, and giving young professionals the opportunity to provide feedback are essential ingredients to success. Get ready to absorb invaluable insights on recruitment, orientation, training, recognition, retention, and team development that can benefit any club.

Wrapping up our conversation, Tom highlights the power of relationships and networking in the club world. We discuss how clubs can create value for members beyond initiation fees and dues, the significance of self-awareness, and painting a vision for the club. Don't miss this opportunity to learn from Tom Wallace's wealth of experiences and expertise in the club world.

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00:00 - Leadership and Club Management Stories

13:54 - The Making of a Leader

25:03 - Creating an Employer of Choice Culture

30:01 - Club Career Networking Advice

35:13 - Leadership and Management in Clubs

48:39 - Gratitude and Call to Action

WEBVTT

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Hey everyone, welcome back to Private Club Radio.

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I'm your host, Denny Corby, entertainer, magician, comedian.

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Head on over to theclubentertainerscom Jamellas Plug.

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You're looking for amazing entertainment for your club.

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I have me a couple other very close vetted colleagues and acts that I know are trusted for all my club clients.

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On this episode we chat with Tom Wallace, Thomas Wallace III, CCM, CCE, ECM, ABC, ACDC It's okay, I bust him for how many letters he has.

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It's pretty impressive, But we have a fun episode.

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He is a partner over at KK&W, a very reputable organization in the Private Club community, And we have a cool chat.

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We learn a little bit about how he got started in the club world, which is pretty funny because it's about his dad's choice of foods which really got him started into the club world.

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He's an award-winning manager, obviously with all of the acronyms after his name ABCs, all that stuff I'm going to start making some up.

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I'll put them in my LinkedIn profile.

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I'm kidding, I thought about putting CCM Certified Club Magician, but I think that would ruffle a lot of feathers in the club world.

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He also teaches at Georgia State University and won the Gary Player Educator of the Year back in 2020.

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He's known for his strong leadership skills, his ability to build high-performing teams And that's what we talk about a lot in this episode is his story, his leadership and knowledge passing on to younger club professionals.

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Right now, What's important, What's going on in industry, What are key people and clubs looking for, And just leadership advice.

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We hear his story.

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It's really good.

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So thank you for tuning in and let's pass it over and welcome Mr Tom Wallace, ABCDEFG, KK&W.

00:01:56.993 --> 00:02:01.390
So, Mr Wallace, thank you so much for hopping on with me.

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Really cool for you to be on.

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Really appreciate it.

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To get things started, what was the color of your first car?

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Color of my first car was a 1980 rust colored Ford Escort with white vinyl interior.

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I'll never forget that car.

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It cost me a grand total of $300.

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But it was mine.

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I paid for it and I think it had 100,000 miles when I got it Rust it was literally that was the color on the title rust.

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I was going to say.

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I had a puke green Ford Focus, so I think yours might end.

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Yeah, it could be worse, so kind of a brown-orange, but it was called rust And I don't know why anyone would ever name their paint color on a car rust, but that's what I had.

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Automatic or manual.

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Manual, of course, definitely A five-speed.

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And yeah, it did not even have a slot for a radio, so you couldn't even get an aftermarket radio.

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There was not a slot for it.

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So, you would have somebody in the car that you'd want to talk to, because if not, it's so awkward Yeah exactly Somebody that could at least sing or hum something or something.

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Yeah, at least keep the entertainment going.

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That or the car probably just made enough noises that it just took over.

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You didn't really need a radio anyway.

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Yeah, it had a complete life of its own.

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It did mostly what it wanted to do, and I was just along for the ride.

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Literally No pun intended.

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Literally.

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So you have a really cool background, a lot of stuff in the club world.

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How did you get into the club world?

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I actually my father was a police officer in the city where my first club, the country club, was, and he said I have two jobs for you.

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You can go start shining shoes at this country club or you can clean this lot.

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I know a guy owns a dry cleaner.

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You can clean the dry cleaners after hours.

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Which one?

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I said well, what do you think?

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He said I've heard the foods pretty good at the club.

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So that was it.

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That was a pivotal life decision, based on my dad's appetite, i guess.

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But yeah, he got me a job shining shoes and started when I was at 14, and kind of, the rest was history.

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But yeah, that was.

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He had two jobs.

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I just followed my dad's direction, that's all.

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So what was the process?

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So you went from shining shoes.

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How long did that last?

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And then, what was the next step there?

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Yeah, well, i spent the better part of the next 13, 14 years at country, learning, doing everything, started shining shoes.

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It was a dishwasher, was a prep cook, was a waiter, a busboy, a bartender, worked my way up to becoming the assistant manager And then I became the interim general manager.

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A couple of times While I was there I went through several GM's, a couple of GM's that work there.

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I was waiting to go into the police academy because that's what my father, that's what the family business was.

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And when I was waiting to do that, i had a manager, a couple managers, that told me you know, maybe you should do this, you're pretty good at it.

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And I was like, no, i'm pretty sure I want to be a cop.

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That's kind of what my dad does, And you know, this is one of those kind of households that I grew up in.

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And they said, no, you're really good at this.

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So I became an assistant manager, became an interim manager and eventually I was named the Interim General Manager and at the same time I had an opportunity to interview at at Oakmont Country Club, which was sometime I think I was 27, so it would have been around 2000.

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And I got a chance to go up there.

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I interviewed.

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It was somebody had dropped out, so I got the interview notice the day before.

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They said could you be at Oakmont first in the morning tomorrow?

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And I said I sure can.

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And so I made the trip, got up there and somehow interviewed well, it was a.

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I woke up that morning to drive up and it was, there was probably a foot of snow and it was not the easiest drive ever.

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And I got there just in time and sat down, did an hour interview and I could not even tell you one thing about the interview other than I remember obviously the people that were in there because I ended up getting the job.

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But I don't remember any questions.

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I just remember being just scared and kind of frozen.

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It was really the first time I had ever interviewed for a job, was interviewing to become the GM at Oakmont And I got that job.

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I spent the next 10 years at Oakmont, which was wonderful, and started my family.

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Right before I got to Oakmont I had my first kid and had our daughter there, had a great run.

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I had a great team.

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We had three national championships, did a bunch of renovations you know probably $50 million in capital renovations.

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My current partner, kurt Kiebler, came to me then in 2011 and said I have this recently bankrupt club in Naples, florida, the community club, a couple billion dollar real estate community.

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It's kind of climbing its way back but it's going to be a lot of work, but if you could do it, it really would be, you know, a nice feather in your cap.

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And I was like, well, yeah, i was just young and young enough and had enough fire in my belly to think, yeah, i want to go down and try to do that.

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So I went down there and it was as hard as Kurt described it to plus and did that.

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Bill, a great team there.

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The brought down Karma Masuri, who's the GM there, gm COO there now.

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Well, we put a great team together and we got the place turned around and Meditera was a beautiful community but just didn't really have a brand or understand where it wanted to go.

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But I think the team that we put together really got it turned around and it's probably one of the premier communities in the country now.

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But there's a couple of years there where we didn't know where it was going and if we're going to be able to turn the corner.

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But we did and really proud of that.

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And during that whole process, obviously I had gotten a no, dick and Kurt, who were icons in the industry, and they said would you ever want to come work for me, for us?

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And I said I don't think so.

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I said because I just again was kind of like when I was a kid, no, i'm going to be a cop.

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That's because, like I just I kind of was stuck, you know, just going with what I thought was the right thing.

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And they said, well, think about it.

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And then when I left Oakmont I really enjoyed turning Meditera around, but the more I saw that I was having continued success wherever I was working, i kind of felt like maybe, maybe I could help more than just one club at a time.

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And I started talking to Dick and Kurt more seriously And after four years at Meditera I decided it was a good time to make take that step.

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And actually, as we were talking earlier, it also gave me the ability of my father had fallen ill And it again, i really didn't like being in Florida when my dad was in Cleveland.

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So it gave me the chance to not only go work for two icons but get back home and be around my dad when he was dealing with some illness.

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So it all kind of is serendipitous timing And it's all kind of worked out, i'd say.

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Between talking to people here already and even just successful people throughout that I've met throughout my life.

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A lot of it comes down to leadership, which I know we're going to talk about in a minute, but the working your way up through the ranks.

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it's always fascinating to hear about people who start off at very low levels and then just working up every single way, every aspect, every part of the club, because you have pretty much every title.

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you have CCM, cce, ecm, abc, xyz, yyz.

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You even have the IIF after your name.

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So it was just born for you.

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You have more commas in your titles than most people have letters in their name.

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Really unbelievable.

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I'm very lucky.

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The sign of your name is just like you get like couple times.

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So why do you think you stuck with the club world?

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I think anybody really having to shine shoes and just do all those I don't want to say odd jobs, because they're all very important, but what do you think helps you get through there?

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It's not very common that you see people at your age work that hard, especially now, like 14-year-olds and stuff.

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So can you take us back a little bit, because I think where I'm trying to go with this is success leaves clues, so there's something to be said about this.

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So can you talk a little bit more about your kind of childhood and just working in the clubs and how you bopped from each thing and why you went from each department and just kept moving up and up?

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Yeah, i think.

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Well, i mean everything that I my work life.

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I would say my father gave me the base.

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He worked his butt off.

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He's one of six kids.

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He didn't make that much money, i think as a cop.

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I think his best year he made around $65,000.

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And I remember I got to that point in my early 20s and I had to stop letting my dad do my taxes because I was like I don't want to, i don't want one.

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He's going to ask me where all my money's going to.

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I don't want to create any odd feelings but I know he'd be proud of me.

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But I just didn't know.

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He was just a hard worker.

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My dad had to work.

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He worked his regular job and then he did a lot of side jobs as a security or police officer just to kind of make ends meet.

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So I didn't know anything other than just hard work.

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My dad was a 75, 80 hour week work week guy And so I think I just followed that.

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I think once I got into the club space I was surrounded by the senior 60, 70 year old men that were shining shoes and just had incredible stories.

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I remember just it was like I had four new grandfathers all these old guys that were shining shoes and they took me in and they tell me all the ins and outs, every member.

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They had a story for every member.

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You know this guy and this guy and this guy, but it just taught me one.

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They were just so caring and they wouldn't let you be lazy, you couldn't, you wouldn't slack on those guys.

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They would be like what are you doing?

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Get up, let's go.

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There was no slow, there was no low gear with them.

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So I liked that, but they always cared for me.

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They always made sure I ate, they always made sure that I knew what to do.

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I remember being pretty lost and just getting thrown into that chime room and they, just they, took great care of me and they never, you know, i remember all of those gentlemen so well and so fondly telling stories that I probably didn't need to hear at 14.

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But all good education.

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And then you know.

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So I had all these wonderful employees that took me under their wing and then all these wonderful members that over time, started to, you know, take me under their wing and teach me things and tell me things, people that I I probably wouldn't have been able to be around if my dad hadn't gotten me the job there and they were kind of the hosu of my town And so it was neat.

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You know people that I probably would have been impressed to have met once in my life I started to get to hang around with and they really took me under their wing.

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So I think that's what my father's drive and just his work ethic, i think people taking interest in me, both from my co-workers but also the members you know they really I think they felt like I was a nice young man and they wanted to see me do good things, and so I just was lucky and people just kept kind of pulling me up and saying you know what?

00:14:31.811 --> 00:14:33.427
now you need to learn.

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If you're gonna, you should do this, it'll pay you a little more.

00:14:35.620 --> 00:14:38.991
You should do this, it'll pay you a little more, you'll learn a little bit more.

00:14:38.991 --> 00:14:39.854
Hang out with chef.

00:14:39.854 --> 00:14:41.316
You should work for chef for a year.

00:14:41.316 --> 00:14:47.868
So it's just people looking after me and keeping me out of trouble, which is, i think, the main reason my dad wanted me to have a job.

00:14:47.868 --> 00:14:52.285
And but then just wonderful people that really care And it is a family.

00:14:52.285 --> 00:14:54.852
The club space, you know there's members.

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You either have a bag tag or a name tag, but you're a fit part of a family And you know I still bump into people from country from 20 years ago that can't believe they've seen me and we talk and we could talk for 30 minutes about all the things we went through together.

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So I think it was that.

00:15:12.703 --> 00:15:15.700
I think I mean from a as a from a leadership perspective.

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I had a 200 employee adult employees that I looked up to.

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I saw them.

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What not to do, i saw what to do.

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I had GMs that I was like, boy, i'll never act like that.

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And then I have GMs that I saw that I'm like someday I'm going to be as cool as that guy or that girl.

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So, yeah, it was just, it was really absorbing everything around me and just having the ability to.

00:15:43.043 --> 00:15:54.261
I think the one thing I have going for me is that which has changed over the years was I was quiet and I listened more than I talked, and I think that really helped me to bond to a lot of people.

00:16:01.950 --> 00:16:04.977
Do you think leaders are born or?

00:16:05.038 --> 00:16:05.278
made.

00:16:05.278 --> 00:16:08.607
Well, i think they're made, absolutely.

00:16:08.607 --> 00:16:10.091
I think, yeah, i don't know.

00:16:10.091 --> 00:16:18.900
I think, again, it's about opportunities that are put in front of you and what happens when you, what you do with the opportunities that are put in front of you.

00:16:18.900 --> 00:16:34.720
I definitely think leader, certainly, i think if you're again, we're in the search business I've seen people that, from a behavioral assessment, don't have the personality maybe to be a great leader quote, unquote but end up being wonderful leaders.

00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:43.101
So I definitely think it's the people you meet, the people that and your ability to absorb information and want to continue to learn.

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I think if you have a, if you work really hard and you really want to continue to learn and you have, you're a good person and you're empathetic I think you can evolve into a great leader.

00:16:55.590 --> 00:16:57.456
How can a leader be made?

00:16:57.456 --> 00:16:59.924
What can a person do So like?

00:16:59.924 --> 00:17:02.115
let's just say they're younger, maybe not knowing.

00:17:02.115 --> 00:17:04.288
Let's say they're already a leader, want to become a better leader.

00:17:04.288 --> 00:17:08.890
What do you think separates good leaders from bad leaders, good leaders from great leaders?

00:17:08.890 --> 00:17:10.634
What do you think is that separation?

00:17:10.694 --> 00:17:18.920
Well, you have to if you're a young person, go to work at a place that has a reputation for teaching and developing people.

00:17:18.920 --> 00:17:24.686
I would say the country club is one of the finest places in the world.

00:17:24.686 --> 00:17:30.294
But when I was coming up in the industry, people weren't focused on developing young people.

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That wasn't like you just had a job and, if you were lucky, you had nice people that were more tenured around you, that were helping you and teaching you.

00:17:38.145 --> 00:17:44.627
But nowadays, i mean I think the way the industry is, it's so hard to attract great talent.

00:17:44.627 --> 00:17:54.480
I think a lot of clubs have become, you know, teaching environments where you know if you go to work for this club, you're going to get career development.

00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:59.941
You're going to get you're going to see a track record of people before you that advanced into the industry.

00:17:59.941 --> 00:18:08.550
You're going to get inspired leaders that are going to be your mentors while, not only while you're on property, but even long after you leave.

00:18:08.550 --> 00:18:13.286
I always tell people go to a place that has a culture of creativity.

00:18:13.286 --> 00:18:20.102
If you typically, if it's a great club, they'll have a great culture of creativity, they'll have a culture of transparency.

00:18:20.102 --> 00:18:22.558
That's one of the things you asked earlier.

00:18:22.558 --> 00:18:24.407
You know what helped me succeed.

00:18:24.407 --> 00:18:32.070
I would tell you that I never had anybody never once say you don't need to know that, because I would ask a lot of questions.

00:18:32.070 --> 00:18:33.193
And I think you need to be.

00:18:33.193 --> 00:18:43.151
You know, i think you need to have a servant heart to do well as a hospitality person, but you have to be curious and you have to be competitive.

00:18:43.151 --> 00:18:47.665
I think if you really want to be good, you have to have those three, those three things.

00:18:47.665 --> 00:18:49.756
But no one ever said Tom, you don't need to know that.

00:18:49.756 --> 00:18:57.167
So, but some clubs can be like that, but you want to go work at a club that has a culture of transparency, that's going to share everything.

00:18:57.167 --> 00:19:05.082
They're not going to give you the super secret stuff that you shouldn't know, but they're going to tell you everything about that's going on so that you can understand and grow.

00:19:05.522 --> 00:19:12.185
Some of the things that, some of the best things that I learned, weren't things that, but there were more experiences.

00:19:12.185 --> 00:19:14.613
People weren't afraid to let me sit in meetings.

00:19:14.613 --> 00:19:15.816
People weren't afraid.

00:19:15.816 --> 00:19:17.078
I remember my controller.

00:19:17.078 --> 00:19:18.241
I'd say what is a budget?

00:19:18.241 --> 00:19:22.182
I remember literally saying that when I was 17, what is a budget?

00:19:22.182 --> 00:19:32.615
And he was like, oh boy, like his face lit up, like he's like you just asked me a question and it's going to cost you two hours of your life And he went into this whole diatribe.

00:19:32.615 --> 00:19:36.233
But he taught me about devets and credits And I was in high school.

00:19:36.233 --> 00:19:48.496
But keep in mind, in high school you're like you're trying to at least for me, i was trying to get by, play sports, have fun, and he taught me everything about budgets, didn't hesitate to say come to my office.

00:19:48.496 --> 00:19:53.491
And that was the great thing is one, have a teaching environment.

00:19:53.491 --> 00:20:02.961
But two, be in a place that they're going to let you experience the things you have to experience to learn and to grow as a leader.

00:20:02.961 --> 00:20:05.047
So transparency is important.

00:20:05.146 --> 00:20:15.339
Technology nowadays you want to go to work for a company that's a club, that's technology driven, that really has a track record of taking great care of your club.

00:20:15.339 --> 00:20:24.103
Like I look back now, one of the most important things in any organization is getting oriented so that you know how to perform when you're in there.

00:20:24.103 --> 00:20:34.375
I don't think I ever had an orientation or review ever until I was in my, until I was well into my second or third year at OPMON.

00:20:34.375 --> 00:20:35.619
So I never.

00:20:35.619 --> 00:20:40.536
You know, i just every year I get a 25 cent raise and I was just like, okay, awesome, i just kept moving.

00:20:40.536 --> 00:20:46.907
But you know, i don't never think anyone ever told me here's what you're supposed to wear, here's what time breaks are.

00:20:46.907 --> 00:20:48.132
That just didn't exist.

00:20:48.132 --> 00:20:51.462
Human resources, as it were, didn't exist back then.

00:20:51.462 --> 00:20:53.549
But you learned, you know.

00:20:53.549 --> 00:21:00.653
I think there's a difference between or there's orientation, which I think you need, so you know what's right, what's wrong, where to go.

00:21:00.653 --> 00:21:04.932
Then there's culturalization, and I think that's what I got at country.

00:21:04.932 --> 00:21:12.679
I got a bunch of great people that took me aside and said here are the things you absolutely can never do, or you're going to be fired.

00:21:12.679 --> 00:21:13.583
Don't do this.

00:21:13.583 --> 00:21:18.684
And then here are the things you can get away with it right up until this point, and then you're going to get fired.

00:21:18.684 --> 00:21:20.672
So play within there and you're good.

00:21:20.672 --> 00:21:23.138
And that's why I think culturalization is.

00:21:23.138 --> 00:21:37.031
I always tell people, great organizations will orient you, but they'll also tie you to a couple of key employees that will culturalize you and really teach you the ways of the road within the building and within the company.

00:21:37.031 --> 00:21:39.058
So I think that's very important.

00:21:39.058 --> 00:21:42.410
And, yeah, i mean, there's so many, so many keys.

00:21:42.750 --> 00:21:44.573
It's young people today.

00:21:44.573 --> 00:21:45.374
They really have to.

00:21:45.374 --> 00:21:47.797
They're more interested in work life synergy.

00:21:47.797 --> 00:21:48.897
I was.

00:21:48.897 --> 00:21:51.105
I didn't have that.

00:21:51.105 --> 00:22:04.362
I wish you know, if I look back and find me reflective as a father, i probably should have had better work-life synergy, but I think companies nowadays know that young people want that and they're focused on that and that's important, meaningful work.

00:22:04.362 --> 00:22:07.009
You know, collegiality.

00:22:07.519 --> 00:22:17.548
I remember once I was I had a boss that told me that I talked too much and he put a time limit on how long I could talk to other coworkers.

00:22:17.548 --> 00:22:24.403
And I remember thinking to myself that is not hospitality, i go, you can't, you know.

00:22:24.403 --> 00:22:28.707
But he was just this old grumpy guy and he was just like you talk too much.

00:22:28.707 --> 00:22:39.788
He's like you're like a social butterfly, and I remember hearing that That was the first time I had ever heard someone call me say the word social butterfly, but I then knew what it meant after that.

00:22:39.788 --> 00:22:43.650
But I think all those things you have to have.

00:22:44.160 --> 00:22:45.329
People want to have fun at work.

00:22:45.329 --> 00:22:47.046
Young people want to have fun at work.

00:22:47.046 --> 00:22:50.865
They want to have reasonable expectations, they want to have accountabilities.

00:22:50.865 --> 00:23:00.349
They want to have, they want you to be caring about their personal health and their well-being And they want frequent you know feedback.

00:23:00.349 --> 00:23:08.646
At the end of the day, they like to get frequent positive feedback And you've got to be an organization that's willing to do that and take the time.

00:23:08.646 --> 00:23:11.101
And of course, you want to make money Everybody's.

00:23:11.101 --> 00:23:19.501
You're working because you need to, but at the end of the day, i think all those other things come in front when you're trying to develop yourself as a leader.

00:23:19.501 --> 00:23:20.286
That's for sure.

00:23:23.080 --> 00:23:28.207
You mentioned a couple of times the word creativity and culture and staffing.

00:23:28.207 --> 00:23:33.384
How are clubs, you know, creatively maneuvering these kind of sticky time?

00:23:33.599 --> 00:23:37.027
Yeah, well, i think it's, you know, i think that it's holistically.

00:23:37.027 --> 00:23:38.948
You've got to have a holistic approach.

00:23:38.948 --> 00:23:42.349
One of the things big organizations they have a.

00:23:42.349 --> 00:23:47.001
They have a holistic approach to the team, to a teammate's lifecycle.

00:23:47.001 --> 00:23:52.709
You know how are you going to recruit them, how you know who's the part of the selection process.

00:23:52.709 --> 00:23:54.786
We talked about orientation.

00:23:54.786 --> 00:23:56.326
We talked about culture setting.

00:23:56.326 --> 00:23:59.588
Once they're in, do you continue to train and develop them?

00:23:59.588 --> 00:24:03.343
How much money and time do you spend on recognition and retention?

00:24:03.343 --> 00:24:05.486
There's got to be a plan about that.

00:24:05.486 --> 00:24:09.108
How do you give that feedback, that gentle feedback?

00:24:09.108 --> 00:24:10.747
How do you give the positive feedback?

00:24:10.747 --> 00:24:16.325
How do you give the negative feedback And how do you continue to develop them so they know that you care?

00:24:17.541 --> 00:24:21.010
I see a lot of clubs developing an employer of choice committee.

00:24:21.010 --> 00:24:21.381
I think.

00:24:21.381 --> 00:24:25.968
I think if there's one committee I'm not, i don't think we should be adding committees.

00:24:25.968 --> 00:24:48.307
I think the paid staff should be running clubs with the help of the board and some committees, but I do think I do think that you need a human resource or a employer of choice committee, a group of HR professionals that are members helping your general manager and your HR staff really look at how you're doing everything.

00:24:48.307 --> 00:24:52.603
I think great clubs are the employer of choice in their community.

00:24:52.603 --> 00:25:00.244
I mean, you think about 25 years ago that wasn't the way clubs were looked at, where there were the gated things up on the top of the hill.

00:25:00.244 --> 00:25:10.872
Now you know, great clubs are pillars of the community and they're the employer of choice, not only by pay, but by development, by giving back those kinds of things.

00:25:10.872 --> 00:25:13.186
I think those are the big keys.

00:25:13.759 --> 00:25:18.906
Focusing, one of the things we tell boards you should be talking about human capital.

00:25:18.906 --> 00:25:22.247
Every board meeting You should be talking about how are we looking?

00:25:22.247 --> 00:25:22.901
are we?

00:25:22.901 --> 00:25:25.068
what are we paying compared to our comp set?

00:25:25.068 --> 00:25:27.607
What are we doing for recognition and retention?

00:25:27.607 --> 00:25:30.768
How are our Christmas bonuses compared to our competitors?

00:25:30.768 --> 00:25:36.605
You know, how are our employee satisfaction surveys versus our competitors?

00:25:36.605 --> 00:25:37.963
You know, a lot of times.

00:25:37.963 --> 00:25:45.268
Oftentimes I talk to general managers and they all do exit interviews, but maybe one in 10 are doing stay interviews.

00:25:45.268 --> 00:25:48.470
So it's really important that you're surveying.

00:25:48.579 --> 00:25:50.988
Young people wanna give you feedback.

00:25:50.988 --> 00:25:58.506
They you know I always tell the story of my kids like to give reviews on everything they do And I'm like don't do that.

00:25:58.506 --> 00:26:01.948
It's really annoying And they're like why They wanna know.

00:26:01.948 --> 00:26:06.328
I'm like they don't wanna know I was like they're short staffed.

00:26:06.328 --> 00:26:07.424
Well, i didn't like my food.

00:26:07.424 --> 00:26:09.407
I tell this story all the time.

00:26:09.407 --> 00:26:11.446
My daughter was like my salmon was terrible.

00:26:11.446 --> 00:26:12.048
It took forever.

00:26:12.048 --> 00:26:13.605
I said yeah, bailey won.

00:26:13.605 --> 00:26:15.968
The hostess actually had a section.

00:26:15.968 --> 00:26:21.348
They were so understaffed that she was hostessing and taking two tables close to the hostess stand.

00:26:21.348 --> 00:26:22.846
I said the guys in the kitchen?

00:26:22.846 --> 00:26:24.124
it was an open kitchen.

00:26:24.124 --> 00:26:27.925
I said I could tell the one guy was like right about ready to walk out.

00:26:27.925 --> 00:26:29.605
I said we're lucky, we got food.

00:26:29.605 --> 00:26:32.107
I said no Yelp reviews.

00:26:32.107 --> 00:26:38.507
But young people do want to give feedback And, i'll be honest, great organizations do wanna know how their employees feel.

00:26:38.507 --> 00:26:42.307
If you don't know how they feel, you don't ask them when they're leaving why they're leaving.

00:26:42.307 --> 00:26:49.185
I mean, that's valuable in some ways, but I'd rather know why they're unhappy right now and can I fix it to keep you.

00:26:49.185 --> 00:26:52.269
So I think all those parts are important.

00:26:52.319 --> 00:26:55.901
I think there's gotta be a teammate life cycle strategy around.

00:26:55.901 --> 00:27:00.486
It starts at the beginning how you're gonna recruit, where you're gonna recruit all the way to.

00:27:00.486 --> 00:27:02.606
Okay, you're not gonna keep moving up.

00:27:02.606 --> 00:27:05.488
You don't wanna become a general manager?

00:27:05.488 --> 00:27:06.501
That's fine.

00:27:06.501 --> 00:27:07.346
What do you wanna do?

00:27:07.346 --> 00:27:08.806
Well, you're going to school for finance.

00:27:08.806 --> 00:27:28.130
Okay, i'm gonna connect you with the five highest rated finance guys that are members here And I'm gonna make sure they know that you're gonna need a job when you come out of college And I'm gonna leverage those friendships that I have and that we have at the club to help you And that's gonna make that more enriching experience for you.

00:27:28.130 --> 00:27:39.347
If I say you work here for four years during college and I'm gonna leverage every member I can to help you get a great job, that's gonna mean something Because, as we both know, it's a lot of it in life is who you know.

00:27:42.539 --> 00:27:46.605
I heard someone told me once it's not always who you know, it's who knows you.

00:27:46.605 --> 00:27:47.326
There you go.

00:27:47.326 --> 00:27:49.770
And I was like, oh, that's even better, yeah, yeah.

00:27:49.770 --> 00:27:52.601
I was like, oh, that's good Cause.

00:27:52.601 --> 00:27:53.484
I was like, cause, it's the same thing.

00:27:53.484 --> 00:27:55.086
I was like, oh, it's not you know, it's who you know.

00:27:55.086 --> 00:27:56.665
They're like, no, it's not who you know, it's who knows you.

00:27:56.665 --> 00:27:57.288
I was like, what do you mean?

00:27:57.288 --> 00:28:01.627
They go cause you can know everybody, but if they don't know you, bad, it's irrelevant.

00:28:01.627 --> 00:28:07.640
And I was like, oh man, that's good, you know, that is a really interesting thing you said there.

00:28:07.660 --> 00:28:11.326
I really liked that because you know it takes it from now.

00:28:11.326 --> 00:28:24.807
That's like a indistinguishable value add that you're creating at the club with a mindset like that, cause, now it's, the club is not just a club and the members aren't just having like a membership.

00:28:24.807 --> 00:28:28.125
It's now, oh, the club's looking out for me in different ways.

00:28:28.125 --> 00:28:40.558
So now it's the clubs making them money, possibly because now they might just get a brand new finance person, they might just get a new sales person who was a busboy but has a great personality and now they're doing sales for them.

00:28:40.558 --> 00:28:54.778
So it's just amazing that the different things that you can, the value you can create in a club world for the members beyond just initiation fees, dues and golf and food and beverage.

00:28:55.069 --> 00:28:58.299
Yeah, and I think it's funny and this is just a thought.

00:28:58.299 --> 00:28:59.613
But there's not.

00:28:59.613 --> 00:29:12.521
As people have gotten younger, there's less segmentation, like young members see young employees and they bond with them and they're not like well, there's a level of appropriateness you have to keep.

00:29:12.521 --> 00:29:13.493
But they want to help.

00:29:13.493 --> 00:29:20.875
If you're taking care of them, you're giving them their Easter's, their Christmases, their holidays, their great weekend.

00:29:20.875 --> 00:29:23.161
You're giving them their memories with their family.

00:29:23.161 --> 00:29:31.999
When you say, hey, can you help Tom Wallace, he's a finance major, he needs an internship, i guarantee you they're going to make some calls to me.

00:29:31.999 --> 00:29:39.655
I've never in my life and I've probably leveraged my friendships with members 200, 300 times I've never had someone say no.

00:29:39.655 --> 00:29:49.240
They say send me the resume and once in a while they never follow back up with me from the employee side and I'll be like are you?

00:29:49.279 --> 00:29:50.153
nuts, What are you doing?

00:29:50.153 --> 00:29:59.002
But for the most part they're happy to help and proud to carry on that family connectivity into their professional life.

00:30:00.750 --> 00:30:01.915
Great word leverage.

00:30:01.915 --> 00:30:04.375
Love that word, love that word leverage.

00:30:04.375 --> 00:30:05.673
Oh, that's so good.

00:30:05.673 --> 00:30:10.240
So you also help people get jobs.

00:30:10.240 --> 00:30:12.477
You help, you put people into positions.

00:30:12.477 --> 00:30:14.914
Someone who's maybe a little bit younger.

00:30:14.914 --> 00:30:16.398
what can they do?

00:30:16.398 --> 00:30:17.362
What can they not do?

00:30:17.362 --> 00:30:19.878
What are some qualities you look for?

00:30:19.878 --> 00:30:23.440
Are resumes still super relevant?

00:30:23.440 --> 00:30:25.155
This is me.

00:30:25.155 --> 00:30:26.299
just I'm in a different world.

00:30:26.299 --> 00:30:39.542
I don't think I've had a resume in years, but the older I get, sometimes a resume isn't always the most important thing, because now, with social media LinkedIn their resumes are out there for the most part.

00:30:39.542 --> 00:30:42.519
So what can younger people do?

00:30:42.519 --> 00:30:44.720
What are things clubs are looking for?

00:30:44.720 --> 00:30:46.135
How can they get in?

00:30:46.135 --> 00:30:47.275
How can you help them?

00:30:47.329 --> 00:30:55.144
Yeah, well, i have to just say because once a week I'm blown away by the stupidity of what people put on social media.

00:30:55.144 --> 00:30:57.295
And I mean that lovingly.

00:30:57.295 --> 00:30:58.538
I love my industry.

00:30:58.538 --> 00:31:01.718
I've been doing this since I'm 14, and I love everybody.

00:31:01.718 --> 00:31:07.942
But come on, folks Like and oftentimes they'll say I forgot that I put that up there.

00:31:07.942 --> 00:31:22.784
I was like, well, if take a look once and go back, rewind And I know I mean I get it If someone who's 35, there's a pretty good chance at 25, you put something stupid on there that would be found to be inappropriate.

00:31:22.784 --> 00:31:25.414
But and it's always that way, they're like oh my gosh, i forgot.

00:31:25.414 --> 00:31:26.117
I posted that.

00:31:26.117 --> 00:31:28.057
It's like really, take a look.

00:31:28.150 --> 00:31:31.279
Yes, resumes are important in LinkedIn.

00:31:31.279 --> 00:31:32.734
Linkedin's more important.

00:31:32.734 --> 00:31:38.762
Now I would tell you that we resumes are very important once you get past one hurdle.

00:31:38.762 --> 00:31:49.914
But I think LinkedIn and that that that's the gatekeeper now, that's the people get to see you, they get to see a little bit about your history, then if they get a resume after that.

00:31:49.914 --> 00:31:52.121
But people go to LinkedIn right away now.

00:31:52.121 --> 00:31:53.476
So LinkedIn's a big thing.

00:31:53.476 --> 00:31:54.934
Social media they don't.

00:31:54.934 --> 00:32:03.644
We still have an older demographic that the majority of the leaders of clubs and board members are a little you know, aren't 30 or 40.

00:32:03.644 --> 00:32:04.996
They're more like 50 or 60.

00:32:04.996 --> 00:32:06.115
But there's some younger boards.

00:32:06.115 --> 00:32:17.865
But LinkedIn's important Resumes are really important Social media from the perspective of if you have a club LinkedIn or a club Instagram, members will look at that.

00:32:17.865 --> 00:32:19.556
They'll look and see what you've put up.

00:32:20.069 --> 00:32:23.380
But, yeah, resumes are important from a skill set perspective.

00:32:23.380 --> 00:32:26.375
They, you know, they continue to evolve.

00:32:26.375 --> 00:32:33.981
From a personal perspective, you need to be if you want to be a great leader in this industry, and this is not just me.

00:32:33.981 --> 00:32:37.400
This is what our search committees are telling us.

00:32:37.400 --> 00:32:39.517
We do a hundred and some searches a year.

00:32:39.517 --> 00:32:46.759
They want somebody that's self aware, and self aware really gets down to And that's one of my favorites is what does self aware mean?

00:32:46.759 --> 00:32:53.563
Self aware means someone that knows they're surrounded by brilliant people and that they don't always have to be the smartest person in the room.

00:32:54.029 --> 00:33:02.864
You know, i think of myself as a young manager and I tried to keep the board members and the search committee or the committee members out of my, out of my space.

00:33:02.864 --> 00:33:07.700
By the time I was a tenure manager, i was like I have all these smart people.

00:33:07.700 --> 00:33:08.663
I got to tap into this.

00:33:08.663 --> 00:33:10.698
Why am I trying to do this all on my own.

00:33:10.698 --> 00:33:12.656
These people want to help, they love this place.

00:33:12.656 --> 00:33:17.201
But so, but it takes you a while to evolve into that kind of leader.

00:33:17.201 --> 00:33:19.717
When you're a young leader, you think you're a hero leader.

00:33:19.717 --> 00:33:21.371
I could do it myself, you know.

00:33:21.371 --> 00:33:23.679
But and then what I like to call a leverage leader.

00:33:23.679 --> 00:33:34.001
By the time you get to be a leverage leader, you realize let's tap into everybody, let's have everybody do their part and we're all going to look good and we're all going to move forward together.

00:33:34.001 --> 00:33:38.397
So I think there there's an evolution from from hero leader or leverage leader.

00:33:38.657 --> 00:33:41.644
But self awareness is the number one thing we always hear.

00:33:41.644 --> 00:33:45.459
We want somebody that knows what they know and isn't ashamed to say what they say.

00:33:45.459 --> 00:33:46.501
Listen, i don't know.

00:33:46.501 --> 00:33:48.252
I don't know that, but I can.

00:33:48.252 --> 00:33:49.536
I'll get you the information.

00:33:49.536 --> 00:33:51.842
I promise there's no shame in not knowing everything.

00:33:51.842 --> 00:33:53.934
You need to be a visionary.

00:33:53.934 --> 00:33:55.800
They want somebody that's creative.

00:33:55.800 --> 00:33:58.291
They want somebody that is going to lead the club.

00:33:58.291 --> 00:34:11.869
That's a skill set that you you have to be able to paint a picture of what the club's going to look like tomorrow, a month from now and then five years from now, and be able to not only talk about it, but deliver on that.

00:34:11.869 --> 00:34:13.197
I think club.

00:34:13.197 --> 00:34:19.409
You have a lot of smart people in clubs, but there shouldn't be anybody smarter than you when it comes to where the club should be going.

00:34:19.409 --> 00:34:22.239
You should be up to date on trends and things like that.

00:34:22.239 --> 00:34:30.090
You should be saying here's what's happening in the industry and here's what I think we should do for Acme Country Club and here's how I think we should get there.

00:34:30.090 --> 00:34:32.740
Now you might get some other opinions from the members.

00:34:32.740 --> 00:34:36.608
That's fine, but they really do want you to be the leader in the boardroom.

00:34:36.608 --> 00:34:39.018
They want you to take the club to the next level.

00:34:40.320 --> 00:34:50.255
Obviously, accountability one of the great skill sets that has come out of not only COVID, but you go all the way back to the financial downturn 0809.

00:34:50.255 --> 00:34:52.496
You have to have accountability.

00:34:52.496 --> 00:34:55.599
Everybody in a club has to have accountability.

00:34:55.599 --> 00:35:07.931
The board has accountability to the membership, the GM has accountability to the board, the committees have accountability to the board and the general manager and the department has accountability to the GM.

00:35:07.931 --> 00:35:17.166
So accountability is important and that's not something that has always existed but certainly over the years has evolved into a real key ability.

00:35:17.166 --> 00:35:19.570
You have to be able to hold people accountable.

00:35:19.570 --> 00:35:25.224
Integrity, certainly execution One of the things we hear all the time.

00:35:25.284 --> 00:35:26.646
Danny in the search businesses.

00:35:26.646 --> 00:35:28.889
You know Tom had a lot of great ideas.

00:35:28.889 --> 00:35:33.460
He could tell us about it, but he could never push the button and make it happen.

00:35:33.460 --> 00:35:37.306
You know you have to be both an architect and a builder.

00:35:37.306 --> 00:35:43.405
You have to actually be able to not only talk about something great, but you need to be able to actually make it happen.

00:35:43.405 --> 00:35:51.565
Employees want somebody that's detail oriented, charismatic, somebody that manages change.

00:35:52.226 --> 00:35:55.871
Change management used to be something prior to COVID that we always used to talk about.

00:35:55.871 --> 00:36:03.565
The best managers really know how to manage change, but really clubs were changing like this much every year.

00:36:03.565 --> 00:36:07.969
Now clubs change like this much and you can't even keep up.

00:36:07.969 --> 00:36:13.880
One of my favorite lines is we used to move like cruise ships, now we move like jet skis.

00:36:13.880 --> 00:36:25.612
We could change on a dime, which I think will help us continue to be a viable option for people's leisure dollar and leisure time in the future.

00:36:25.612 --> 00:36:28.639
I think clubs were moving too slow for many decades.

00:36:28.639 --> 00:36:37.855
Now I think we're on the cutting edge of hospitality because we realized when it got right down to it, people were comfortable coming to their clubs.

00:36:37.855 --> 00:36:42.981
They weren't comfortable getting on planes, going to hotels, going to big resorts.

00:36:42.981 --> 00:36:47.347
That's something we have to remember and continue to kind of foster.

00:36:47.347 --> 00:36:49.730
That was a great thing for us.

00:36:52.117 --> 00:36:52.438
What about?

00:36:52.438 --> 00:36:55.867
let's say there are some clubs that are still moving at cruise ship speeds.

00:36:55.867 --> 00:36:58.213
How can they put the thrusters on a little bit?

00:36:58.213 --> 00:36:58.875
How are some starting points?

00:36:58.875 --> 00:37:07.146
I know sometimes it's not always difficult because, like you said, there's committees when there shouldn't be, there's a lot of hands and pots that shouldn't be there.

00:37:07.146 --> 00:37:12.793
What are some easy things that clubs can do to kind of start that process a little bit, to kind of get that boost?

00:37:13.195 --> 00:37:14.396
Well, i think the number one.

00:37:14.396 --> 00:37:15.579
well, two things I think.

00:37:15.579 --> 00:37:16.900
you have to have great governance.

00:37:16.900 --> 00:37:18.322
You have to have good structure.

00:37:18.322 --> 00:37:25.875
If you have good governance, everybody knows what their job is, what their goals are and what sandbox they're allowed to play in and what sandbox they're not allowed to play in.

00:37:25.875 --> 00:37:29.659
That will help with that structure.

00:37:29.659 --> 00:37:33.023
But then the other part is you have to have a strategy and a business plan.

00:37:33.423 --> 00:37:41.875
If you don't have a strategic plan, how many managers, how many people go into a business and don't have a business plan?

00:37:41.875 --> 00:37:47.326
But often in the club space there are a lot of clubs that don't have a strategic plan.

00:37:47.326 --> 00:37:49.289
So you need to have a strategic plan.

00:37:49.289 --> 00:37:51.875
If you have a strategic plan, it holds everybody accountable.

00:37:51.875 --> 00:38:03.875
So if you get in front of your membership and say in two years we're going to build this, in three years we're going to build this and do this, and then you don't do that, then that's where the accountability comes in.

00:38:03.875 --> 00:38:07.521
Then people will look at you going are you the right manager?

00:38:07.521 --> 00:38:09.686
Are you the right board president?

00:38:09.686 --> 00:38:12.231
You really need some structure like that.

00:38:12.251 --> 00:38:13.855
So, good governance and, i think, a strategic plan.

00:38:13.855 --> 00:38:25.855
Every club, regardless of your financial wherewithal, needs to have a business plan for where you want to go for the next two, three years And everybody needs to know that plan so that you could be held accountable to it.

00:38:25.855 --> 00:38:28.157
But it also gives you some focus.

00:38:28.157 --> 00:38:32.923
One of the things I always make a joke about is when you come into a club.

00:38:32.923 --> 00:38:37.690
if there's 500 members, 500 people are going to tell you how to run the place.

00:38:37.690 --> 00:38:44.000
But you could listen and that's part of their right as a dues paying member.

00:38:44.000 --> 00:38:58.831
But if you don't actually have a plan, you have to filter through those 500 people and figure out what's real, what should I really be doing, what leverage should I really be pulling and what's just someone that's got a personal agenda.

00:38:58.831 --> 00:39:02.338
But you don't have to worry about that if you have a strategic plan.

00:39:02.338 --> 00:39:14.996
All businesses are driven by great planning And if you have a great strategic plan, it will help you as a leader, the general manager and it'll help the board stay focused on the future Crazy times.

00:39:15.157 --> 00:39:18.503
There's a lot of amazing things happening in our world.

00:39:18.503 --> 00:39:21.047
There's a lot of bad things happening in our world.

00:39:21.047 --> 00:39:25.875
What are some things you see clubs doing that they should stop doing immediately?

00:39:27.215 --> 00:39:32.442
Well, i think not raising dues because you're afraid.

00:39:32.442 --> 00:39:35.646
You know people are, things are tight, inflation's real.

00:39:35.646 --> 00:39:43.875
But I think, just like any business, you can't not raise dues every year.

00:39:43.875 --> 00:39:45.577
Things are getting more expensive.

00:39:45.577 --> 00:39:48.702
You can't be afraid, you can't kick the can down the road.

00:39:48.702 --> 00:39:51.246
As a board, as a general manager, raise dues.

00:39:51.246 --> 00:40:01.103
You have to raise dues to keep up with the costs of living And you have to do that every year And you have to make sure your members are comfortable with that.

00:40:01.103 --> 00:40:01.985
So don't.

00:40:01.985 --> 00:40:11.164
If you're at a club where they're not raising dues, you're going to benefit for this year or next year, but in a few years they're going to hit you with a 20% dues increase.

00:40:11.164 --> 00:40:13.690
That's really going to upset a lot of people.

00:40:13.690 --> 00:40:15.875
So keep raising dues.

00:40:15.875 --> 00:40:18.358
Run the club like a business.

00:40:18.358 --> 00:40:20.561
No more emotional decision making.

00:40:20.561 --> 00:40:21.342
Use data.

00:40:21.342 --> 00:40:25.829
Use every business that all of our members run.

00:40:25.829 --> 00:40:31.943
They use data to make business decisions, but sometimes in clubs we make emotional decisions.

00:40:31.943 --> 00:40:32.985
Use the data.

00:40:32.985 --> 00:40:35.849
Make business decisions based on data.

00:40:36.875 --> 00:40:38.777
Don't tolerate poor member behavior.

00:40:38.777 --> 00:40:43.387
We really saw an uptick in poor member behavior during COVID.

00:40:43.387 --> 00:40:50.498
People between the politics and just frustration with rules and mask We just zero tolerance.

00:40:50.498 --> 00:41:01.875
you know zero tolerance, for it's super hard to keep great people And if, if members are not treating the employees well, i don't know if that's the type of member you want to have at your club.

00:41:01.875 --> 00:41:04.599
So those are the things don't don't be afraid to.

00:41:04.599 --> 00:41:06.342
Don't kick the can down the road.

00:41:06.342 --> 00:41:12.875
Take responsibility, raise dues, do do the things you need to do to keep the club viable for a long time.

00:41:12.875 --> 00:41:20.855
I think some boards you know you're, it's tough, you're, you're the president of the club, but your best friends are the members and your peers.

00:41:20.855 --> 00:41:28.092
So you don't want to say, hey, by the way, i'm going to cost you $500 more a year, but that's, you know, that's part of the duty.

00:41:28.092 --> 00:41:28.875
Don't kick the can down the road.

00:41:28.875 --> 00:41:31.701
Hold people accountable for their actions.

00:41:31.701 --> 00:41:37.693
Those are the things that I would say we have to do better at in the in the years to come.

00:41:39.697 --> 00:41:42.766
And then on the flip side, you know things are always changing.

00:41:42.766 --> 00:41:45.708
What are some good things, some cool things, some unique things?

00:41:45.708 --> 00:41:51.894
you see clubs doing that maybe other ones aren't that they should be trying to do, Like what are some unique little, I don't know.

00:41:52.376 --> 00:41:57.527
Oh yeah, no, i mean, i think clubs have become so creative.

00:41:57.527 --> 00:42:09.978
You watch clubs doing things online, like you talked about taking your show online during COVID, doing golf lessons online and cooking lessons online, like you know, to go food to go.

00:42:09.978 --> 00:42:12.965
Food became a part of the mainstream now for club space.

00:42:12.965 --> 00:42:13.646
Keep that going.

00:42:13.646 --> 00:42:25.235
I think great clubs are constantly coming up with new ways to engage with their younger members, keeping the young kids happy, i think.

00:42:25.235 --> 00:42:27.965
I think don't be afraid to take risk.

00:42:27.965 --> 00:42:32.025
I don't be afraid to try something that you've never done before.

00:42:32.025 --> 00:42:34.061
If it fails, what's the worst that happens?

00:42:34.061 --> 00:42:42.000
You know, i always, i always used to say Coca-Cola changed their recipe and you know, and it was a big debacle.

00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:42.521
But guess what?

00:42:42.521 --> 00:42:44.420
Coca-Cola is still around and it cost.

00:42:44.420 --> 00:42:48.239
Did it cost them a million, hundreds of millions dollars Maybe, but they're still here.

00:42:48.239 --> 00:42:50.161
Nothing we do will get to that level.

00:42:50.161 --> 00:42:50.635
We're not.

00:42:50.635 --> 00:42:52.902
We're not launching, launching rockets here.

00:42:52.902 --> 00:42:54.458
Let's try some things.

00:42:54.458 --> 00:42:55.322
You know be risky.

00:42:55.474 --> 00:43:09.643
I think the best managers in the country are constantly putting themselves in environments where they could see new things around food, beverage, golf, and bringing it back to their club and trying to introduce it in one way or the other.

00:43:09.643 --> 00:43:23.016
You know, i think the things that I'm most proud of that I've seen over the last year is there's been a huge shift well, probably a couple of years now, but the amount of money clubs are spending in their employee year is now For so many years.

00:43:23.016 --> 00:43:30.581
The locker rooms and the restrooms and the break rooms were just terrible, you know, and I grew up in some of them.

00:43:30.581 --> 00:43:44.202
And now the amount of money I mean some of these employee areas in my old club, mediterra Carmen what he's done there, joel Livinggood and Interlochen up in Minneapolis I mean some of these areas are just exceptional.

00:43:44.202 --> 00:43:45.981
You know, they look like Delta lounges.

00:43:46.074 --> 00:44:00.856
I'm like now, this is a place where I could, i could really dig and work in, and I think those are the kind of folks that are fighting for those dollars for their employees that are going to benefit, because at the end of the day, this is an employee business, this is a people.

00:44:00.856 --> 00:44:08.603
We're in the people business And if, if you want a great club, you've got to have great staff And if you want to have great staff, you got to treat them really really well.

00:44:10.255 --> 00:44:14.907
I think it was a Crandell in his plutonium leadership.

00:44:14.907 --> 00:44:19.514
I think he, i think it was him one of the clubs he went to and he he was working at.

00:44:19.514 --> 00:44:27.849
One of the first things he did as a general manager was revamped the whole staff area Because it was just like a trocious And I guess, like a lot of the people maybe weren't the happiest.

00:44:27.849 --> 00:44:32.346
But he's like how can you have this amazing service and facility here for our people?

00:44:32.346 --> 00:44:35.121
Then you go behind a door and like it.

00:44:35.121 --> 00:44:36.344
That doesn't make sense.

00:44:36.385 --> 00:44:38.800
Yeah, i remember going to this gentleman.

00:44:38.800 --> 00:44:46.219
We were doing a search, they had removed their general manager and he kept saying ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.

00:44:46.219 --> 00:44:49.916
And I said and I just said I interrupted the meeting I said if you?

00:44:49.916 --> 00:44:52.724
I said, can we take a walk 30 seconds from here?

00:44:52.724 --> 00:45:07.360
I said your employee lounge is literally a pipe and drape little carve out of a room where the other half they're doing the dishes and all the chairs and tables were that are broken, the broken tables and chairs from the ballroom.

00:45:07.360 --> 00:45:08.824
That's the employee lounge.

00:45:08.824 --> 00:45:14.322
I said if you want ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen, then you have to treat them like ladies and gentlemen.

00:45:14.322 --> 00:45:31.215
And as much as he didn't like that and that was probably 15 years Yeah, it was a long time ago, but I just remember he was so hard on the staff and I was like, well, you might want to take a look, you know, behind the curtain a little bit to really see how you're treating them, because that that that's reflective of how they're going to treat you.

00:45:38.394 --> 00:45:41.001
Mr Wallace, i want to thank you so much for hopping on with us.

00:45:41.001 --> 00:45:42.385
Today Really means the world.

00:45:42.385 --> 00:45:44.585
I hope you have a fantastic day.

00:45:44.806 --> 00:46:03.702
And where can people find out more about Oh yeah well, if CLA is is a wwwclubleadershipalliancecom and obviously KK and W is wwwkk the word and wcom, So hit either of those websites.

00:46:03.702 --> 00:46:08.306
You can find both groups on either website and all of our services were here.

00:46:08.306 --> 00:46:11.103
We love the industry and love giving back to it.

00:46:12.255 --> 00:46:14.521
And you're also very active on LinkedIn also.

00:46:14.521 --> 00:46:17.617
We are indeed All right, sir.

00:46:17.617 --> 00:46:19.704
You have a fantastic day and we will talk to you soon.

00:46:19.704 --> 00:46:22.061
Thank you so much, tom, for being on.

00:46:22.061 --> 00:46:24.782
I look forward to bringing you on again in the future.

00:46:24.782 --> 00:46:26.960
You are so much fun to talk to.

00:46:26.960 --> 00:46:32.596
If you're interested linking up with Tom, head on over to LinkedIn Tom Wallace.

00:46:32.596 --> 00:46:35.625
Thomas Wallace will also put a link in the show notes below.

00:46:35.625 --> 00:46:40.786
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00:46:40.786 --> 00:46:46.702
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00:46:46.702 --> 00:46:47.818
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00:46:47.818 --> 00:46:53.360
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00:47:03.146 --> 00:47:08.206
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00:47:08.206 --> 00:47:10.302
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