Michael Muetzel

In the world of golf course owners and operators we have seen the industry, our industry, experience more changes in the last three years than we had in the last decade.

We have seen management organizations with phenomenal growth, then seen the same companies battle for mere survival.  We have seen the advent of the REIT, and the demise of the REIT.  We have seen an industry overbuild facilities without cohesive efforts to insure we have enough players to fill tee times.  In many cases, we now mow our fairways with computers.  We have seen lending institutions and investors jump into golf, and then bolt for the door, like Dracula at a sunrise breakfast.  Not to mention the economy, the September tragedy, and so on……..

And at the same time, here we are, doing the best we can at marketing, selling and providing a great golf experience for our customers.  We have invested in the future, improved our facilities, upgraded our golf courses, and concentrated on player development with creative new programs.  With the help of the NGCOA, we even have modified IRS tax initiatives to our benefit. 

It is difficult not to get caught up in all of the external issues facing our industry.  But in most cases, these elements, most of which are outside of our control, are not the elements that made us successful in the first place.  And even in this world of change, we have been successful.  As an industry we are moving forward in a positive direction, addressing the changes.

This is clearly not the first, nor the last time we have faced changes.  Our organizations are always in a state of change, both externally, as well as internally.

Internal Changes 

There have been a host of changes within the structure of our organizations, not the least of which has been our employees.  Is there anyone out there that would not agree that the employees of today are radically different than the employees of ten years ago, or even five years ago?  Is this something you have addressed as an owner or manager?  Do you even think about it?

There have been hundreds, or even possibly thousands of articles written on these new employees.  Everyone is writing about “The Generation X” employee, and many of these articles have negative overtones.  In most cases we have employees that fall into the ages of early twenties through age forty.  This is not an article that details characteristics of your employees, you already understand that.  But it is an article that deals with how we can modify our organizations to reduce expenses, and maximize the production of these employees.

“Generation X” Employees

                        Age                              21 – 40 years old

                        Characteristics            Independent

                                                            Perceived lack of company loyalty

Crave and require responsibility Change jobs                    frequently

                                                            Quick learners, hungry for more information

Technologically proficient

                                                            Greater awareness of the overall society

                                                            Lack of trust in government

I bet you are not really surprised at the characteristics.  The changes in this employee pool, this generation of employees, are simply a product of their environment.  We raised them to be independent; many came home from school, to empty households, with both parents working.  Many doubt there will be any social security when it comes their time to collect.  Many have parents that worked hard in a career, only to be out of a job due to downsizing.  As a group, they have a lack of respect for the leaders in government; imagine that. 

But it may surprise you to know that this segment of the population is also the highest ever for charitable contributions.  And they have grown up in an environment where information is readily accessible with an Internet connection.

Although the evolving employee pool is a variable that exists in all of our organizations, can we all agree that a constant characteristic of changing employees, dealing with seasonal employees, the process of hiring new employees, can be time consuming and expensive?

Consequently, any money or timed saved by retaining employees, permanent or seasonal, can contribute directly to the bottom line.  And yes, time is money.  The cost of hiring or changing employees reportedly can range from a couple of thousand dollars, to eight thousand dollars or more for management positions.  Could find a better use of those funds? 

Then how can we address the issues of hiring and the changing of our employees?  And perhaps equally, how can we build a better organization of employees, without spending a lot of money?

Tips for Building a Better Organization 

Although the new generations of employees have characteristics unique to Generation X, they share a need we all feel, everyone wants to play for a winner.  It is great to play, or work for a winning team.  Simple question, given the choice of playing for, or working for a winning organization, or working for one that is not, which would you choose?

Let me ask you this question, if like most of us, you have five golf courses within a fifteen mile radius of your facility, why would I as a new employee want to work for your golf course versus the other four or five?  Can you answer this question?  Can your managers, or those interviewing the new employees answer the question?  Have you ever thought about it?  How can I as an operator make my facility an attractive place to work for both new as well as existing employees?  Remember employee changeover can cost you money!

Scrap Books 

One easy way to share and communicate the success of your organization can be as simple as a scrapbook.  I am not talking about a little scrapbook, but a large scrapbook, maybe 24 –36” high.  The scrapbook includes photos of construction projects, employee cookouts, pictures of awards, press clippings, photos of large outings, banquets, positive comments from customers; I think you get the idea.

I am sure you have enough materials to get it started, look in those old boxes, ask your the superintendent for photos.  Getting it started is only the first part of the process.  Call a brief company meeting; get all of the employees involved.  Collect articles or local photos of your employees, a copy of a manager’s certification, brochures or flyers from activities, or even conferences your staff has attended.  Take a group photo of your employees, either all together, or as departments, put them in the scrapbook every year.  In this day and age it is easy to get the photos enlarged, make them big pictures.

Remember this is a work in progress…..  Make a big deal out of new events, or activities that can be added to scrapbook, do not let it sit on the shelf!  Remember to reward employees with recognition for good ideas about new items for the scrapbook.  Now let’s discuss the implementation.

Every time we interview a new employee, ask one of your existing employees to “walk” them through the scrapbook, page by page.  This accomplishes two key goals.  First, the new or prospective employee learns that this is just not another golf course; this is a place to work where thing happen, things change, for the better!  This meets the needs of the Gen X prospect.

Secondly, this simple exercise will enhance how the existing employee views your facility as well.  Make sure the person explaining the scrapbook understands the significance and the history of the items.  Have different employees take new prospects through the book; it will make them feel important to your organization.

Now everyone learns more about your organization.  The existing employee has just become a salesperson for why someone would want to work at your facility compared to the others in the area.  The beautiful thing, is the cost, it is not very expensive.

The scrapbook can also be an effective tool when interviewing prospective customers about a new league, or potential outing.  I would also recommend that once again, rather than you the owner, have an employee walk them through the book.  Can you imagine the net result to the new customer, when they hear an employee talking with pride about the history, events, and the culture of the facility?  Remember, everyone, even customers like to deal with winners!

Mentoring 

This sounds like a difficult concept, so before you judge me, let me explain.  Another way to build a successful organization is to develop a simple “mentoring” program for both new as well as existing employees.

First, for the new employee, try to match them up with another employee from the same department for the first week, where they are assigned 15 minutes each day to review the activities of the day, (for both employees).  The fifteen-minute rule each day for the first week must be maintained, it is critical to establish trust.  Pick a mentoring employee that has some things in common with the new hire.  This could be age, single parent, veteran, background, etc.

This is NOT a training exercise, but a discussion.  The newly hired employee can ask questions on issues that have come up during the day, and feel as though their opinions and questions are important.  (Satisfies another need of Gen X)  The benefit for you as an owner is that this process can greatly accelerate the learning curve and reduce the cost associated with developing the new employee. 

The benefit for the Gen X employee is that they are introduced to teamwork within your organization in a non-threatening way, and it satisfies their need for more information.   It also helps them to understand that they are important to the organization, as an individual, not just another new hourly employee, with little or no significance.  Once again, this concept can meet the needs of your evolving employee, without a large investment.  Remember that it only works if you recognize and verbally acknowledge the mentoring employee, the other employees should view this as a perk.  This can be accomplished verbally with praise in front of the others; it should not be viewed as a financial bonus.

The second phase of the mentoring process is a little more interesting, and again requires little or no investment.  Once a month implement an employee-exchange program.  For example, have somebody, including managers, from the kitchen work on the grounds crew, somebody from the pro shop in the kitchen, and so on.  Include individual employees from the Food and Beverage operation, Pro Shop, Kitchen and Dining Room operations, and even Administrative groups.  This is a one-day exchange program, and they do not have to all happen on the same day, although it can be fun.

Following the exchange day, the employee reports briefly, (ten minutes, remember these are often hourly employees, we are not looking for polished presentations), about their experiences on the exchange day.  This will greatly enhance the total team feeling of all the employees, and you will be surprised how they gain some respect as well as knowledge for the other departments. 

This really works.  Remember to thank all those involved, the positive reinforcement is key.  Once again the learning and flexibility needs of the Gen X employee are satisfied without spending a lot of money.  This also allows you to potentially cross-train some employees if they are interested, without investing or administering a detailed structured program.

Weekly Observation Sheets

My final tip for building a winning organization involves every employee in the company.  We are going to ask each and every employee to fill out a Weekly Observation Sheet.  I can hear you groaning even as I write this, but hang in there with me.  This can be done every other week, or monthly, but I recommend that it be done on a weekly basis.

In my management workshops I address this under Cultural Employee Equity, giving the employee ownership in the growth and success of your organization.  The only investment that I am asking you to make to implement this tip is at the local printer.  Have the printer make a small pad, it is best if done on a colored paper, yellow, green, corporate colors, I do not care, just something that makes it look different.

There is a line for the name of the employee, the date, and a place for a single observation.  When you introduce the program to the employees, let them know how important their input is to the growth of the organization.  This is not a suggestion box, nor an employee popularity contest.  We are asking that each employee on a weekly basis make a short note on either something they have observed that is good for the organization, or that needs to be improved in the organization. Simple as that.

For example, it could be that the employee notes trash in the parking lot, or that strong teamwork contributed to serving 150 hot dogs on time for an outing.  It could be that a guest needed direction to the rest rooms, and we need better signage, it may be that we need to trim the brush behind #16, or we are getting more requests for logo shirts. 

The individual comments are important, but not as critical as they fact that the employees, every employee, contributes to the good of the organization.  The owner and the managers must then thank the employees for their input, positive or negative, it is critical.   Do not let this process die once you start the program!

Occasionally you may want to re-cap the comments, let them know that someone is reading them.  Be careful; about recognizing a single employee idea, this cannot be perceived as a popularity contest.  All ideas must be recognized, do not discourage any input, even that which you or your managers see as negative.

What happens to the pride that an employee has in the organization when they see their comments acknowledged, or that their comments initiated change?  Now how do they feel about the organization?  They own it!  How much did it cost?  I think you are getting it now.  The Gen X employee knows that their individual input is important, they have responsibility, ownership, and the knowledge that they are in fact, part of a winning team.

Let me ask you a question.  Is it possible to get a good idea that can positively separate us from our competitors from an $ 8.00 / hour employee?  Yes or no?  But I will submit that if your answer is yes, it will never happen if you do not have a simple vehicle for the employee to be heard.

So, in a world surrounded by change, can we meet the needs of our employees and build a better organization at the same time?  I think so; let me know how it works out.