Page 8 - GBC Spring 2023 Eng

Message From The CEO, NGCOA Canada • Jeff Calderwood
Leadership Insights from the Conference
Ihave attended well over 100 in-person conference keynote speakers and many more online, so I am always searching for something special when we research keynotes for each year’s Golf Business Canada Conference & Trade Show.
My #1 favourite was our opening keynote from this year’s Conference in Vancouver, Scott Stratten.
Apparently, golf course operators throughout Canada were equally impressed because 97% of them rated Scott in our highest evaluation category. And that 97% rating is the highest score we’ve ever had among all the years of keynotes.
In this issue of Golf Business Canada Magazine, we have asked Scott to write our feature story, elaborating on some of his critical messaging for golf course operators. I think you will find his article to be a great resource for rethinking your approach to leadership, customers, staff, branding and related business strategy.
For example, some of the thought- provoking insights that I jotted down during his keynote, for my own deeper dive, were:
The First Tee
• Recognize that you do not actually know what it is like to work for you, so ask and adjust.
• Consider how every single action at your club affects your golfers, staff and brand.
• The best way to improve your bottom line is to improve your front line.
• Tech now means that customer decisions are often made even before your marketing.
• Succeeding during disruption requires building extreme customer and staff loyalty.
• Businesses with the most loyalty don’t usually need to sacrifice their prices to get there.
• Branding is the impression we make on people.
• Leading by example is an art, a continuous process, the secret to effective leadership.
No doubt, you will derive a few similar takeaways as well as different insights that resonate with your own situation.
This issue of Golf Business Canada also presents articles from other great speakers at the Conference, including additional focusing on your HR solutions, profiling the winning idea from the Great Canadian Idea Share, a Conference recap, our recently elected NGCOA Canada board of directors, and your first perspective from new president, Daniel Pilon.
Enjoy the read and, for those who missed our Golf Business Canada Conference & Trade Show this year, plan now to join hundreds of your golf operations peers in Montreal this November. With record attendance this year, we sold out and apologize to those last- minute registrations who had to be turned away. So, register early this year!
All the best to you and your team for a successful 2023 golf season ahead, from the NGCOA Canada and your Golf Business Canada team.
Jeff Calderwood, CEO NGCOA Canada jcalderwood@ngcoa.ca
8 Golf Business Canada