Posted on Fri, Aug 06, 2010 @ 01:14 PM
Are you finding you are expected to do more with less in your position as Club CFO or Controller? For some time now, we have observed an industry trend towards increasing the role of the CFO/Controller as it relates to human resource management.
I am privileged to speak with Club GM's, Controllers, CFO's and HR Directors on a daily basis and frequently get feedback similar to the above described trend. While the words may change between conversations, the common theme is club staff increasingly are wearing multiple hats.
In many cases, this involves the CFO/Controller picking up additional HR responsibilities. If this is hitting you square between the eyes, download our complimentary white paper to help you establish a strategy to effectively deal with these changes.
Download "Help, I'm the Controller, not the HR Director" here and let us know what you think.
We hope it helps!
Posted on Tue, May 04, 2010 @ 10:36
Recently I completed 90 days of the most intense exercise regimen I‘ve ever endured. While the program was worthwhile for the physical benefits, the real value came from the lesson I learned in self-discipline. The principle the program is based in: deciding, committing and succeeding, have reshaped the way I do business and approach life...
The Program
The program I participated in is called P90X (http://www.beachbody.com/) and many of you may have seen the infomercials, partaken in the program or had friends who have participated. The program's marketing message of "muscle confusion" and "getting ripped in 90 days" succeeds in motivating but fall far short of preparing one for the intensity of the workouts. However challenging, it was worth it and I did achieve some tangible results which I'll share with you in a moment.
Understand, when I say intense, I am not just referring to the difficulty of completing the exercise but the amount of time dedicated to each workout and the frequency of workouts. Each workout lasts between 60 and 90 minutes and the program calls for working out 6 times a week. Given a busy lifestyle including two businesses and three kids (ages 3, 5, 13), the commitment aspect was more intimidating to me than the physical aspect. I am sure many of you can relate - making a commitment like this is a life changing decision.
The Challenge
By the end of three months, I had exercised 72 times in just 84 days! There were a few times I worked out twice in one day or did not work out until after midnight but one way or the other, I survived each one. In addition to time constraints and stretching my physical limitations, there were many other barriers that arose during the course preventing me from reaching my goal.
For example, I suffered from severe allergies and endured three sinus infections during the first six weeks of the program. Many of my workouts occurred inconveniently on the road in hotel rooms, at odd hours and in between business meetings. Additionally, my three year old daughter decided to create a new challenge of her own by refusing to go to sleep until she was absolutely sure I had completed the night's workout. She would find evidence of this by observing me lying in the floor out of breath and in a heap. OK, bedtime!
The Lesson
The workouts seemed physically impossible (at first) and there were obviously not enough hours in the day to complete them. Furthermore, the interruptions, distractions and "reasons" not to do it were nearly immeasurable. Interestingly though, it turns out the real value gained from this experience came about as a result of these and many other challenges encountered. It seemed with every additional obstacle, I began to realize how compelling it can be to procrastinate or give up. How simple it is to find a "reason" not to follow through and then rationalize your decision.
How often does this same principle play out in our work and personal lives? We know what we want to do and make a commitment but ultimately identify a reason not to keep going. Think about your job - what frustration have you repeatedly committed to change but are still living with? What about your personal life? Do you have a relationship that needs repair, a habit that needs to change or a problem that needs to be fixed but you never seem to get to doing it?
Too frequently we stop one prayer, a single step or just shy of the required effort to reach our goal. It has been said, the tragedy of life is not "failure" but "lost potential" in all the times we gave up too early. This experience has affirmed my belief that perseverance is the number one predicator of success. Sure, we may get lucky now and then but think back to your biggest successes and I'll bet you will find a common theme. You kept getting back up when knocked down, you stuck with it when others gave up and you refused to yield to challenges. In short, you persevered.
The Results
I wish I could report that I had a total body transformation as some of the participants on the infomercial and website appear to have had; my physical results were not quite that impressive. However, I did see some significant improvements in weight, strength and flexibility. I lost five pounds of fat, gained six pounds of muscle, increased strength by nearly 100% and saw flexibility improvements beyond measure. I feel better, eat better, sleep better, have more energy and accomplish more daily which I attribute to the empowerment of an increased positive attitude!
The Challenge
In conclusion, I challenge you to ask yourself "Where do I need to step up my game?" Do you have physical, professional, financial or personal goals you want to pursue but keep finding a reason to give up on? If so, we invite you to share your goals and your success stories here by commenting on this article.
"You do not have to be great to start but you have to start to be great." -Joe Sabah
Posted on Fri, Mar 19, 2010 @ 11:18
I recently made a presentation at the HFTP Development Conference in New Orleans related to helping Controllers at Private Country Clubs deal with expanding human resource management responsibilities. In preparing for the presentation, I discovered there are a variety of conditions that are contributing to a potential "perfect storm" related to the payroll and human resource functions at private clubs. Within this blog post, I'll lay out what those conditions are and how they may affect your club. In part 2, we'll talk about what you can do to protect your club and yourself.
I call the current situation a "perfect storm" not to be an alarmist, but to bring attention to circumstances which are occurring in clubs today that may have a serious adverse affect tomorrow. The major factors influencing potential future issues include:
- The Great Recession
- Rising Unemployment
- Growing Regulation
- Increasing Litigation
- Downsizing at Clubs
Let's dig a little deeper into each of these contributing factors and why it should matter to you, your General Manager and your Board of Directors.
Without doubt, we are in the midst of one of the more difficult economic times of our lifetimes. This means many people, including your club's employees are under financial duress and extraordinary stress. Even though your employees are working, they may have spouses or extended family members that are unemployed. They may also be dealing with a home foreclosure, short sale, evaporation of savings accounts and home equity or any of a host of stressful situations. These types of stressors sometimes spill over and can affect one's work life even when not directly related to one's job. Productivity, attitude and employee relations can all suffer and this can create problems, sometimes big, costly problems. 
Unemployment rates are at historical highs and the "real" rate of unemployment is much higher than the reported rate. This "real" rate includes underemployed and those who have "given up". Additionally, unemployment compensation has become easier to get and has been extended well beyond the traditional allowable time line. This has a multi-faceted affect on clubs. You may find that a segment of your employees see unemployment as a viable alternative to working with reduced hours or working at all. This type of culture can be a morale and productivity killer. Additionally, who funds unemployment? The employer of course... brace yourself for a freight train of increasing premiums, it is coming. This will be a huge factor in future budget years.
We are living in a time when businesses in America are literally under attack. There are currently over 70 Acts affecting benefits, labor and employment and this is only on the federal level. Every state tacks on hundreds more laws and statutes related to how you hire, manage, pay and provide benefits to your employees and you are required to keep up with and comply with each one. If you don't, your club can be held liable and in many cases, you may be held personally liable as well.
Don't think this is a problem that is going away. In an average year, there are over 200 changes to employment related federal law again and all signs point towards increased regulation by the current administration. The very first bill signed by President Obama was the Lilly Ledbetter Act - extending the statute of limitations to file an equal pay lawsuit. Other examples of how this administration is making it more difficult on business (and private clubs are small businesses) is to greatly expand the qualification for the American Disabilities Act (ADA) and to extend and complicate COBRA Benefits.
Our next trend is simply a result of the first three factors. A poor economy combined with rising unemployment and growing regulation leads to an increase in litigation. Have you noticed the increased frequency and boldness of Trial Attorney advertising related to employment? If you can't find a job and can't pay your bills, just sue someone! It is easier than ever to do so and it is happening with increasing frequency. Business Week ran an article that stated Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuits have "exploded nationwide" and the problem has only gotten worse recently.
Finally, the icing on the cake is that in this environment, an industry trend is rising to eliminate so called "non-essential" positions (often including HR Director) and migrating these responsibilities on to another staff member (usually the Controller). In effect, at the most critical time to stay on top of HR issue, we are dumping the responsibility on a staff member that is most likely under trained and too overworked to handle these additional duties. This may indeed prove to be a "penny wise, pound foolish" strategy, only time will tell. What may happen is clubs may indeed find some short term savings from consolidating duties and reducing labor overhead but long term find themselves with much larger expenses and more ominous challenges.
Having solid payroll, human resource and compliance processes in place should be viewed as an investment, not an expense. Similar to an insurance policy in nature, you might save some money by canceling the policy in the short term but what happens if the club burns down?
Posted on Fri, Jan 22, 2010 @ 09:48
This is a first part series of posts I am writing to share with family, friends, clients and associates about my personal plan to prosperity in 2010. Below I have outlined the person I want to "be" this year and it is my hope this post and next 11 posts of the series this year will inspire, motivate and move you to consider who you want to "be" in 2010.
During this year 2010, I resolve to be a person who strives to...
Embrace Challenges
The world offers plenty of circumstances to blame for our breakdowns, but the most effective people I know find a reason to achieve. What reasons have you relied on in the past for not accomplishing your goals? The economy, the government, global warming - these may sound funny, but others may hit closer to home. What about not enough time, too busy, relationship issues, my boss or my employees?
Let's switch gears and instead of asking "how" we can get out of our circumstances, ask "what" we can get out of our circumstances. For example, the economic pressures of the past year have helped me learn to budget better, manage my time better and be more process driven; you get the idea.
Remove Self-Imposed Limitations
How often are our limitations self-imposed? We set mental limits in our head of what we can accomplish and we make up stories about what we are "good" at and "not good at". The net result is we create a ceiling that limits our success.
A great example is the story of Roger Bannister. If you are not familiar with this story, you can read it here. The key principle is that Roger Bannister was the first person in history to run a mile in under 4 minutes. Just 56 days later, the feat was repeated by another runner. Amazingly, within 3 years, 16 other runners had accomplished this previously assumed impossibility. Self-imposed limitations!
One thing we can be sure of is we are not likely to exceed our own expectations. Why bother to dream if you are not dreaming big?
Clearly Understand my Purpose
So often we fly through life on remote control giving little thought to where we are going. Other times, we may know where we are going, but we have not stopped to consider if we are heading to a place we want to be or when we want to be there; weeks, months, years...
Would any of us take off on a road trip with no destination, no map or no time line?
It is critical that we consistently schedule time to slow down, reflect and be intentional about where we are going and why. This requires digging deep down to the core of what you want your life to be about. We are not talking about bank account balances, job titles or materials possessions. What is the essence of your reason for being and is your life in alignment with this reason?
Have a Plan
What problems do you have right now and you know they need to be addressed but you are pushing off dealing with? We all tend to avoid dealing with the frustrations in our lives that don't have a clear cut answer, are awkward or push us out of our comfort zones in some way.
To be effective, we have to "deal" with our problems, not "live" with them. In order to deal with problems, we first have to acknowledge them and commit to taking action. It may sound simple but it is not easy. A good way to determine what you are "not dealing with" is to take notice of the circumstances, people and situations you complain about.
Invest in Others
There is nothing more satisfying than to invest your time, talents and resources to others. Ironically, when we invest in others and we do so with the right motives, we inevitably experience a radical return on our investment.
At ClubPay, we call this our "give to give" philosophy and we work hard to live it out in some way every single day. It may be as simple as sharing some valuable information, giving an encouraging word or making a professional introduction for a colleague. The key is to be intentionally "others focused" for part of each day.
Conclusion and Challenge
What resolutions did you establish for yourself this year? At twenty-two days into the year, how successful have you been at sticking to your goals? If you are meeting all of your goals so far, I congratulate you for your resolve and self-discipline. If you are already struggling, maybe taking a different approach will help you accomplish more with less effort - something we are all about at ClubPay.
Join us this year in building a community of support and encouragement; invest in each other and help us "be" who we want to "be" in 2010.
Who do you want to be in 2010?
Posted on Tue, Oct 27, 2009 @ 09:36 PM
Do you care? Do your employees care? Does your board care? Do your vendors care? Three simple words, one small question but the answer may hold the key to whether you or your organization will survive.
Care
In his recent book - Crush It!, Gary Vaynerchuk (host of the fabulously popular website and on line TV show - Wine Library) includes a brief chapter entitled "the best marketing strategy ever". The chapter is so brief in fact, that it consists of only one word - "Care". I think the point that Gary is trying to get across is pretty evident. We need to care about what we do, how we do it and the customers we serve.
We are Starving for Care
As a society, we are starving for care. We want it, even yearn for it and are more than willing to pay for it. Think about how you feel when you buy groceries at that trendy, freshly stocked "market" compared to when you shop at the big box store with the endless rows of bargains and self check-out lanes. Do you feel like one cares more than the other?
Let's face it, we do a lot of business with a lot of companies that don't seem to get the "care" concept. They may care about their paychecks, bottom line and maybe even their shareholders, but do they "care" about their customers?
To prove my point, let me share a couple of personal experiences I have had recently. The names of the offenders have been disguised to protect the guilty.
How many days does it take to deliver a "3 day air" package?
I recently shipped a trade show booth across the country using a popular shipping company, let's call them OOPS. I paid over $600 for OOPS to deliver my package in 3 days. My package arrived 5 days later, halfway through the show. I bet you're thinking OOPS cared about this - think again!
When I called to ask when my package would be delivered, I was told it was unknown, but what was known is that my package was audited during shipment and additional postage was due. No explanation, no solution, no apology - no one seemed to care that I had no booth for my show.
After several weeks and dozens of calls, we have discovered that "3 day air" doesn't actually mean that the package will be delivered in "3 days" OOPS! Apparently there is some small print that excludes the company from actually delivering on its promise - not very caring.
How do you spell OOPS?
My next story involves a major credit card company, we'll just call the company Capitol Two. While trying to dispute the above referenced charge for services not delivered, the following conversation actually occurred. There is no way to do this justice folks, but to just give you the transcript.
Company: Who is the vendor?
Me: OOPS
Company: Can you spell that?
Me: O O P S
Company:What type of charge is this sir?
Me: Shipping charges, postage
Company: Did you receive the merchandise?
Me: Well, yes, I guess you could say that, they shipped it
Company: Did you return the merchandise to the vendor?
Me: How can I return "shipping charges"
Company: OK, thank you very much, please be advised you still must make your minimum monthly payment.
Apparently we don't have enough idiots in this country, we now need to export these jobs overseas. Is it just me or is anyone else tired of dealing with these companies that don't care about you, your time, your money or their integrity?
I regret to say the story only goes downhill from here folks, but I care too much about your time to digress any further. Let's talk about something more positive.
How to profit from others' lack of care
If there is a bright spot in all this, it is that the lack of caring on the part of many businesses, both large and small, open up an incredible opportunity for those of us who do care. Recession or not, people like to be around people and buy from businesses that care about them.
This plays right into the hands of private country clubs. Our clubs are a place that members can go and know that they will be cared for. We can be the oasis for a membership that has to deal with an uncaring world day in and day out. When we create this type of environment, our member will say "Screw the Recession" when it comes to maintaining their club membership.
An influential manager from a prestigious country club recently asked me if I had any ideas that might help them engage their employees and get them motivated for the upcoming season. I am going to send him a copy of this article and my single word of advice - CARE.
Care about the quality of the meal, the cleanliness of the club, the condition of the golf course, the smile on the face of the server, the punctuality of the team. As the management team, care about your employees, their personal and professional goals, their families and the tools they need to do their jobs.
As a vendor, ClubPay cares passionately about what we do. We provide a way to help make a tedious and libelous process (payroll) easier, faster and less expensive. When our clients have a need, we care about them, their time line and getting their problem solved. We care about our clients success.
Posted on Tue, Sep 01, 2009 @ 04:17 PM
I recently read Noah St. John's The Secrect Code of Success and while I give the entire book 5 stars, there is one secret that I just can't wait to share. Mr. St. John has discovered a secret technique for achieving goals which may be one of the most useful tools to achieve personal effectiveness ever discovered.
Get a copy of The Secret Code of Success to learn all of the secrets, you won't be disappointed.
What is the secret?
This technique is so deceptively simple that when you first hear about it, you are probably thinking what I was thinking - "no way this works". But, as you will see in a few minutes, it does work! It works very, very well and I believe it will have an immediate positive effect for you.
So, what is the secret? It is what Mr. St. John calls "afformations". Yes, you read that right, "afformations" as opposed to "affirmations". What is an afformation? An afformation, as defined by Mr. St. John is like an affirmation, only phrased in the form of a question and with the assumption of having already occurred.
As I said, this seems deceptively simple and if whether you are feeling skeptical or intrigued right now, I encourage you to read on.
Putting into practice...
Making afformations is incredibly easy. Just think of something you want, phrase it as a question and assume it has already occurred. For example, if you want to lose twenty pounds, instead of stating "I am going to lose 20 pounds", phrase as "Why have I lost 20 pounds?". This simple adjustment yields surprising results.
Since many of my readers work in accounting or management positions in private country clubs, let's look at a real life example for club management professionals. Let's say you want to get your financials out by the 5th of the month. We simply say, "Why do I always get my financials out by the 5th of the month?".
Now, give it a try. Think of something you would like to accomplish, phrase it in the form of a question and say it out loud. Repeat it several times. Take note of how you feel when you ask the question out loud. Do you feel powerful? Do you feel like your goal is suddenly more achievable?
How does it work?
To get the entire explanation, you'll have to read the book. I will attempt to provide you the Reader's Digest version here. The reason this works is that you are essential tapping into your subconscious when you ask a question. You are triggering your subconscious to look for an answer.
When you make a statement such as "I will get my financials out by the 5th every month", your subconscious automatically kicks in with reasons why you can't get your financials out by the 5th. You mind will start telling you things like "I can't do this, my bank statements are in, inventory is never done on time, I have to wait on others, and whatever other negative reasons it can pull up.
However, if you ask the question, "Why do I always get my financials out on time?", your subconscious will automatically to look for reasons why you can accomplish your goal. You will subconsciously start looking for the actions that will lead you to your desired result.
Start asking questions...
Take our your goals or think of what you want to accomplish and write each in the form of an afformation. Get in the habit of reading your afformations out loud each morning and measure your results. Are you feeling more in control and getting more done?
If you decide to give this approach a try, comment on the article and share your results. Likewise, if you decide to read the book, let us know what you think. I hope it helps you get one step closer to reaching your goals.
I have been practicing afformations for several weeks now and the results have been impressive. I will close with a question, "Why did this blog help so many people?"