The Board of Directors and the General Manager/Chief Operating ...

The Board of Directors and the General Manager/Chief Operating Officer 59politicking. Board members might also take this time to smooth over any controversiesraised during the debate.• Most difficult item, continued (20 minutes). After the break, the discussion of themost difficult item is continued. Important points can be repeated and writtendown. If the board’s goal is to make a decision, the facilitator can call for a voteafter this discussion period.• Discussion-only items (30 to 40 minutes). This is the time to introduce new topicsor present committee and other reports. Placing committee reports near theend of the meeting, when people are getting eager to wrap things up, can helpkeep the reports short.• Least difficult items (10 minutes). These items are ones that can be quickly votedon. Putting least difficult items at the end of the meeting can leave boardmembers with the feeling that they can decide things efficiently and quickly.It ends the board meeting on a high note.Many general managers feel strongly that a board meeting’s agenda shouldbe mailed out to board members before the meeting. This gives board members achance to review the agenda and do any research they feel is necessary. Mailingthe agenda out ahead of time can save a lot of meeting time when the board getstogether. Clubs that follow this practice have discovered that their boards act morequickly and table fewer issues because board members arrive informed and readyto tackle the challenges they face.The General ManagerA club’s board governs the club, establishing policy; the club’s general managermanages it.Historically, most major management functions of a club were handledby committees who hired secretaries, stewards, or caretakers. These positionsevolved into the first club manager positions. In most of these positions, the firstmanagers had responsibility for only the clubhouse and food and beverage operations.Often the golf professional and perhaps even the golf course superintendenthad as much or more administrative responsibility as the manager. All three ofthese positions (manager, golf professional, and golf course superintendent) eachreported to the board of directors of the club or perhaps to individual committees.No one position had responsibility for overseeing all management responsibilitiesof the club operation. Conflict often developed and no clear lines of authority andresponsibility existed.Then in 1927, the Club Managers Association of America was formed byclub personnel who wanted information, education, resources, and a professionalnetwork. At the time, training for the club manager was limited to a few hotel andfood and beverage programs. CMAA developed a professional development programto help managers become the leader of the entire club operation.In today’s club world, it usually takes formal education and some practicalexperience to attain even an entry-level management position. Today, one of the