Tall ones, small ones: celebrate them all

With the holiday season still fresh in our rearview mirrors, I’d like to present a way to enhance your club culture in 2024. Paying attention to the daily successes on the ground is a vital way to recognize the people who make it happen. Discovering and then recognizing all types of valued service acts, along with acts of excellence will bring valuable enthusiasm, energy, and then more of the same throughout the year. In this new world of work, recognition is the tangible way to show people you are paying attention and are grateful for their effort and commitment. Recognition matters, it always has, but now in this new world… more than ever. Taking time to thank and reward team members for their actions will not only build a more cohesive unit of service providers but can also help build staff loyalty for years to come.

Making a big deal of service execution, the things you want to see more often can turn on team energy in a most tangible way. Noticing, thanking, and rewarding these wins are a deal, a big deal to those who want to be noticed for their efforts. These acts of service are important to your members and guests as well. When successful execution happens, members feel good, they spend more time on property, and they spend more money. There are so many great reasons to recognize and reward good service acts, and of course, no downsides. When a staff member is rewarded for their service, all others notice and will work to acquire these same feelings and associated benefits. Here in this In My Opinion post are three ideas on recognition, a great benefit of a solid workplace:

There are no small acts of service: It is important for leaders to recognize acts of service. The size of the service act should not matter as all good execution benefits the property. While all acts of service should be acknowledged, the rewards will differ based on the action. No matter, hospitality is about service and it’s important to capture as many acts of service as possible. Thanking the staff member one on one, as well as during team sessions, is both an important and memorable gesture — part of a great service strategy.

If the small acts should be recognized, the larger acts are the main course: You and your managers cannot be everywhere, watching everything. You can, however, build a program of having the team watch for and identify significant service acts. When the team is noticing good service, the quality of the service can widen and flourish. The large service acts, managing a difficult situation or creating a grand win in the eye of a potential loss, are the stories that can change the game in the minds of membership. These acts should play a part in your monthly or quarterly meetings where you showcase excellence and the stories building the culture.

Recognition, rewards, memories: Many times it is not the size of the reward — it is in the honor of the recognition, especially amongst peers. At the same time, large wins deserve very tangible rewards representative of a true service organization. The recognition can happen in a monthly or quarterly session. A second acknowledgment should occur during an annual event that has been designed to enhance the team and the organization. From hand-written thank you notes to cash and gift cards to very significant rewards, recognitions are all important as they will be remembered, potentially for a lifetime. As you plan out the year be sure to place recognition and rewards near the top of the club’s to-do list. When people feel respected, honored, and recognized for what they bring to the day, the property becomes a different place. It feels better, it sounds better, even the air is lighter. It is a great place to play and a wonderful place to work. Make work special by allowing team members to flourish. Recognition and rewards are not just nice extra things to do, they are essential business practices of the best minds in service. Never allow a service act to go unrecognized. Enjoy the season! Make it fun.

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Jack Dillon writes the In My Opinion posts. He is an author, speaker, and consultant. He is an expert in the golf shop, service strategy, communications, and making the team better. For a chance to learn more go to www.youdontknowjackd.com to learn more AND set up a free Zoom meeting to talk about ways to improve in the new year. You can also reach out to Jack at 407-973-6136. Jack lives in Orlando.