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

62 Chapter 2They had to be able to demonstrate interpersonal relations skills, be a good communicator,be administratively competent, and be able to communicate the club’svision.As clubs became more diverse in the services offered to their memberships,club managers developed the leadership and technical skills to lead the club operation.CMAA geared its lifetime professional development program to providingthese skills and equipped the manager to indeed become the GM/COO. Theydeveloped the following competency areas:• Private club management• Human and professional resources• Accounting and financial management• Management• Marketing• Governmental and external influences• Building and facilities management• Food and beverage operations• Golf/sports, and recreation managementClub members began to accept the GM/COO position, recognizing the need forone competent person to be in charge of the multi-million dollar businesses thatclubs had become.Management to Leadership ModelToday, the GM/COO role has expanded beyond club operations. Two equallyimportant areas are asset management and club culture.A true leader takes stewardship or responsibility in all three areas. Throughnot revolutionary, an evolved concept of the GM/COO has become the managementto leadership model. Exhibit 10 shows what this model looks like. CMAAdeveloped this model to address the changing role of managers. Many considerationsmust be explored to accurately construct a management model based onreality and ideals.Under this model, the GM/COO competencies are all listed as the foundationaloperations part of the pyramid. In the second tier, managers must masterasset and investment management competencies such as:• Managing the physical property of the club.• Managing the financial well-being of the club.• Managing the human resource needs of the club.• Maintaining a comprehensive portfolio of club assets, both tangible andintangible.• Managing cash flow.