S4 EP 06: Learning to Lead When You're Not in Charge w/ Clay Scroggins

In this episode of “Getting Better Now” Col (R) Spencer Clouatre sits down with Tom Wildenhaus to discuss effective leadership in the golf industry. Drawing from personal experience and offering insights aimed at helping listeners understand the core principles of leadership. Tom emphasizes the importance of fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement within the industry. He provides actionable advice and lessons learned from his 40-year career sharing valuable guidance to aspiring leaders. Touching on parallels between military leadership philosophies and effective organizational management, and highlighting the balance between delegation and micromanagement. Tom stresses the importance of cultivating a culture where trust, humility, and accountability flourish. Empowering team members to make decisions aligned with the organization's goals. Keep listening for more practical applications of the core principles of leadership in your life and career.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

How do you gain buy-in when managing a large, organization-wide change? In this compelling continuation of the interview with CW Canfield from S10 EP02, Spencer talks about the mechanisms of appealing to logic and data, as well as being a leader who inspires your team to follow, even when the path is uncharted, rocky, or takes an unexpected turn. Great leaders apply the key mechanisms of psychology and rely on their team to make informed, sound decisions. Keep listening on for more practical applications of the principles of economics and leadership in your life and career.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

When change is on the horizon, what helps you weather the hurricanes and unexpected hurdles that sometimes cross your path? In this episode, Spencer and CW, both West Point graduates, cover the key elements that motivate staff to optimize scarce resources and navigate uncertainty with sound decision-making. What role does empathy and cooperation play in executing the master plan? Check back soon for the second portion of this compelling discussion.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

How do hospitality, golf, and leadership intersect? In this episode, Spencer and Phil Owenby discuss the nuances of creating a memorable customer experience that keeps people coming back time and time again, while remaining engaged with every member of your staff and making the most of the scarce resources we sometimes all face. 

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

GBN University has launched the Leadership Accelerator program, the only leadership program developed by Golf Professionals FOR Golf Professionals.  Registration is open to any PGA Professional or Associate but space is limited!  Go to https://golfbusinessnetwork.com/gbnu/leadership-accelerator/ for more info and to grab your spot!

Ryan Hawk is the host of The Learning Leader podcast, one of the most popular leadership shows in the world, and is now a best-selling author of two books, “Welcome to Management” and “The Pursuit of Excellence”.  I’ve been a fan of Ryan’s for a long time and was humbled that he took the time to sit down for a conversation with me.  It was such a pleasure to have the chance for a long form conversation to ask questions and get more insights into his experience and knowledge.  As he told me, his show started out as a way to educate himself and now I had the opportunity to be educated by him.  

You’ll hear him discuss the importance of leadership, how to actually interview candidates to help ensure success, and the power of his morning routine.  If you recognize his name, Ryan has a brother, AJ, who was a successful linebacker in the NFL with the Packers and in college at Ohio State.  Ryan chased his football dream after playing quarterback in college for Ohio University with a stint in the Arena Football League, eventually packing it in to start his career in corporate America.  Now he’s a successful podcaster, speaker, author, and leadership trainer, doing what he loves everyday.  

Even if you caught this conversation the first time, I encourage you to give this another listen.  I promise you’ll walk away with something new.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

Are you looking to hire team members on your golf staff?  GBN's Recruiting Services make hiring easier with our best in class network of Golf Professionals that helps you reach deep into the market to locate your next staff member.

Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com/recruiting to get started and get ahead of the competition.

If you’ve been listening for a while, you’ve come to understand how important I believe leadership is to being a successful PGA Professional.  In these times of low retention levels and poor employee engagement, your ability to lead your team and your facility has never been more critical.  It’s the reason we’re launching a much anticipated leadership program from GBNU here this fall, 2022.  We’re going to give PGA Professionals the chance to develop their leadership skills so they can become somebody that people want to follow, somebody that people want to work for, and somebody that can produce results for their facility.  All through the lens of what you, the PGA Professional does every day.  I can’t wait to tell you more about it.  

And right on queue, we have an episode that can be a masterclass on leadership.  I was so honored to have the chance to speak with our featured guest, David Novak.  David is one of the premier leadership minds out there.  He’s the former CEO and co-founder of Yum Brands, which operates KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and The Habit Burger.  He’s been named Chief Executive of the Year, and oversaw explosive growth as the company doubled its number of restaurants under his leadership and grew to a market cap of almost $32 billion.  His marketing background includes such big wins as developing and launching Cool Ranch Doritos, and Pizza Hut’s meat lover’s pizza…along with one notable marketing mishap, which we’ll discuss.  You’ll want to hear that.

Now after retiring in 2016, David launched “David Novak Leadership” where he coaches leaders using his time tested methods and practices, including Purposeful Recognition.  He’s the host of the very popular “How Leaders Lead” podcast where talks with world class leaders every week.  In addition he’s a New York Times bestselling author.

David is busy to say the least, but not too busy to find time for one of his biggest passions…golf.  He’s the definition of a “golf nut” and not to mention,quite a player as you’ll hear early in our conversation about a huge accomplishment he achieved this summer.  So David knows golf and he know golf pros.  That’s why this conversation is so powerful.  Whether you’re in a leadership position, or aspire to get to one, David’s lessons here are priceless and ones you can implement the very next time you walk in the door at work.  

This was such a pleasure to have this conversation and I’m excited to share it with you.  

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

Are you looking to hire team members on your golf staff?  GBN's Recruiting Services make hiring easier with our best in class network of Golf Professionals that helps you reach deep into the market to locate your next staff member.

Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com/recruiting to get started and get ahead of the competition.

Welcome back for part two of my conversation with Seth Waugh, the CEO of the PGA of America.  In part one we focused on a critically important topic for Golf Professionals today, the supply and demand issues in the labor market.  Every PGA Professional should hear what Seth had to say on the topic.  It was an honest and frank conversation and personally I think we should be encouraged by what we heard.  

Now we get into two more important topics.  As you know, prior to the PGA, Seth was the CEO of Deutsche Bank Americas.  I took the opportunity to ask him about his leadership philosophy and what it takes to lead organizations of such immense size.  Any leader can benefit from his thoughts on the topic, especially his “Golden Rule”, which you’ll hear him explain.  Leadership is such an important skill when it comes to retaining great people, and in this labor market, it’s never been more critical.  This is a great opportunity to take some leadership insights from an experienced and successful leader.  

Lastly, I ask him the question about LIV.  One perspective we haven’t heard much is how that tour can impact the PGA of America and specifically PGA Professionals.  Seth will be at the forefront of some of the most important decisions that golf’s governing bodies will make regarding LIV.  You’ll get his thoughts.  You won’t want to miss them.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

Are you looking to hire team members on your golf staff?  GBN's Recruiting Services make hiring easier with our best in class network of Golf Professionals that helps you reach deep into the market to locate your next staff member.

Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com/recruiting to get started and get ahead of the competition.

In this season of Getting Better Now, we’ve talked a lot about the state of the golf industry.  We heard from the Golf Professionals when we highlighted “The Club Pro Crisis” in Episode 01 of this season.  We heard from the CEO of the PGA of America himself in a candid conversation with Seth Waugh in Episode 02.  Now in Episode 04 of Season 8, we hear from another association chief, Jay Karen. 

Jay is the CEO of the National Golf Course Owner’s Association (NGCOA), where he’s spent nearly 17 years in multiple roles with the association.  He has a pulse on the issues impacting owners throughout the country, many of which end up impacting us as the PGA Professionals working for those owners. 

A self-proclaimed “learner”, Jay is actually pursuing his membership as a Class A PGA Professional and you’ll hear his own war story about passing the PAT.  In addition, we’ll obviously get into the labor situation from the perspective of the owners as well as Jay’s personal feelings about how we got here, and more importantly how we can fix it. 

Jay also watched the downturn in golf happen after the “Tiger Boom” and has great insight into how we can avoid that from happening again, post COVID. 

Jay is the co-host of Golf Business LIVE, where he shares the screen with the PGA’s own Don Rea.  You can catch up on past episodes on YouTube.

Not only was Jay fun to talk to, he is really knowledgeable on the issues impacting golf so I know you’re going to get a lot from this conversation.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

Are you looking to hire team members on your golf staff?  GBN's Recruiting Services make hiring easier with our best in class network of Golf Professionals that helps you reach deep into the market to locate your next staff member.

Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com/recruiting to get started and get ahead of the competition.

Most of you listening to this are working at golf clubs that are busier than they have been in a long, long time.  Maybe even busier than ever before.  Rounds of golf are high and membership rosters are full.  Now that we’re settled into this new reality, the focus is on retaining all of these golfers so our clubs don’t return to the struggles that existed before this recent golf boom.  

How can we do that?  If you ask Shep Hyken, it’s by creating an amazing customer experience. 

Shep Hyken, calls himself the CAO (Chief Amazement Officer) of Shepard Presentations. He’s a customer service and experience expert and a sought after keynote speaker, as a Hall of Fame Speaker from the National Speakers Association.  For decades, he’s worked with companies that want to build loyal relationships with their customers and employees. 

As a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author he’s written 8 books focusing on delivering amazing customer service, customer engagement, managing the customer experience and creating customer loyalty.  His new book “I’ll Be Back” on building returning customers, is a perfect fit for the situation in our industry today.  He’s also the host of “Amazing Business Radio”, a podcast where he profiles leaders and their customer service expertise.  

With all this said, Shep is a big golfer and as a member at his local club, he understands the customer experience at clubs from both the staff’s perspective and from the members’.  That’s why this is such a valuable conversation.  There are plenty of takeaways in this conversation to help you and your team build a better service experience at your club.  

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.

GBN is the leading private network for today's most successful PGA Professionals. Exclusive events at premier facilities, vendor partnerships to grow your business, education to increase your knowledge, and access to the top Professionals in the industry are just some of what membership in Golf Business Network will get you. Go to www.golfbusinessnetwork.com to find out more and become a member.