Gregg Patterson: Looking For—-The BIGS

POSTED ON July 17, 2023 @ 2:39 pm

Review Time

October is “review time” for the General Manager here at The Beach Club. These annual reviews are “thematic” and strategically focused—that is, the Board and I address “The Big Issues” (like——-what’s The Why of The Beach Club—and are you, the G.M., managing to The Why???) and support our conclusions with anecdotal details.

Every year I create a new “This-Year-In-Review Template” to guide my reflecting (and to keep the novelty up after 33 years as G.M.!!!), write up fifteen pages or so of critique, ship it to the Board for comment, schedule a meeting with The Manager Review Committee (four Board members—the three “graduating” directors and the incoming President) and then meet on a quiet Sunday morning at The Club for “caffeine and conversation” to discuss, often for hours, life’s great issues.

The process “works” because it requires advance preparation by me and the Board, guides the conversation once we gather, and makes the entire “Annual Review Process” interactive, alignment-focused, productive, and fun.

Good stuff.

The BIGS

This year’s review template was a single question—“What are the criteria you The Manager use to evaluate YOU as the G.M.???” After a bit of pondering, I came up with my list of THE BIGS—the “Nifty Nineteen”—I’d use to evaluate ME on “Judgment Day”. I anticipated that the fun part of the exercise would be—comparing my list of THE BIGS with the Board’s, determining if our BIGS were in alignment and seeing if their scores for each of my BIGS differed from my own.

These are my Nifty Nineteen—my BIGS—and the questions I used to determine my score for each of the nineteen:

Big Happy. Is it obvious to all who meet this character that he or she has The Happy Gene? Do they look happy, talk happy, and act happy? Do they rebound to “happy” after getting punched around by life? Do they have a “powerfully positive personality???” Score……………
Big Hospitality. Do they absolutely LOVE doing stuff for others whether those “others” be busboys, film stars or the club President? Do they exude warmth and joy and enthusiasm when encountering others during a “service opportunity?” Are they a living, breathing, walking, talking example of “the hospitality spirit” in action??? Score…………..
Big Love. Do they exude a love of the club business, the type of club they’re at, and the members and staff they encounter each day? Score………….
Big Buzz. Are they filled with irrepressible energy—with The Buzz? Do they deliver an “energy injection” to others? Does their energy inspire and motivate? Is their enthusiasm infectious? Score……………..
Big Technical. Does the G.M. have a “deep generalist’s” understanding of the tools of the trade—food and beverage, golf, facility management, government relations, insurance, etc.etc.etc.? Do they know how to read a financial statement, evaluate food, conduct an inventory, read an electrical diagram, negotiate a bank loan? Score……….
Big Analytical. Can they break problems into their component pieces, analyze those pieces, draw a conclusion from the pieces they’ve analyzed, articulate their conclusion, defend the conclusion articulated and modify their conclusion when their argument falls short? Score………..
Big Creative. Once they know what “the problems” are can they find solutions to those problems that are fresh, unique, unusual, outside-the-box and effective? Score………….
Big Do-er. Do they make things happen? Do they translate “vision” into “action”? Do they have a track record of successfully “Doing”? Score………..
Big Curiosity. Are they interested in everything and everyone? Are they always asking “why”? Are they a sponge for new ideas? Are they endlessly seeking “The Next New Thing?” Score……………
Big Facilitation. Do they create opportunities for connecting and communicating? Do they get people talking? Do they keep the talkers “talking?” Score…………..
Big Interesting. Do people gravitate to them and engage them in conversation? Are they well-read and well-traveled? Do they have enthusiasm for lots of different things? Do they have a magnet personality? Score………….
Big Reflector. Do they “do” and then think deeply about what they’ve done? Do they assess honestly what happened and why—and determined how to do it “right” in the future? And because they reflect lots, have they “grown” as a professional over time? Score…………….
Big Parable-izer. Do they see in every story a parable expressive of deeper truths? Do they see “the profound in the ordinary?” Do they see life principles in the stories they hear? Are they a great story-teller? Do people sit and listen—and learn from the stories told? Score…………
Big Community-izer. Do they build “the three communities”—member, staff and member / staff? Do they create programs, opportunities and rituals that create “tribal magic?” Are they the catalyst for generating, sustaining and amplifying relationships and community? Score………..
Big Communicator. Do they speak well? Listen well? Write well? Use their “body language” well? Are they clear in their “messaging”? Do they provide emphasis where needed, nuance as necessary, subtlety when the “light touch” is required? Do they communicate lots—early—and repeat what’s told—often? Score…………
Big “Advocate.” Does the manager know The Why of this club and do they believe in that Why–passionately? Are they a loud, vocal and compelling advocate of The Club and Its Why? Are they the biggest trumpet for The Board, their policies and their decisions? Score………….
Big Nudge. Can they influence those who make decisions —whether those “deciders” be board members or busboys—to make decisions consistent with their vision of The Good? Score………..
Big Coach-Mentor. Can they coach—that is, direct others to “do the right thing?” Can they mentor—that is, provide insight and advice to others who are making tough decisions? Score……….
And, The Biggest of The Biggies———-Big Leader. Does the person know how to audit “The Now”? Do they know where “There” is? Do they know “Who” should be on the team to get the club from “Here” to “There?” Do they have “The Tactics” for translating vision into action? Do they have The Inspirational Buzz? Score………..

My “Biggies.” The Nifty Nineteen.

Response

I shipped my Review to the Board, priming them for our meeting.

We assembled in the Board Room on a Sunday morning over eggs benedict, cinnamon rolls, juice and caffeine. We talked lots—about my Nifty Nineteen and the successes and failures I’ve had over the years giving substance to The BIGS.

We discussed whether my BIGS, my “criteria-for-judgment”, were in alignment with their own—and if “yes”, how so, and if “no” how so and if “no” how could we tweak my performance to bring the two of us into alignment.

We agreed that my criteria were consistent with their own—differently expressed, but consistent.

And that I scored “good.”

We were aligned.

And happy.