23
February
2023
Five GCMA members reveal a technique that has boosted their personal productivity to help them run their golf clubs more effectively. Jonathan Pearson Horsforth Something I’ve been trying to work on lately is not being scared to say ‘No’ to somebody. I don’t mean that in a negative way, but often I’ll get bombarded with tasks and information requests, and it’s about not being scared to say, ‘You know what, I’ll have to get back to you on that, I’m busy at this moment’. Or blocking my office door off for a couple of hours whilst I might be in a meeting or just getting things done. I’m quite keen on processes, and so the first thing I do at the start of every week is list all the tasks and everything that needs to be completed, and by when. But when I first started here, I noticed within a couple of weeks that they just weren’t getting done. However, I knew I had to do these tasks, so it was a matter of working out what are the non-negotiable tasks – I need to do X, Y or Z by this time, and I will do anything to get that done. If it means locking my office door for a couple of hours then so be it, but the golf club have been fantastic and they have offered me a new office upstairs, a little bit out of the way. Now I’m not in the immediate footfall of all the members who quite frequently come in for a chat, which is fine, but when you’re trying to pay some suppliers or do appraisals with staff, it becomes a bit of a challenge. So that’s been great from a productivity point of view, and when I speak to other managers they tell me the same. We are front of house, but sometimes there has to be a bit of a line and you need to be able to shut that door and say, ‘I’m in here for a couple of hours now’, otherwise you end up taking it all home or coming in on the weekend, which isn’t great. Chloe Boissel Hayling Re-evaluate your priorities each day with an open mind, and pick one or two high-value tasks to complete in that day. Your list of priorities on Monday can be impacted by the day-to-day needs of the business and you need to be able to flex to ensure you prioritise the high-value tasks at the right times to meet deadlines. Sticking to a rigid list will not help your productivity, stress-levels or the business. Also, if you are having a bad day, go for a quick walk around the clubhouse and get some ‘quick win’ tasks completed – this should make you feel like you’ve achieved something and give you some motivation so your whole day isn’t impacted. Jack Bamford Windlesham I always folder my emails. I must have 100+ folders for different topics to keep my inbox clean... Please LOGIN to read the full article.
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