Do You Have What it Takes to be a Golf Club Manager and Leader?

By Dr. Patrick J. Montana USGTF Level IV Member & National Course Director US Golf Managers Association OBJECTIVES 1. To learn more about the skills required for being a leader and manager. 2. To assess your own leadership and managerial ability INTRODUCTION Managers cope with complexity: They look at what needs to be done (planning and budgeting), pull together the people needed to get the job done together (organizing and staffing), and ensure that people do their jobs (controlling and problems solving). Leaders, however, cope with change: They look at what needs to be done by setting a direction rather than planning and budgeting, pull people together to do the job through alignment rather than organizing and staffing, and ensure people do their jobs through motivation and inspiration instead of controlling and problem solving. The purpose of this exercise is to assess your skills and determine if you have what it takes to be a leader and manager. INSTRUCTIONS Read each of the following statements and circle the number that best represents your self-perceptions, where 1 = strongly disagree, 2 = disagree, 3 = neither agree nor disagree, 4 = agree, 5 = strongly agree. Keep in mind there is no right or wrong answer. 1. I can separate my personal life from work/school 1 2 3 4 5 2. I see myself as a good coach 1 2 3 4 5 3. I communicate my ideas clearly 1 2 3 4 5 4. I regularly prioritize what I need to get done 1 2 3 4 5 5. I am on time for meetings/classes 1 2 3 4 5 6. I am positive and upbeat 1 2 3 4 5 7. I am results-oriented rather than problem-oriented 1 2 3 4 5 8. I take responsibility for my actions 1 2 3 4 5 9. I do not blame others for my mistakes 1 2 3 4 5 10. When working in a group, I work with members to solve and prevent problems 1 2 3 4 5 11. I don’t have to redo things because my work is thorough and complete 1 2 3 4 5 12. I do not procrastinate on projects/tasks 1 2 3 4 5 13. I do not get distracted when working on projects/tasks 1 2 3 4 5 14. I work well in a group 1 2 3 4 5 15. I am people oriented, not just results oriented 1 2 3 4 5 16. I listen to others beyond just the words being spoken 1 2 3 4 5 17. When working in a group, I am more concerned with the group’s success than my own 1 2 3 4 5 18. I adjust well to different communication styles 1 2 3 4 5 19. I praise others when they are doing a good job 1 2 3 4 5 20. I work at getting ahead, but within appropriate boundaries 1 2 3 4 5 TOTAL _____________ SCORING & INTERPRETATION Compute your score by adding the responses for all 20 items. The questions in this survey were designed to give you feedback on your skills in the following areas: (1) personal stability, (2) productivity, (3) self-management, (4) communication, (5) boundary setting, (6) work quality, (7) teamwork. All of these skills are found in good managers and they represent necessary skills for leaders. Arbitrary norms for leadership skills: Excellent leadership skills (95-100) Good leadership skills (85-90) Moderate leadership skills (75-80) Low leadership skills (65-70) Poor leadership skills (60 & below) If you’re thinking about a career in golf club or golf resort management, you may want to consider enrolling in a United States Golf Managers Association Certification course and increase your employment opportunities in this growing global field by developing your managerial and leadership abilities even further. For additional information, please check out our website at www.usgolfmanagersassociation.com [Questions for this survey were adapted from interlink Training and Coaching, The Leadership Assessment Tool,” www.interlinktc.com/assessment.html. Training and coaching, 3655 W. Anthem Way, Box 315, Anthem, AZ 85086.]