Core Value: Informed Leadership
Associated Best Practices
- Conduct mandatory and comprehensive orientations for all stakeholders.
Orientation is not Optional
We believe the highest performing clubs do a great job of educating their consumers not just once, but continuously. It’s the reason we urge every club to conduct mandatory and comprehensive orientation for all stakeholders (Board, Committee, New and Existing Members and Staff). We think education is so important that you should even be educating prospective board members, prospective members and prospective employees! Explain what they can expect in the role and what you will expect from them.
Stakeholders must go through a mandatory—not discretionary—orientation process to ensure they are fully informed and educated. If you want to maximize their performance and ensure that they “hit the ground running” in their role, you’ve got to give them the information they need to be successful right out of the gate. You would never expect a new employee to know all of their roles and responsibilities without first going through an orientation. Why are board or committee members any different?
Provide stakeholders with the necessary information and teach, train and educate them to be the best board and committee members they can be. When you do, you dramatically reduce the learning curve that typically exists. If new board/committee members understand where you’ve been, where you’re going and why, it takes their focus off of worrying about when to talk in meetings and how to conduct themselves. Orientation helps eliminate that awkward transition period and helps your stakeholders be knowledgeable, well-informed and highly functional decision makers for your club