Maximize Your Mentors and Network

When you think of a fraternity, you think of college, drinking, partying, and of course, camaraderie. A brotherhood of guys looking out for one another, which is what working in the country club industry in South Florida is like.

The sense of community, collaboration, and most importantly, friendship was inspired by Jay DiPietro, the iconic leader at Boca West Country Club, who we affectionately call the Godfather. Jay D. would host get-togethers with a dozen GMs to discuss everything from salaries, member challenges, and overall fellowship. He knew that by creating a tight-knit community, the group would be more substantial as a whole and could do a great deal of good, as exemplified by the Seminole Region Charity Golf non-profit, which has given over $2 million back to local children’s charities in Palm Beach county.

As a second generation club manager, I am a beneficiary of what Jay D. put in place.?

“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.” (Randy Pausch)

These are just some of the leaders, mentors to me that have helped me achieve success, overcome obstacles, and have given me sound advice every step of the way.

First, there’s my Uncle and father figure Craig Martin. He’s always pushed me to learn rapidly, listen intently, build my brand, and protect it immensely. He taught me to always lead from within with a robust staff culture.?

I worked for Matt Lambert for about two months, not even long enough to get health benefits. I had just moved back to South Florida from North Carolina, and I was eager to join Matt’s team. Matt is a humble leader who is excellent to benchmark ideas from.?To name a few, he helped me with our renovation, merger, and equity restructuring. He is one of the few GM’s with such remarkable tenure who has taken Mirasol from developer to member-owned, and touts one of the best operations down here. Through my tenure at Wycliffe, Matt has always been just a phone call away and a close confidant.?

Eben Molloy at Woodfield is a friend and close colleague that has been a great mentor on governance standards, nominating committee best practices, and communication ideas.

Michael McCarthy at Addison Reserve is someone I admire that took over a club at a young age who has taught me to stick by my guns when making a decision. It’s served him well as one of the industry’s top leaders.

Steve LoGiudice at Ibis has been instrumental in sharing staffing suggestions and assisting with people planning. He also excels at project management, execution and was one of my first calls when we started planning our renovation for idea generation and best practices.

Brett Morris is someone I have recently come to admire as an F&B innovator and someone who creates memorable member experiences daily. He turned around the Polo Club and is currently bringing Admirals Cove to another level of excellence.

Then there’s one of the periphery members of the group, not a club GM but a friend to us all, Corey Saban. Corey is a former media guy who has a firm grasp of marketing. He advises us all on dealing with the media during a crisis, brand equity, and overall ideas for member engagement.?

The point is mentoring is everything. Talk to your mentors regularly. If you don’t have a mentor, I encourage you to read “Master Mentors” by Scott Miller with Franklin Covey Leadership, a book that shares 30 transformative insights from our greatest minds. The book challenges you to look at the path you are on and assess where you are supposed to be.

My path, like yours, has its zigs and zags, but because of the people above and many others I did not have time to list, I am quickly able to get back on the road I am destined to be on to achieve my goals both professionally and personally.