04
May
2023
We talk to GCMA members about how they do their jobs and ask what advice they can share with peers like you. This week, we speak to Scrabo secretary Jim Cullen. What is your guiding ethos for golf club management? Simply to be honest, fair and reasonable to all within the golf club environment and simply treat everyone as you would expect to be treated. Showing respect to all even in conflict situations allows you to hopefully gain that respect in return. It would be fair to incorporate that you always do what is right for the golf club and do not be influenced by smaller groups who only want what suits them, so always be considerate towards doing good and being fair in all decision making. What inspires and motivates you? Quite simply to always do a good job within the parameters we have. I enjoy working with a team that have the right attitude towards their work environment and will assist you as a team achieve the goals and objectives required. There is a great sense of motivation when members in your team grow with the business and you are involved in their personal development, so it is a great motivator to be involved in their contribution. What do you wish you had known at the start of your career? To not be as trusting to everyone within the golf club environment, as I took everyone at face value and I did not fully appreciate the politics within the environment. In addition, being more aware of the need to manage time effectively. I now create visible time and invisible time, which basically means that visible time is for members at times that suit me and we all benefit, and invisible time is when I need to get the job done and, therefore, the door is locked, and you ain’t getting in! What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? 'Stand by your principles and be honest'. We do work in an environment that can be fun, exciting and achieves results but it can also be frustrating, annoying and an absolute pain in the ass, as the demands can be over the top. Therefore, sometimes you have to say, 'No', and this helps to maintain your integrity, meaning you can stand by your principles and be honest with yourself. A more abrupt piece of advice is 'Look after number one', which has always embedded itself in my thought process as there will be times no one will care about the time and effort that you put into the job. Looking after number one protects your valued personal and family time. Another aspect of my working life is to have a sense of humour and be realistic of what is achievable in the short to medium term. These two assets have always helped me adapt and be focused. Every golf club manager should read this book... Now this is an interesting question and I would simply turn... Please LOGIN to read the full article.
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