Career Services
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Tennis Professional
Cornelius, NC
Deadline: January 30, 2026
Head Tennis Professional
Toronto, NY
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Assistant Director of Riverside Tennis
New York, NY
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Director of Riverside Tennis
New York, NY
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Head Facility Tennis Pro
Augusta, GA
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Director of Racquet Sports
Monroe, LA
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Assistant Director of Racquets
Auburndale, MA
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Head Pro/Assistant Tennis Director
Nyack, NY
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Tennis Professional for HOA
Suwanee, GA
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Tennis Professional
Daytona Beach, FL
Deadline: February 3, 2026
Program & Operations Manager
Minot, ND
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Head Pro/1st Assistant
Nyack, NY
Deadline: February 15, 2026
Tennis Director
Denver, CO
Deadline: February 15, 2026
Contract Tennis Instructor
Columbia, SC
Deadline: February 17, 2026
Pickleball Contract Instructor
Columbia, SC
Deadline: February 17, 2026
Tennis Coach
Duluth, GA
Deadline: February 28, 2026
Lead Tennis Professional
Peachtree City, GA
Deadline: March 1, 2026
Head Tennis Professional
Colebrook, NH
Deadline: March 9, 2026
Summer Head Tennis Professional
Kildeer, IL
Deadline: September 11, 2026
Career Resources
Creating a Standout Personal Brand
Employer Branding & EQ for Leaders
Membership Privileges? WHAT THE #@*$%& ARE YOU THINKING???
Membership Privileges? WHAT THE #@*$%& ARE YOU THINKING???
In the course of working with club boards and search committees to identify and retain professional executive leadership (GM/CEs) for their clubs, our firm typically conducts a market compensation analysis and assists in the final agreement negotiations with the successful candidate.
I’m continually amazed at how many seemingly competent managers expect membership privileges for themselves and often their families as part of the “normal” benefits provided to them. Where does this entitlement expectation come from?
Some years ago at a club I was hired to manage, one of the first operational standards defined for management and the employee team stated in no uncertain terms that “no employee of the club, including management, will be allowed to consume alcohol on club property.”
Our golf professional staff had been in the habit of playing golf with the members and then having drinks and sometimes engaging in card games after they finished playing golf.
There could be no good end to this story, so I explained to the head pro and his assistants that they should continue their golf games with the members but there would no longer be any consumption of alcohol or participation at the gin table. This standard was endorsed by the club’s board, as board members had realized that some golf employees were acting more like members than employees.
A recently terminated general manager who contacted us had lost the board’s trust not because of his lack of ability but because of the activities of his wife and kids at the pool.
It seems that with his family’s daily use of the pool, his spouse had earned a reputation among employees as “the most difficult member.” Additionally, his two children were entered in all of the swim club events and expected to travel to events at other clubs as though they were children of club members. There could be no good end to that story and there wasn’t.
Sometimes a club president will suggest to the general manager that they should participate in the golf and social events at the club with their spouse. The subliminal message to the manager: “You are one of us.” Well, the reality is the manager/spouse is not “one of them.” Likewise, there can be no good end to this story.
In one instance, the club general manager and his wife won a couples golf event and then the problems really began.
A perspicacious general manager will politely decline invitations to participate regularly in club events and instead play golf on Monday or whatever day the club allows employees to play.
That doesn’t mean that, on occasion, the general manager should not participate if asked to play with a group of members or at the annual board tournament. However, there should never be a perception that “our manager is on the course again today” or, even worse, “they’re playing with their regular group of members on Saturday morning.”
There can be no possible good emanating from general managers and their families becoming active participants and users of club facilities. Not only do employee/member lines become blurred for the general managers but there can also be frustration at the staff level as employees struggle with the “are they employees or members” issue.
This entitlement thinking can undermine any of the positives that a quality general manager may be providing the club because of how emotionally charged this issue can become. It provides fodder for the “bridge ladies” and is the hot topic at the “round table” in the club grille.
Successful club general managers have set clear standards for themselves and their employees when it comes to socializing at the club. These standards recognize that while general managers may, on occasion, enjoy club privileges, they are not entitled to the same membership privileges purchased by their employers, the members.
If they don’t understand that distinction, there can be no good ending to this story.
This much I know for sure.
THE BOARDROOM MAGAZINE – March/April 2024
“This Much I Know for Sure” is a regular feature in BoardRoom magazine beginning Fall 2022. Dick will share some of his reflections based on his 50-plus years of working in the private club business.
Best Practices for Establishing a Modern-Day-Performance Management System
Best Practices for Establishing a Modern-Day-Performance Management System
Over time, while completing executive placements for private clubs and when reaching out to top-performing general managers, we have consistently been surprised to discover that in many scenarios there is a subjective process for performance evaluation or not one at all.
This is concerning as we often see a connection between managers who aren’t receiving feedback and managers who are being let go from their positions.
As we noted in Part I, “It’s YOUR Club … But It’s MY Life!” (BoardRoom magazine, January/February 2024), clear communication and alignment of initiatives are essential for a GM’s success.
Transparency is vital for a new GM and it is equally as important to maintain that transparency as time goes on. There should not be any blind spots for the club’s leader, and without regular feedback on performance or a system in place, there likely will be.
While some managers may be comfortable not having a specific and measurable review process, we see that top-performing clubs and their executives have formal annual goal-setting/feedback processes and meet twice annually to review these goals. These are reasons we believe managers should instigate the implementation of such practices:
With a formal system in place, there’s no denying that the review is fair, mutually agreed upon and measurable. The system also helps avoid challenges presented by board turnover.
Without a review, the GM doesn’t know the perceptions, priorities or preferences of others, and this creates blind spots. When the GM is made aware of blind spots, they can then work to communicate better or overcome these situations.
In the absence of measurable goals, there is the risk that an uneducated president or board could deny a portion of the GM’s bonus simply based on their opinion(s).
Accountability at every level is becoming mainstream in businesses today. It is only a matter of time until a board member or club president begins to question the process.
The best GMs in the business seek feedback and strive to constantly improve. Seeking feedback is proactive. Would the GM rather the board/executive committee/club president design the review process, or would the GM like to lead that charge?
As feedback becomes more prominent with younger generations and in business practices, allowing feedback to flow through the entire organization will become increasingly important to club success.
We recommend the GM and club president/executive committee calendarize the review process so it isn’t forgotten about. At the beginning of the year, goals should be established together, then reviewed mid-year review and at end-of-year.
Managers and presidents must understand the importance of these meetings as they create synergy and avoid disconnects in club leadership. We believe these conversations should be kept to a group no larger than the executive committee, and the criteria should be determined and agreed upon by the GM, the club president and/or the executive committee.
While some clubs base a GM’s bonus 100 percent on financials or on beating the budget, we believe that is a mistake. We also have seen bonus potential of up to 50 percent of a GM’s annual salary and some with no bonus incentive. We recommend a bonus potential equivalent to 20 percent of the GM salary and based on measurable and mutually agreed upon goals.
The GM should have some input as to what he or she is being reviewed on and by whom. Those involved in the process should be a select group of objective people who know and understand the GM and the criteria based on agreed upon areas. The most common areas include:
Member satisfaction/Net promoter score – Must have surveying in place for one year
Employee satisfaction/Net promoter score – Must have surveying in place for one year
Financial management
Membership management – Net growth/Waitlist management
Human capital management
Capital management
Strategic leadership
Building maintenance/FFE management
Communications
We suggest integrating the five strategic pillars relevant to running a successful club into the bonus/review process and attaching key performance indicators to each of these areas to ensure clarity and measurability. For example:
Financial Sustainability (20 percent of bonus): Operating the club in a way that supports the club’s mission, maintains healthy membership levels and all operating needs as well as capital investment.
KPIs to measure:
Achieve club annual budget
Ensure all club departments achieve their departmental budgets annually
Achieve/maintain 1,500 total members by yearend.
Effective Leadership (20 percent of bonus): Leading the club through transparency, effective communication and adoption of best-in-class governance practices.
KPIs to measure:
Update and improve leadership onboarding to ensure a comprehensive approach, vital sharing of information and systems that will create successful outcomes
Design and deploy ongoing leadership development processes to ensure key staff leaders are consistently educated, developed and invested in.
Member Engagement (20 percent): Cultivate deep engagement with the membership by ensuring frequent usage, meaningful relationships and emotional connection to create passionate ambassadors who embrace an ownership mindset.
KPIs to measure:
Achieve/maintain net promoter score of ___ or higher
Achieve/maintain previous year member usage numbers or higher.
Human Capital Management/Operational Excellence (20 percent): Building a well-trained, best-in-class, highly functioning team of professionals by actively attracting, retaining, developing and rewarding the club’s most valuable assets.
KPIs to measure:
Maintain/improve team member net promoter score of ___ or higher
Design and deploy standard operating procedures for all front-line positions to ensure club standards are consistently met in all areas of the club
Establish an effective retention plan to reduce employee turnover to ___ percent or less.
Capital planning (20 percent): Capital asset planning includes equipment, machinery, amenities, buildings, infrastructure and land needs being maintained, reinvested in and replaced in appropriate time frames to ensure facilities are fresh, relevant, functional and appealing.
Create a capital reserve study to ensure all club assets are documented
Execute kitchen renovation on time and on budget
Effectively enhance the employee break room based on responses from employee surveys while completing on time and on budget.
The “weight” of each item and the “weight” of each KPI should change based on the importance of each to the club and its overall goals. How heavily each is rated should be mutually agreed upon by all parties. In addition, board discretion should be used when necessary. Taking the COVID19 pandemic as an example, boards should have the ability to alter, modify or amend the payout plan in the best interest of the club in the event of unforeseen events impacting the operation.
Overall, when creating a review/bonus plan, the following questions should be answered with yes:
Do the goals support our strategic plan?
Are the goals SMART? Can we define what success looks like?
Does the plan reward team and individual performance – not one at the expense of the other?
Upon accomplishment of these goals, will our club be materially closer to our vision?
Lastly, a case can be made for incorporating 360-degree performance reviews into a club’s performance management system. When considering implementing 360-degree performance reviews, we recommend participants are mutually agreed upon and that all department heads, some board members, some committee members and some members at large are included in the process. This doesn’t necessarily need to be an annual process, as a bi-annual 360-degree performance review is sufficient.
Clear feedback, as a dynamic exchange, benefits the GM/COO, the team, the board and the club as a whole. When GM/COOs actively seek feedback and participate in goal-setting, it demonstrates their commitment to personal and professional growth.
This commitment significantly contributes to the club’s success and fosters a positive, forward-thinking organizational culture. Such a culture not only meets the expectations of younger managers but also positions the club as an attractive workplace for emerging leaders eager to contribute to their own growth and the club’s overall success.
BoardRoom – March/April 2024
Watch Your Language
I have worked in the private club industry for about 12 years. A love of the industry and recognition of how unique and special the people and the clubs are spurred me to engage full time with KOPPLIN KUEBLER & WALLACE.
The more clubs I visit and the more educational opportunities I attend, the more I know this is true. And I’m also aware of how many cultural issues mirror my previous corporate clients.
When I’m invited to a club to work on a search, coach, consult, or deliver team building or communications training, I observe first. One of the things I notice is the language they use. I listen and note how the team members communicate ─ verbally and non-verbally. It helps me to get a better sense of the overall culture.
Now, we all have a bad day from time to time and may go into one of the freezers, close the door and yell a few choice words…but that’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about one little word that can cause toxicity, infiltrate a culture, demoralize a team and increase attrition. It’s simple. The word is “I.”
Let me share some recent examples. Several weeks ago, a friend and I went to dinner at a trendy, casual restaurant in Manhattan. The server approached our table with a young lady right behind him. He smiled and said, “Hello, I’m John. I’ll be your server, and I’ll be taking care of you today. This is Lindsey; she’s training with me. I’ll give you a few more minutes to look over the menu.”
Lindsey did not seem happy when she left the table. I was embarrassed for both of them. It also seemed that Lindsey was questioning the type of team culture she had joined. It certainly didn’t feel inclusive. It also seemed to me that John needed some training. Specifically, he needed to work on his “we.”
The language of non-inclusion can manifest at so many touchpoints.
Another example was a job posting I recently read by a club looking for someone to fill a somewhat senior-level role. The position level doesn’t matter, but the posting began with “I am seeking a (blank) to join my team.” If I were an applicant, I would already be turned off. Whose team is it? Read that sentence out loud. Now read this: “We are seeking a (blank) to join our team.” Simple. Can you feel and hear the difference?
Or how about the department head who brings a team member or two to a presentation where perhaps those team members provided some input? Let’s say they addressed the group by saying, “I am here today to present” instead of “We are here to present.”
How does watching the language being used shift the culture in a positive direction? If you are a department head discussing an issue with the staff, think about how you open up the dialogue. What do you say? “I’ve noticed during the past month that many of you seem distracted.” Or this: “I’ve noticed during the past month that many of us seem distracted.”
The replacement of one little word says a lot about the department head’s leadership style. The department head is part of the team and reinforces that notion, even when something needs to be addressed and corrected. It bolsters overall trust and emphasizes the team concept.
Multiple linguistic and psychological studies conclude that using words that are more “other-focused,” such as “we,” “us” and “our,” is advantageous to building a more trusting, friendlier, more collaborative, more open to connectivity, communal environment.
In contrast, several studies showed that excessive “I” talk, using pronouns such as “I,” “me” and “you” — talk that is inward or self-focused — actually decreases connectivity, is associated with depression and causes employees to disengage.
Is it possible that the workplace is a bit depressed? Gray and gloomy? Are we striving for a dynamic, positive team culture but are not quite sure why we aren’t getting there? Maybe we need to take a deep dive into how our people communicate with each other and the language we use.
If we watch our language and are more mindful of being other-focused in our words, our words become actions and actions become habits. And … guess what? Positive habits are the foundation of a positive culture.
So, let’s all watch our language.
Racquets on the Rise
The racquets industry will continue with massive growth in 2024 so clubs will want to ensure their racquet professionals and programs continue to evolve to remain relevant. According to Len Simard, PTA and USPTA Master Professional and search consultant with Kopplin, Kuebler and Wallace, thinking and acting creatively will be essential. He makes the following recommendations and predictions for the year ahead:
Clubs will look to enhance pickleball facilities by not just building permanent pickleball courts but by adding partially covered courts as well. With the rise of social and trendy pickleball facilities such as Chicken N’Pickle, members will seek indoor and outdoor courts where food and beverage service is readily available. Clubs will also begin adding or expanding padel courts, as this sport continues to gain momentum across the country.
Continuing to offer creative, collaborative and innovative programming will be crucial for private clubs. Simard suggests a focus on entry level events and programs with a variety of programs for upward progression. Collaborating with other departments to create exceptional member experiences will be a necessity.
Racquets staff should be challenged with more responsibilities and their titles (and salaries) should be adjusted to reward those who best set the team up for success. To keep up with the pickleball explosion, Simard urges clubs to bring head pickleball professionals or pickleball coordinators on to their teams immediately.
Investing in the racquets department goes beyond just the facilities. Structuring compensation packages to incentivize racquets professionals based on gross revenue and the member experience within the department is the current trend. Professionals and assistant professionals should receive a salary and be rewarded based on the member experience and overall growth of the program. Clubs should also be investing in their racquets professionals, encouraging certification in tennis, pickleball, paddle and padel.
The Private Club Advisor – April 2024
Mastering the Interview: Navigating First Impressions and Leadership Selection
Interviewing is more than just answering questions; it’s about presenting yourself, talking, and listening. When you interview well, the committee doesn’t just hear you; they feel your personality and patience. Good interviewees tailor their messages based on their audience’s reactions.
People often form opinions within the first five minutes of meeting you. Your body language and how you speak significantly affect their judgment. Chefs usually don’t go through many interviews; they often advance through mentors. It’s not just where you’ve worked, but who you’ve worked under that counts.
Interviews at private clubs are tough for chefs. You’re performing for a diverse group, and members may not understand the culinary world. That’s why having a recruiter helps. They can explain the chef’s background and clarify any misconceptions about the culinary industry.
The best interview committees are carefully chosen, not just made up of volunteers. These members understand the club’s goals, even if they’re not regular diners. But even self-proclaimed “foodies” on the committee might not be as adventurous or knowledgeable as they claim.
Interviews can go off track due to preconceived ideas about what a club chef should be, often based on the committee’s varied backgrounds. After the interview, chefs face a tasting round, cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen for strangers. These tastings are crucial but just one part of the evaluation.
Based on observing hundreds of chef interviews over the past year, here are some key tips:
Arrive on time, as you’d expect from others.
Dress professionally, no matter the club’s dress code. Follow Escoffier’s example: he dressed formally before changing into his chef’s attire.
Remember, you’re there for the club’s brand, not your personal promotion. Keep everything, from your appearance to your behavior, professional.
Speak with a steady, respectful tone. Take your time to show you care about the members’ concerns.
Understand who you’re talking to; research the committee members’ backgrounds.
Stay on topic with your answers, and don’t ramble.
Don’t offer information they didn’t ask for; you might not have time to explain.
Talk positively about past workplaces; it reflects well on you.
Use light, appropriate humor. It shows the human side behind the chef’s apron.
Avoid industry jargon. Keep your language clear to everyone.
Tough questions will come up. Handle them gracefully:
Don’t dwell on past negative experiences. Stay professional.
If you’ve been let go before, be honest, but focus on what you learned.
If asked how long you plan to stay, show you’re committed as long as needed.
Take care when leaving your current job. Good clubs will respect that.
Be honest about why you’re moving on. It shows integrity in your decision-making.
Remember, communication isn’t just about what you say. It’s how you say it and your body language. Like a memorable meal, it’s not just the taste; it’s how you feel while experiencing it. That’s what leaves a lasting impression.
Stop Doing More with Less
Over the past several years, the workforce has changed: baby boomers are retiring in droves, birth rates are down substantially over the last 50 years, work-life balance is a top priority and there are 8.8 million U.S. jobs open and only 6.4 million unemployed Americans. According to human resource experts likes Jodie Cunningham of Kopplin, Kuebler & Wallace, employers must adjust accordingly if they are going to compete for talent.
Workers today prioritize well-being and work-life balance more than ever before. “Just because it was once customary to work 60, 70 or 80 hours a week does not make it right for the future. That approach isn’t sustainable,” Cunningham explained. “If clubs continue to overwork the talent they employ, they will drive great employees away from our industry.” Clubs that commit to 40-hour work weeks for their employees reap tremendous benefits in retention and productivity.
Dues increases over the last few years—many of which were fairly significant—have members expecting enhanced experiences, added value and additional amenities and/or services. Clubs should be adding employee positions to ensure all workers have manageable workloads and can complete their duties in 40 hours per week. Yet some boards are expecting and directing their GMs to be cutting expenses and eliminating “unneeded” staff positions. Cunningham maintains that successful clubs are evolving their organizational charts and adding employees to pick up specific duties and provide additional coverage, an initiative that directly improves the member experience.
“In the past five years, clubs have proactively added strategic human resource leaders to their staffs. This person is responsible for quarterbacking the talent strategy with the leadership team,” she said. “Clubs with a strategic people and culture professional have a coordinated plan to recruit, train, develop and retain great people. This directly impacts the member experience.”
Cunningham urges club executives have conversations with their management teams about the current organizational chart and whether it meets the needs of the club today and in the near future. If employees are regularly overworked, it is time to find ways to make those roles more manageable in 40 hours per week. Perhaps adding a communications person to take over club communications or hiring another food and beverage manager to help cover shifts would make sense? Maybe another assistant golf professional is needed so each can get time off each week during peak season? These are the kinds of evolutions necessary to keep workers today.
“It’s also important to be cognizant of behavior fit for the position,” Cunningham warned. “If you put people in roles that don’t suit them naturally, they will burn out and leave, or worse…they will burn out and stay.”
Scoring New Points with Racquets Programs
In 2024, the racquets industry will continue with massive growth in a changing environment. Now more than ever, it is critical that clubs and their racquets professionals continue to stay relevant by thinking and acting creatively in these areas:
Continued evolution of racquet sports facilities. Clubs will look to enhance their pickleball facilities by not only building permanent pickleball courts, but by adding partially covered courts as well. The Chicken N’Pickle concept, with indoor and outdoor pickleball courts and readily available food and beverage service, will continue to make its way into the mainstream at clubs across the country. The rapid rise of padel will also continue, especially in major metropolitan areas, across the country. The relatively low cost to build an outdoor padel court ($75,000-$85,000), mixed with the low operational cost to maintain it, has made it a great option for clubs looking to expand their racquet sport offerings.
Creative, collaborative and innovative programming. The huge increase in racquet sports participation that was prompted by the pandemic cannot be expected to continue without constant innovative programming. A club will need to continue to focus on entry-level events and programs for all of its racquet-sports offerings to maintain their momentum and upward progression. Collaborating with other club departments to create unforgettable moments for members will be a necessity.
Utilizing talent. Every year, a racquets department’s organizational chart should be cultivated to best utilize the full talents of the team. Staff members should continue to be challenged with more responsibilities, and titles should be adjusted to reward those who best set the team up for success. To keep up properly with pickleball explosion, clubs that don’t already have a head pickleball professional or pickleball coordinator should invest in that position immediately.
Compensation, structure and funding. The current trend is to structure racquet professionals’ compensation packages to incentivize gross revenue and the member experience within the department. Throughout the racquets department, compensation plans should reflect what each employee is responsible for, while also enabling them to share in the growth of the overall program. Assistant professionals’ compensation should include a salary, not only to help them grow as leaders but also to increase the member experience. Finally, this is the time to budget for growth. Support from the Board, management and committees is needed to adequately fund the entire racquets program for a comprehensive experience, including operational and cap ex budgets.
Certification. Because a club’s racquets program can now include four to five sports, it will be increasingly necessary to have professionals who are certified in tennis, pickleball, paddle and padel, as well as squash in some parts of the country.
Leadership, culture and mentorship. More than ever before, creating a kind, creative, positive, and growth mindset within a racquets department is imperative. Regular weekly or bi-weekly individual meetings should be held with staff members, occasionally changing things up to include lunch meetings in a more relaxed setting. Goal setting and checking in on staff members periodically should be a priority, as part of learning about each person and what makes them tick. All staff meetings should be held weekly, along with weekly growth opportunity sessions that share what’s being worked on in other areas. The staff should understand that it is OK to make mistakes, and leaders should take public accountability for things that need to be better. At the same time, staff accomplishments should be praised publicly as much as possible.
It Was a Rocky Start but It Ended Well
Legend has it that trouble often comes when you least expect it. And that’s what happened at our annual meeting, where the new slate of board members was elected.
Our board members were selected the old-fashioned way: They ran for their positions against two or often three other candidates for each open seat on the board. Thankfully those days are past, and the majority of clubs now select their leaders through a nominated slate of qualified club members.
Earl, known in the club as a “problematic” member, was surprisingly elected the new club treasurer even though most current board members favored the other candidate. I was also disappointed since I thought the other candidate would have been much easier to work with.
My concerns became a reality when the day after the annual meeting election, Earl walked into my office at 8 a.m. Upon closing the door, he said that since he was the new club treasurer, there would be some immediate changes in our operations.
He told me that he wanted all bank statements mailed directly to his office and not to the club. He also said he was directing me to freeze employee increases or promotions. And he also wanted to see the past annual written reviews I had given all of our department managers. Somewhat in a state of shock, I asked Earl to sit down and immediately called our club president, who happened to live a few blocks from the club. Since he was still at home, I asked him to come to the club to address a rather urgent situation that had developed with Earl and me. He said he was on the way.
Ray, our club president, arrived within 10 minutes, and I briefed him on Earl’s directives to me as Earl listened. Ray then turned to him and said, “Earl, none of that is going to happen. You need to understand that you are a part-time volunteer and Dick is our full-time general manager who directs all day-to-day operations. As treasurer, you are certainly welcome to make recommendations to the board, but you will not involve yourself in operational issues. Understood?”
I could tell that Earl was a little miffed as he left my office, and Ray then gave me some good advice. He said that Earl would be the club treasurer for the next two years. Following that, he would serve as vice president for two years before assuming the role of president for two years. Ray counseled me to educate Earl on how his role as treasurer could benefit the club by tapping into his vast business expertise. “Dick, if you get to know what makes him tick, I know you can turn him into a supporter of yours rather than a detractor.”
I took Ray’s advice to heart and started the following week by calling Earl and asking to meet him at his office. He said he would be happy to meet. He was going to be at the club later in the day, and we could meet after he played golf. I told him it was important for me to meet him at his office and not at the club.
As I sat down in his office, I asked him what I call the “can opener question.” I said, “Earl now that you are the new club treasurer, I was wondering how I might improve my communications with you?”
He sat back, paused for a moment and then began to tell me a few of the issues that had been bothering him at the club. That was exactly what I needed to know. All relatively minor yet important to him and his wife, and easy to resolve.
I then noticed his Notre Dame diploma hanging on his office wall. My brother-in-law graduated from Notre Dame so we immediately started talking about their storied football program.
Earl then said, “Let me show you around our little company.” As we walked the floor through his rather impressive printing and graphics business, he introduced me to every employee along the way. It was obvious they respected and genuinely enjoyed working with him. That was the “soft side” to Earl I had never seen.
Our relationship improved dramatically after that meeting. I assisted Earl in his role as treasurer, and he relished the spotlight as we had a couple of very good years financially during his tenure. He was a great vice president and became one of the best presidents I ever worked with. After I left the club, he continued to reach out to me every so often to see how I was doing.
What I learned from my experience with Earl is that if you take a proactive role in finding out what makes your critics “tick,” as Ray suggested, you can often turn a rocky start into a positive, productive relationship. This much I know for sure.







