Leading the Strategic Planning Process - Club Managers ...

122 Chapter 4and do for the next 25 years—to become a powerhouse swimming club with oneof the top Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) programs in the nation. In hindsight, it isclear that a specific vision nurtured a strong commitment. With that strong commitment,potential members flocked to the club so their kids could be a part of thisnew, unprecedented swimming program. Over the years, the club produced scoresof world-class swimmers, including several Olympic medalists. At the club’s peak,there was a three-year waiting list of people wanting to join.Realize that Consultants Are Not MagiciansNobody understands your club better than your managers, staff, and membersunderstand it. Given this reality, why do scores of clubs each year pay thousandsof dollars for consultants to come in and tell them what to do in terms of strategicplanning? While consultants can be very helpful, they are not magicians. Consultantscan lay out the elements of the strategic planning process, and they have theadditional experience of having seen and analyzed a wide variety of solutions tofairly common club issues. Their external expertise, however, cannot substitute forthe club’s internal knowledge of its own personality. In the end, what works for anyparticular club is based on that particular club’s personality or culture.may be over-generalizing the situation. Still, without a clear understanding ofwhat a club is about—its vision—club members often tend to push for theirChevrolet clubs to slowly morph into Cadillac clubs. A clear understanding ofwhat kind of club yours is helps prevent this from occurring—or at least fromoccurring without careful examination.For example, one club located in North Carolina gave the impression of beinga Chevrolet-level club. Modest by most standards, the club had, however, a fewareas of discontinuity in operations. These inconsistencies helped explain theclub’s dire financial straits. All cars were parked by valets, which added to laborcosts. The house scotch was Chivas Regal, an expensive scotch priced at a mere $2for a two-ounce pour (including tax and gratuity)—a cost dictated by a past clubpresident who preferred the expensive brand to the former house scotch. Tableclothswere of an average quality, a standard polyester blend, but the china wasVilleroy & Boch (very high quality) and the flatware was Reed & Barton (very highquality). Luncheon steaks were Angus beef and the sandwich bread was custombakedat a local bakery. An interview with the general manager revealed that hehad been “helpfully advised” by some of the club members over the years; that is,he had been pressured by governors, influential committee chairs, and powerfulmembers to make these and other changes based on their personal whims.Frankly, this club would have been more accurately described as a Frankensteinclub instead of a Chevrolet club. Certain elements of the club were so outof line with its basic identity that the club had morphed into a monster—a bit ofthis, a bit of that. But, after beginning the strategic planning process, includingidentifying a clear vision, the club has re-created itself. A visionary president andGM/COO took charge of the arduous re-creation process in order to make the club