Greg Crawford recently copied me on an article about Club culture. While I heard about it before, I was definitely intrigued to learn more. But what is it? I started 'googling' articles about workplace culture and what that is and how to describe it. The more I read about it, the more I was interested in it. After all, Highlands CC has a great deal of culture...just look at the history, the membership and their commitment to this Club. But in addition, What is it that keeps so many talented staff people here for so long? When we hire new staff we try to find someone that fits in with our culture. But again, it is hard to explain, or put into words. If we could, could we develop interview questions that give us a clear picture of a potential new team member? I can recall several people in the last 12 years that I hired that were really good people, even hard workers and highly recommended, but they just didn't "fit in" to our culture. More importantly, they didn't want to try. Of course, it ended poorly and we parted ways but it wasn't personal. In a small town like Highlands, culture is an important piece because it exists not only at our workplace, but the town in general.
So, I recently held a departmental staff meeting with my 21 guys. I asked the guys around me, all of which have been employed at the Club for at least 5 years...some as many as 20 years, what is it about HCC that you think is special? So, while we haven't exactly nailed down the definition that describes our culture yet, we did start making a list of what it is that we think makes our team special. This is the stuff that my staff thinks and feels; the reason they come to work every day. And while we all have our bad days, this is one cohesive group. The same can be said for the entire staff, Club-wide. In fact, Greg is also working with all of us department leaders to develop this idea for the entire club. While the mission statement of an organization is important, culture trumps it every time.
It is our actions, beliefs, traditions, values, environment, our habits and our interests! So here it is:
Our team will always:
1. have fun at work
2. work to make HCC the best golf experience in the mountains
3. communicate in all directions
4. be friendly to our members and go out of their way to help them
5. maximize tee times for the golf shop because we understand we are in this business together
6. help any and all departments with any request
7. not gossip about one another
8. be empathetic towards our fellow employees
9. always be driven by teamwork
10. pay close attention to details on the golf course because that separates mediocre and great courses
11. take ownership of our job duties and be held accountable
12. be honest with one another
We value fellow employees who:
1. Get to work on time, everyday
2. go above and beyond what is expected
3. are fun-loving people who enjoy having fun
4. can effectively communicate
5. will support their fellow staff members
6. take care of the golf course and the equipment they use
7. are energetic and positive
8. value teamwork and want to be part of our team
As the Superintendent, I strive to:
1. be empathetic towards employees
2. support employees in their personal life and work life
3. create a fun work environment where employees are heard and respected
4. provide all of the tools necessary for employees to be successful
5. focus on low employee turnover
6. promote a family work balance where family comes first
So that's where we are. The discussion will continue to come as we continue to define what makes HCC such a special place to work.
