Leading the Strategic Planning Process - Club Managers ...

126 Chapter 4consider including the club’s mission statement as a companion element. Someclubs even print the mission statement on laminated business cards that paid staffmembers carry when on duty as a reminder of the club’s basic tenets.A sample mission statement for a start-up club might read as follows:The Country Club of Tarantula Canyon was created as a haven for its members.We are second to none in our purpose to offer an extraordinary array of clubexperiences, in our commitment to the highest level of member service, and inour willingness to recognize our employees as the most valuable asset within theclub. Our allegiance to these basic elements will ensure long-term success for ourmembers and staff.When creating a mission statement, carefully consider the following three elementsas a guideline:1. Common features: What are the club’s products and services? What marketsor potential members does the club pursue? What are the club’s core values?What are some of the club’s broadest goals? What is the club’s competitiveposition? What is the image that the club wants to portray to those outside theclub?2. Internal scans: What are the unique strengths that the club should be knownfor and build upon? What weaknesses should the club improve upon internally?3. External scans: What demographic shifts should the club anticipate? Whatchanges in products and services may come about over the next five years?What is the club’s source of labor? What laws and regulations could changethe ways that the club does business? What are the strengths and weaknessesof the competition?GoalsGoals focus on future states of existence that a club strives to achieve. Goals ensurefulfillment of the mission—how well a club aims toward those goals dictates itseffectiveness.The strategic vision transitions to performance targets through goal-creation.Goals are evidence of the commitment by club managers to achieve specific outcomesin keeping with the club’s vision. Managers who insist on achieving mutuallyagreed-upon and focused goals are far more effective in reaching those goalsthan are managers who have only a vague idea of what they should be doing.Goals are the “meat and potatoes” of strategic planning.Goals will differ in terms of their timelines:1. Short-term operational goal: In general terms, an operational goal that can beaccomplished within approximately three months is a short-term goal. Justbecause a goal is short term does not mean it is not vital to the club’s success.For example, a club membership department may decide in January toeliminate errors in the membership roster before the end of February—a veryimportant goal.