The Importance of Leadership
Strong leaders are essential to the efficient and effective operation of a club. They must manage and guide those working with them, role model by example, communicate with inspiration, engage with enthusiasm and never lose sight of the club’s vision.
The Club Managers Association of Australia (CMAA) has witnessed firsthand the power of strong leadership and good managers in turning clubs from beacons of distress to shining lights in the hospitality and club industry. Equally, they have borne witness to clubs that continue to go from strength to strength on the back of their focus on quality leadership and management practices.
The training and development of knowledgeable and motivated leaders that are capable of achieving greatness on behalf of their clubs is a passion of the CMAA. To this end they offer the professional certification - the Active Certified Club Managers Award (ACCM).
Individuals who hold the ACCM, have demonstrated that they possess the skills, have the range of knowledge and can model behaviours that drive premium results for their club.
The foundation stone of the ACCM is the Club Managers Leadership and Management program, an online, training course, delivered by elevateB (a specialist training company) and independently endorsed by Australis College (a Registered Training Organisation)
The program covers many areas of leadership and management acumen. Here are some of the reasons clubs and individuals can benefit from the program and having ACCM’s in their midst.
Productivity
Quality leaders and managers know that setting realistic goals, developing strategic work plans, adapting and being decisive are critical to increasing overall club productivity. Further, leadership training enables managers to understand and learn about their team members on an emotional level in order to obtain the best results from each individual.
People Retention
Studies have found that over half of a businesses’ employees will consider moving jobs because of frustration with the current leadership and business structures. Approximately a quarter of employees say leaders in their organisation make them feel stressed and around the same per cent would be very unlikely to commend the overall leadership of the companies for which they work. Well trained leaders can retain club employees, reap the rewards of development costs already outlaid and reduce future recruitment expenses.
Feedback
The way in which feedback is given and received can be the difference between having a positive or negative impact on club employees. Statistics suggest that highly engaged employees receive twice as much feedback than those with low engagement. Giving feedback is a skill of successful club managers and learning effective ways to provide feedback helps motivate and improve the skill levels of the individuals around them.
Leadership Styles
Different contexts, situations and environments can call for different leadership styles. Good club managers know the different approaches they can use and adapt their styles to suit. Leading a team in the most effective ways can be intricate and developing a range of methods is needed to maximise motivation and productivity, whilst minimising conflict and disharmony.
Decision Making
Good club managers and leaders have perspective and take a high-level view to make informed and intelligent business decisions. Decision-making skills include reframing problems, using data effectively and identifying the best possible solutions for the club.
The Club Managers Leadership and Management program has been modelled on the Diploma of Leadership and Management, ensuring it covers a full gambit of management and leadership topics. Importantly, it has been tailored and contextualised for club environments and day to day club management situations. To successfully complete the program, participants are required to demonstrate required knowledge, skills and abilities through application and activity submissions.
For more information on the Club Managers Leadership and Management program, click here.