Avoiding a clubhouse of cards
Vivienne Young & Arj Puveendran
Effective club managers recognise that doing things right , means doing the right things to lead the club into a successful future . This article highlights some issues to assist clubs as they prepare for the challenges ahead in 2017 .
Leadership and management
In his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People , Stephen R . Covey writes “ Effective leadership is putting first things first . Effective management is discipline , carrying it out .” Club managers are compelled to prioritise operational matters and develop the club ’ s strategic plan to sustain growth . This means that sometimes compliance and governance matters are put on the back burner . However , if the club does not establish and maintain a robust compliance and governance framework , this can then pose challenges for those operations or even for implementing the strategic plan .
For example , an out-dated constitution may delay , or even prevent , the club from starting a major development . Or , as Paddington Bowling Club learned painfully , failure to properly manage compliance and governance issues can even spell a club ’ s demise .
Leadership will always involve creative thinking , taking risks , and making difficult decisions . Many clubs only seek legal advice when embarking on larger projects .
However , pursuing a bold vision for the club does not have to be at the expense of paying attention to the day-to-day issues .
Good leadership relies on good management . This starts with building systems for the club to keep on top of compliance and governance issues , and implementing those systems through all levels of the club . Effective club managers instil a discipline of systematically addressing those issues , guided by appropriate professional advice .
We recommend that club managers include ‘ legal ’ in their New Year ’ s resolutions , to make sure their clubhouses are in order for 2017 . Here are our suggested resolutions to get started :
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