The Australian club industry knows it has some large mountains to climb . The biggest one of all is where tomorrow ’ s members will come from , given Millennials are not aligned to the club structure - if they even know clubs exist . Younger generations typically live in echo chambers , peopled with others exactly like them : same age , same views , same politics . They are hard to reach and even harder to enlist . For some , clubs represent social values they don ’ t subscribe to . So how can clubs accept they must embrace change before it overwhelms them ?
Before there can be anything at all : change , growth , evolution , there has to be leadership and without the right leadership , nothing worthwhile can happen . But as you can see , our world is now facing the biggest crisis of leadership in history . In addition , we are undergoing a whole generational change where old Boomer values will be discarded . As we enter a Millennial world this new generation will not only inherit the earth but their values will dramatically reshape society , business and our future .
Leaders make decisions . But before they do , leaders must define reality . That ’ s the hardest part as it draws deeply on the leader ’ s often unknown inner self : the old fears and limitations . In making tough decisions to drive progress , a leader has no idea if the decision is right or will even work . Only time will tell . And that is the key leadership dimension that business books and MBA schools avoid confronting . Dealing with the unknown is the crucial difference between leadership and management . For that , leaders require courage , patience and humility . Courage to make the decision , patience to let it work and humility to accept whichever way it turns out . And lastly , unlike management , leadership is inherently lonely .
I gained my leadership education on wilderness expeditions , all of them purely leadership situations as there was nothing to manage . There could be no plan or strategy for managing in the Arctic wilderness . I had to just deal with each new surprise as it came , and there were a lot of those . I learned that everything which can possibly go wrong , will do so , from continual financial crises , equipment failure , conflict among personnel , and the violence of savage environments . In other words , expeditions mirror the leadership challenges faced routinely by most businesses , especially those facing major cultural change .
Since the 1980s , business has appropriated ‘ leadership ’ and funded academics to define it . As a result , within the slow-moving avalanche of leadership theory that has engulfed business thinking , we find 40 theories of leadership , 1,500 definitions of leadership and over 80 million books on leadership , nearly all of it generated by academics and employees . Yet despite all this , according to Professor Barbara Kellerman , founder of the Harvard-Kennedy School for Public Leadership , leaders worldwide have never been held in such low repute . This disconnect was identified by Forbes leadership expert , Drew Hansen , who found that leadership is developed in the crucible of life , not in a classroom .
“ Leadership has become the new porn and it seems that everyone wants to be a star .”
Leadership has become the new porn and it seems that everyone wants to be a star . But when faced with the reality of leadership , many people buckle under its weight - for one very important reason . Uncertainty . No one likes uncertainty . Not employees and not shareholders . And yet , uncertainty is the only reality there is . So being comfortable with uncertainty and helping others overcome their fear of it is paradoxically the hallmark of the great leader .
One very successful club in Melbourne could provide some valuable inspiration . They have on their wall a large portrait board with all the founding members – displaying the finest gallery of unique moustaches you ’ ve ever
seen – who remind us of the club ’ s founding DNA . For this club , planning to navigate an uncertain future of reduced reliance on pokies and yet continue to provide value to their community , knowing their roots is like having a window on their future . Rediscovering the vision of their founders , who made great things from small budgets , could well reveal the road ahead for many clubs . This is no small challenge and to succeed clubs will require courageous leaders who respect their DNA and can find ways to not only renew themselves but be embraced by the Millennial world .
Today , the Australian club industry stands where 30 years ago today , I stood on the cusp of a new and potentially difficult journey into the unknown Arctic wilderness . I know this place and it ’ s very challenging . Yes , we all have hopes , dreams and plans that will have to survive unexpected storms and big disappointments . And the future can only reliably promise leaders one thing : ongoing upheaval that will call on every strength and quality that they never realised they possessed .
For the club industry to adapt , thrive and succeed , it will need to create a new generation of exceptional Transformational leaders who can take others into the future with them . Where will they be found , how will they be recognized and what happens if we don ’ t have the courage to look for them ? Those are today ’ s big questions .
IQ 21