Great Ideas That Work and Why

Coming up with a steady flow of good ideas is just the start—determined follow-through is what really produces glowing results.

by Laura Watilo Blake (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
April 2007
 

Related Stories: Case Study: Kansas City Country Club Case Study: Farmington Country Club Case Study: Country Club of Virginia Now Here's An Idea ... and Another and Another More Blue-Ribbon Ideas

Thomas Edison failed at least a thousand times before he successfully found the right filament that, when placed in an oxygen-free glass container, would glow for hours without burning up. No wonder Edison was the one who said: “There is a way to do it better—find it.”

Greg Webb, GM, Kansas City Country Club

On a cold, rainy winter day, Greg Webb, General Manager of the Kansas City (Kan.) Country Club (KCCC), points to that quote, neatly framed on the wall behind his desk. “I have a long list of things that didn’t work,” he says, offering his club’s poorly attended “Harry Potter night” as an example. “But we can always find a way to tweak, refine or modify, and do it better.”

For a “failed” event, Webb notes, that could mean changing the date and time of the function, or trying to apply the concept in a completely different way. Whatever is done should always have the member’s interests first and foremost in mind, he adds. And the emphasis should always be on actions that will speak louder than the words.

“Don’t just talk about it; do it,” Webb says. “You have to follow through.”

At the KCCC, Webb and his management team have consistently developed and implemented a string of innovative ideas to enhance the member experience, increase operational efficiencies and improve employee job satisfaction. The club has operated in the black for the last six years running, and members’ use of all parts of the property has grown.

But Webb is unwilling to rest on those laurels—an attitude that clearly trickles through the entire staff and permeates the club’s management philosophy. “We’ve got to be raising the bar all the time,” he says.

Their Own Rewards
Because of this “never-say-that’s-good-enough” attitude, the KCCC now stands as one of the best examples of how generating and successfully implementing ideas has become ingrained as a management approach at many leading clubs and resorts.

In part, this is in direct response to the changing nature of the business, where there is now a much greater emphasis on enlivening and freshening club and resort atmospheres, and challenging “traditional” ways of doing things. Additionally, many properties have recognized the value of building a participatory culture that will not only help to find unique ways to build new revenue streams, but also give staff members a greater sense of involvement, ownership, and job enrichment.

To encourage this approach, some industry groups have developed a framework for sharing innovative ideas. For example, the Idea Fair conducted by the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA), as part of its annual World Conference on Club Management, now showcases hundreds of club-submitted ideas, which are then judged and awarded ribbons in categories such as cost-saving concepts, club events, golf operations, course maintenance, and leadership development.

At this year’s Idea Fair, held in late February as part of the Golf Industry Show in Anaheim, Calif. (see story), the KCCC took home three awards, the most handed out to any one club.

And like the KCCC, GMs of other clubs that are perennial award-winners at the Idea Fair, such as the Farmington Country Club and the Country Club of Virginia, say the competition helps to sustain their employees’ drive and ambition.

The management-by-idea process is flourishing outside the Idea Fair environment, too. The Excellence in Club Management Awards, co-sponsored by the McMahon Group and Club & Resort Business, also recognizes club managers who have brought success to their properties through effective implementation of new concepts (see From “Tin Cup” to PURE PLATINUM).

Whether recognized through a competition or not, though, it’s clear that a new approach to club and resort management has spawned a brave new world for not only creating ideas, but putting them to profitable use. Some of the best examples to now be found in the business are presented, by category, throughout this “special” issue of Club & Resort Business. But in reality, the planting and nurturing of fresh ideas has become part of the everyday routine among today’s industry leaders.