Switch it up!

Every so often, a friend of mine sends the vital business facts for his area of North Dakota. This week, he sent me the latest unemployment rate for the area: It is an amazing 1.3%! It seems as if people are working and working steadily in that part of the country. While that is an abnormally low number, it appears that outside the tech industry, those who want to work are working. It is a rare time in this nation. Talent is thin everywhere it seems, as I notice the “Help Wanted” signs on just about every corner here where I live. It is certainly tough to operate a business, especially a service business when the starting lineup is shorter and likely not all that deep. What can leaders do to build offsets when team members decide they are going to move on?

Although this idea will probably take several conversations with staff and a great understanding of the skill of negotiating, the idea of exchanging roles with members of different departments several times each quarter can help the property and the team in many ways. With a less-than-full lineup, a small group should be able to step into areas beyond those of their job descriptions. Since the start of the pandemic golf explosion, many days have felt like a surprise package of who will and won’t show up. Maybe this is an idea your club can swallow whole or simply grab a few bite-sized bits. Either way, it may help take away some of the daily angst, approaching the lineup card stressed out over who is on the no-show list. Here are my thoughts on periodically switching out roles to enhance skills and strengthen the overall operation:

Switch out to teach: Once you convince team members to exchange roles a few times each quarter, you can begin the task of training up. Certainly, you shouldn’t be expecting team members to become experts in new areas, but when they have enough of an understanding to perform the other role without micro-supervision, you are on your way to a strong plan B. Create a program of teaching and coaching with ongoing mentoring to help make this new plan stick.

Switch to build empathy: There is no doubt that all will see things differently once they step into other shoes. Empathy is a valuable asset. Once people live a time doing other work, they will appreciate the stresses as seen through another set of eyes. In addition to teaching new skills, developing empathy in the workplace will provide a layer of understanding never appreciated before the plan was set in motion. Empathy opens both the eyes and the heart. Empathy sets a new urgency to help when another becomes overwhelmed. Although not the reason to execute the idea, empathy is a long-term benefit for lacing up a second pair of spikes.

Switch to grow: When you convince the team that owning skills in a new department is good for the property, you can also begin to discuss how it can be good for the individual. As in baseball with strong platoon players, imagine having four to six people who can jump into a new role during a very busy day. Doing the work well will help the club get through the day and assist in building better service reviews from members and guests. When the platoon players succeed, leadership knows growth is at hand. The leadership can offer better pay to those able and willing to take on additional roles. The idea of being able to count on several men and women to step in when necessary provides a very different level of planning with confidence. When people grow — and earn more money — they are more likely to stay around. You can also mix up the schedule to provide a bit more flexibility for the entire team. Growing people will no doubt enable you to grow the operation.

At a time when finding talented, interested people is hard, this idea can turn a small, narrow-thinking team into an extraordinary group of doers and givers. This is not an easy solution or a quick fix. It is an opportunity for your passionate people to earn more by doing more on those days when there is just not enough talent to do the work. Radical? A bit, yes. But at a time when many people want to work their way, it is an idea, an opinion open to discussion.

Jack Dillon writes the In My Opinion posts. Jack is a consultant, speaker, and author in the middle of writing his third book, Journey. Jack is available to support you and your team. Reach out to Jack through his website at www.youdontknowjackd.com to sign up for a FREE Zoom to discuss how Jack can support your club in the new season. You can also call Jack at 407-973-6136. Jack lives in Orlando.