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

64 Chapter 2These responsibilities evolve the GM/COO into a chief cultural officer who isresponsible for the traditions, customs, and practices of the club. This new manageris intimately familiar with what makes the club unique and how he or she canpreserve the intangible quality of culture.While CMAA is the organization that introduced the concept, it is the GM/COOs who advance it. They practice professional development by developingcompetency in operational areas, asset management, and cultural aspects of theclub. They proactively promote the concept to board and staff, and they live theconcept in their day-to-day management.Working with the BoardThere are many groups and individuals at a club with which the club general managermust work—club professionals, department managers, and club committeemembers are some obvious examples. But, above all, a club general manager mustwork harmoniously with the club’s board of directors. A club’s board provides thestrategic direction for the club that the general manager must carry out. The boardis also responsible for hiring and firing the general manager and providing him orher with regular performance evaluations. Because a general manager reports tothe board, his or her relationship with the board is extremely important.One of the most delicate issues club general managers face in working withboards is keeping board members from overstepping their roles and trying toactually manage the club. How can a general manager discreetly encourage his orher board to stick to governing the club and not interfere with daily operationaldecisions? According to Richard Chait’s How to Help Your Board Govern More andManage Less, there are several things a club general manager can do. The generalmanager can:• Structure written materials for the board, such as club status reports andboard meeting agendas, to direct the attention of board members to issues ofpolicy and strategy.• Equip board members with the capacity to monitor the club’s performanceand progress.• Create clear expectations for the board. 6Other Tips for Long-Term SuccessThere are no rules club general managers can follow that will guarantee thatthey will keep their jobs or be happy managing their clubs. But there are a fewprinciples veteran general managers cite that might help a club general managerachieve long-term success with a club:• Be yourself when interviewing. The best thing a general manager can do duringthe hiring process is to let the board know exactly who he or she is so thatthere is a better chance that the right match between club manager and clubwill be made.