Governance and Brand Management

Club leaders too often fail to adhere to one of the basics of brand management … they must be who they claim to be. Governance in many struggling clubs shows evidence of club leaders losing sight of the club’s brand promise. Here are five guiding principles to remember when fulfilling your club’s brand promise.

1) Begin with a board policy manual (BPM). The club’s BPM states how club leaders will govern the club. It is a working and living document in which the club’s leaders show how they will accomplish the strategic promises made by the club.

Keys to the BPM include its description of the organization of the club’s governance structure and how the club leaders will function. It emphasizes the club’s commitment to strategic planning and accountability and describes the board’s job and how the board and its committees will function. Further, a sound BPM addresses the authority of the manager and the management organization. These governing keys are the backbone of solid governance and an assurance of a trusted brand.

The BPM aligns authority and accountability throughout the club’s governance model.

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2) Understand your club’s brand promise. Respected and trustworthy club governance is built on the foundation of “being what you say you are.” Many clubs offer flowery and lofty promises. Great wordsmithing is fun and something to be admired. Being real and honoring your promises is even more powerful.

Often clubs claim to be “family clubs” when their leaders consistently reduce children’s access to club facilities and programs. A family club makes family usage and enjoyment of the club a strategic priority. It is the emotional haven where memories are made.

Most clubs claim to be “friendly” and “fun” with no apparent understanding of market differentiation. What core values of your club make it different from other clubs nearby? Linda Dillenbeck, a director at GGA Partners, observes, “Many clubs overuse tired terms rather than thinking about the values of their clubs. They miss important opportunities in so doing.”

The club’s brand and its governance are woven with threads of trust and consistency. Your brand is an everyday proposition – for better and for worse.

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3) Fill your promises toolbox. Stories of members' special moments – first communion parties, graduations, mitzvahs, 50th anniversaries – are tools that express the values of your club. What stories are told in your club?

Your club’s brand toolbox can become the stuff of memories, like the story of the miraculous staircase at the Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe. Three?mysteries surround the spiral staircase in the Loretto Chapel: the identity of its builder, the type of wood used and the physics of its construction.

Families live out their cherished memories in your club. These stories can be told in words, pictures and videos. Use these tools to show that your club stands for the values it claims.

The tools for governing your club with purpose are practical instruments with which one can build a respected culture of governance.

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4) Govern with your brand in mind. In these skeptical times, many club members assume that their leaders will forget the promises being made. Programs, policies and decisions made in the context of governance eventually are set alongside the branded values claimed by your club. Sound leadership demands consistency. Are the choices being made in the boardroom consistent with the club’s brand promises?

Board members and club leaders do well to use the club’s branded promises as guidance for the choices being made: (a) allocation of resources, (b) organization of management, and (c) the governance of the club.

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5) Do the right things right. Today’s imperatives in private clubs require open, honest, and accountable governance. When members hear board members leaking boardroom disagreements and pre-empting board decision announcements, they lose respect and come to distrust their board.

Three important things to get right are (a) boardroom confidentiality, (b) non-conflict of interests, and (c) consistent rules enforcement.

The fabric of trust in your club is woven of sound leadership and brand management practices. BR

Henry DeLozier is a partner at GGA Partners. He can be reached via at [email protected]