Why are so many clubs, volunteer organizations, and member-centric associations so poorly run?
Despite the fact that there is nothing about the nature of such organizations that prevents them from being well managed and led, national surveys show that a minority of member-oriented institutions are viewed as being effectively managed and operated compared to other non-profits and businesses.
Some experts blame the ineffectiveness on archaic governance structures that prevent sound long-term planning and quality decisions, while others claim that member clubs and associations are designed to operate more democratically, thereby rendering any comparisons unfair.
But there is another likely culprit in the mix. The very nature of how directors lead in such organizations bears some of the blame.
Leaders who are most concerned about the needs and feelings of members engage with problems and make decisions very differently.
When the main criterion of success is to keep members happy and satisfied, leaders must take a short-term and sometimes even temporal view.
Rather than crafting a vision and working toward it, most clubs are exclusively mission-driven with member satisfaction and engagement as the focal point.
This means leaders take on a “Country Club” mindset, whereby anything that is not immediately connected to member satisfaction is given little attention. Everything is about the members.
The result is a relaxed and sometimes fun work environment where productivity suffers from a lack of direction and oversight.But it doesn’t have to be this way.
There are many highly successful customer and client-centric organizations that are examples of well-run enterprises.
The primary difference is that leaders in these organizations view their role as creating a sustainable, goal-driven, and accountable team culture that will eventually attract and retain customers.
They, too, hold customer satisfaction in the highest regard, but they understand that simply catering to them is not how quality decisions and great results are achieved.
Based on a vision, they set goals, craft strategies, and then get busy figuring out how to execute on them. Ask your club for the overall vision of the institution and the visions of each department.
Next, ask to see the objectives and goals underneath these visions. But don’t stop there. Inquire about the strategies designed and articulated to achieve these goals.
Lastly, examine the many explicit processes used to execute the strategies. Clubs with these elements are not being run as a business; they are simply being led and managed to achieve extraordinary outcomes.
“Country Club Leadership” where member satisfaction completely steers the ship is a rusty anchor that weighs down effectiveness. Just because it’s a member club doesn’t mean it has to be led ineffectively.
Before you criticize the governance, elevate the quality of leadership.
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