Have You Had Your Orientation?

If you have not experienced your club’s orientation, you need to stop reading this and ask your GM why.

Depending on when your board changes, if you have not had your orientation, you are already behind. I say this because most clubs transfer power to new leadership in February, March and April.

The good news is it’s not too late, but it is necessary. A thorough orientation is beneficial for many reasons.

It is an initiation to board service; an introduction to the organization, its mission and programs; a clarification of future time and financial demands; an opportunity to get to know other team members; and a chance to form an educated foundation for the coming years serving on the board.

Orientation is a chance to speed up the learning curve of new board members and get them quickly engaged in the board’s direction and activities. It ensures that every member functions within the same framework and with the same directives. Orientation benefits the board, as a team, by providing an official launch for new collaborations and relationships.

Some boards organize a full retreat — lasting several hours to more than an entire day — to cover all aspects of orientation. This approach may be too demanding for some boards whose members are spread thin and attend regular board meetings. Additionally, for any board, it may be information overload in too short a time.

Poor club culture and inadequate leadership won’t make a private club the leading hospitality business in town. So, no one raises the bar, and that’s why so many clubs are still doing things the “old” way they always have … the status quo. Collaborative governance, on the other hand, has everyone involved in raising the bar.

Collaborative governance and teamwork are why we developed Boardroom Institute. BRI is a world-class interactive experience. It offers a good online orientation to club issues and processes. It explains the board’s fiduciary responsibility, conflict of interest, ethics, sexual harassment, the cost of micromanaging, collaborative governance and much more.

The club’s volunteer leadership (the president and the board) and its paid leadership (the general manager) are responsible for the mission, vision and values. They are the keepers of these requirements. They must articulate them, continuously champion them and, if necessary, police and enforce them.

Our multimillion-dollar system will deliver, track and measure your board’s knowledge and understanding of board members’ volunteer roles.

I hope your club has board orientation. It is so important. We also offer in-person orientations. While in-person orientations are a fantastic way to provide an orientation, our platform allows board members to refer to ideas on how boards work, what their role is and isn’t and when they are overstepping their boundaries.

Both volunteer leaders and paid managers need role clarity. They require policies and procedures that allow everybody in the organization to focus on what they need and to know where and what checks and balances are in place.

Private clubs that consider the power of the club’s culture, core values, mission and vision, and know what it takes to manage through a strategic planning process and a business plan with a strong system of accountability through a strong collaborative governance system are geared to the future.

It is essential to have an organized and efficient orientation. Boardroom Institute is the only online orientation that delivers, tracks and measures your board’s knowledge. Let me know how we can help you sleep better at night knowing your board understands its role in collaborative governance.??BR

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Gordon Welch, CCM, CHE Welch, president of the Association of Private Club Directors, has over 20 years’ experience in private clubs and 12 years of experience as an association executive and registered lobbyist. For more information or to discuss your orientation, you can reach me at [email protected] or (918) 914-9050.