`A Way Of Life`

2007 Excellence in Club Management Award Winner

by Joe Barks (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
January 2008
 

Tom Wallace got his genetic inclination for hard work and serving the public from his father, a policeman. When Wallace was in the eighth grade, he and his five sisters moved to Pepper Pike, Ohio, where his father took a new job as a police officer on the town’s force. That’s where Tom’s natural leanings took focus, as he discovered a new world of service at, appropriately, a place called simply The Country Club—the venerable private club in Pepper Pike that was founded in 1889.

“All of the Pepper Pike policemen ate at The Country Club,” Wallace recalls. “I was in a new school in a much more affluent area than we’d moved from, and my Dad encouraged me to try to get some work at the club, because he thought it might help me meet people.

“I went over to talk to someone about taking a job shining shoes,” Wallace continues. “My eyes got wide open the first time I saw the locker room—it was beautiful, and as big to me as 10 houses.”

From that first job at age 14, Wallace stayed at The Country Club for another 15 years, eventually rising to become Interim General Manager. “I was struck right away by the family atmosphere a club could have, not only among the members, but also among the staff,” he says. “I’ll never forget how a waitress named Zelma took me aside and taught me a lot about etiquette, where forks should go, how to serve and clear tables property, and many other valuable lessons I still use to this day.”

Having found the right business in which to focus his natural inclination for service, all that was left was for Wallace to turn club management into a full-fledged passion. That came about in 2002, after he became the new General Manager at storied Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club. The achievements of the club under Wallace’s leadership (see box, pg. 91), culminating with the acclaim Oakmont received after hosting the U.S. Open last year, led to his being named the winner of the McMahon Group/Club & Resort Business Excellence in Club Management Award for 2007, in the category of Country/Golf Clubs with Fewer than 600 Members. The year then ended with the ultimate accolade for Wallace: Oakmont extended his contract through 2018.

We recently slowed down Tom Wallace long enough for a conversation that helped us gain further insight into what stokes his passion for his profession, and how he channels it into developing and directing a staff that consistently delivers a premium membership experience:

C&RB: What are the things that get you so charged up about being in the club business?
Wallace: First, the daily opportunity to work with the greatest membership in the world and exceed their expectations. Second, the daily opportunity to lead a team toward our vision. Third, the fact that every day is different and brings new challenges of multi-tasking and trouble-shooting. And finally, being in the club business gives me the opportunity to be part of something that is bigger than me.

C&RB: What do you think were the keys to your fast-tracking to one of the most prestigious jobs in the industry?
Wallace: It wasn’t a conscious effort; I never strategized on how to “get ahead.” I have always worked as hard as I could to try to excel in whatever job I was in, starting with that first job shining shoes in The Country Club’s locker room. I also never turned down an opportunity to work in a different department, a different shift, or a different job, so I could be as well-rounded as possible. And the harder I worked, in as many different ways as I could work, the more it paid off, and the harder it was for those above me to ignore my growth.

I will also say that it’s been my experience that most people move from club to club because they’re trying to find their niche. I’ve been at two clubs for 20 years and am now contracted to be at Oakmont for at least another 10. Either I have been very lucky at my two clubs, or the clubs and I have been adaptive to one another.

C&RB: Now that you’re in a position to help the growth of others in the profession, how would you define the characteristics of the ideal staff member?
Wallace: Someone who:
• is slightly more emotionally skilled than technically skilled
• truly enjoys giving more than receiving
• is defined less by their uniform and more by their work
• recognizes the Fourth of July as a Wednesday—or whatever day of the week it happens to be

C&RB: Does that same focus on putting more emphasis on the work that’s being done, rather than on a uniform, also carry over to job titles? You, for example, are still “just” the General Manager at Oakmont, when it’s become trendy to give the top position at some clubs and resorts much loftier and more “business-like” titles.
Wallace: Yes, just as I feel a teammate or staff member shouldn’t be, or feel, defined by the uniform they wear, I’ve also never certainly felt that titles make you who you are. It’s far more important to me that my presence and leadership for my team tells them who I am, rather than my title.
I also do believe, though, it is important for the club’s leader to have the authority to make all of the important decisions in the day-to-day operations of the club, no matter what his or her title might be.

C&RB: What are your keys to establishing the presence you’re talking about and being a strong leader who can command, and retain, authority?
Wallace: First and foremost, you have to maintain absolute integrity. And, as my version of “Don’t just talk the talk, but walk the walk,” I say, “Don’t sing it! Bring it!”
Through these approaches, you then have to always set out to do three things:
First, define your vision, and develop a culture to nurture that vision.
Second, put the team first, remembering that people make everything happen in this business.
Third, stand out in front—and by that I don’t mean try to be in the spotlight; I mean, be ready to take the first bullet.

C&RB: Your passion—some would say obsession—with documenting every aspect of club operations in PowerPoint presentations, training manuals, and the like has become legendary. Isn’t there a point where this runs the risk of information overload?
Wallace: Not if you believe, as I do, that manuals, checklists, and Standard Operating Procedures are a must, as a foundation for the culture you’re trying to develop. The key is to recognize that all of these documents are living things that must change as your business changes. You don’t have to run your club out of a book, but you must give your team solid references and facts, to make sure goals and expectations are clearly understood, and to show that the route to achieving them is clearly marked and attainable.

C&RB: You also don’t try to hide, or apologize for, the fact that you don’t mind working at the pace, and keeping the work hours, that you do—in fact, you thrive on it. How do you respond to people who raise the issue of burnout, either for yourself or your staff?
Wallace: I don’t want to discourage anyone from getting into the club business, but I believe that if you’re going to be in it, you have to be as committed to the club as if you owned it. If you owned a golf course, or a restaurant, or a spa or fitness center, and it was open seven days a week, how many days would you be there? I just believe that if you don’t feel this way about your club, it becomes truly difficult for you to maintain the culture that you and your membership would like to have.

Is there a need to balance this to make sure everyone has enough time with their family and “works to live,” rather than “lives to work”? Certainly. And is there a way to achieve this balance? Absolutely—hire great people, develop their leadership skills, and then empower, and trust your team.

To me, “excellence” in the club business is really just creating an environment where it’s natural for everyone on a staff to be nice and to always ensure a great experience for members and guests. Hospitality, after all, is defined in the dictionary as “kindness, welcoming, or generous.” If you have the right people and lead them in the right way, hospitality shouldn’t be a field of work—it should be a way of life.