As club managers, a natural physiological reaction to the club being closed, should be an unrelenting (and well deserved) release of endorphins, says Kevin Daniel Lalumiere, CCM General Manager/COO of The Country Club of New Canaan (Conn.). “It may be, as we evaluate our own clubs, that we conclude that a closure may actually be more draining than energizing.”
By Kevin Daniel Lalumiere, CCM General Manager/COO; The Country Club of New Canaan; New Canaan, Conn.
Recently a colleague and I were participating in what is an annual exercise known as “let us compare the length of our clubs’ closure to that of our peers.” Two parts envy, one part appreciation for the time that we shutter our club(house) to clean, paint, patch, steam those stately rugs, and adopt (albeit for a short time), “bankers” hours. Here in the Northeast, that closure typically takes place sometime between January and March, and can span anywhere from two weeks to 10.
As club managers, our natural physiological reaction to our club being closed, should be an unrelenting (and well deserved) release of endorphins. Dinner with our loved ones and friends multiple times in a given week? An unplanned jaunt to any number of quality hospitality venues nearby, binging the latest Netflix hit du jour … the possibilities are endless!
I am here to pose the simple question about whether or not a closure is in fact something we should assign to the “asset” column of our calendar year. It may be, as we evaluate our own clubs, that we conclude that a closure may actually be more draining than energizing. It is true that a wholesale, major repair is tough to complete during the allotted 48 hours that are the proverbial ‘dark’ Mondays and Tuesdays. Ok, I concede that reality. Though as I ponder, the ‘deep’ cleaning and the counting of wares, the layoffs, and challenging conversations with our team(s) that have the word “COBRA” inserted firmly within them … I wonder if in fact it isn’t more bad than good.
There is a certain rhythm and cadence that is felt by a club that remains open year-round. They aren’t generally superior, or inferior … but they are fluid, and constant and paced. They birth fewer scheduling questions (internal and external) and require less stop/start communications and default out of office, auto-replies. I offer that a year-round schedule forces us to be managers who assemble super-solid teams deft with handling the necessity that is having each other’s back so our colleagues can step away.
As we all know, the balance between work and our “other” lives, is correctly much more prominent and at the forefront these days. That is something we should all lean into, adopt and embrace. To be fair though, maybe the emphasis on such things should allow us to grind it out for 52 weeks without needing a complete club shutdown. Besides, we’re club managers, we aren’t grizzly bears. A club shutdown isn’t the same as a bear hibernating and storing her energy all winter, only to be mercilessly used up all year long or “in season.”
Looking at this dilemma through an organizational lens, I offer that the time and money spent training new staff and the increased threat of attrition is likely higher at clubs that close and re-open once a year. So as counterintuitive as it may be, we should ask ourselves, “is it worth it?” That’s not to mention that the perennial debate between members/committees and club managers about “why” we shut down in the first place, kind of goes away quietly.
Which one of us would welcome a little break from needing to politely educate our members on the macroeconomics at clubs related to shut downs, and the general benefit they come with? I am raising my hand respectfully to that one, for sure.
I am a sucker for T-account references, so I must admit that this debate, as it sits in the cosmos of club management conversations, belongs 100% on the “champagne problem” side of the ledger, right? I feel fortunate to be in the industry that we are, contemplating issues such as these. Having said that, I think that a healthy dose of self-questioning and introspection, be it on the personal or professional front is rarely a poor use of our time and energy. For me, anyway, an interesting little debate indeed.
Now please wish me luck as I prepare to face the wrath of my beloved staff for raising such a question in this little essay. That, and wrapping my head around the supersonic resurgence of the espresso martini, is sure to keep me busy until next time.
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