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From compensation,
to health and well-being,
to educational opportunities, the CEO of the
USPTA helps to define how the tennis
teaching profession needs to change.
As CEO for the USPTA, I am concerned
about the aging of our association (average age is now
48). I am also worried about the wear and tear that our professionals
experience in their respective jobs because of the amount of
time spent on the court.
Even as tennis professionals
mature, there remains this addiction to continue to grind it
out. While they may love banging balls, is this really the best
path to ensure a long and healthy career? Is there an alternative?
At most clubs today, the business model of a Director of Tennis
or Head
Professional consists of the following:a base salary that is
generally small, forcing the professional to teach lots of hours
(in some cases 30 to 50 hours per week) in order to earn the
income they
desire. They may also receive a percentage of their staff professionals’
lessons, may own or manage the pro shop, likely have the stringing
concession and are responsible for programming.
Often, they answer to a GM but
have to also satisfy the tennis committee or even a board of
directors. That is a lot of balls to juggle, which is why most
professionals work six days a week or even more. If a Head Pro
or Director is doing all of the above-mentioned tasks, does he/
she have the time to: Manage the staff? Interact with the entire
membership, not just his/her lesson clientele? Drive revenue
for the club? Develop programming that increases activities?
Bring in new members? Give back to the community?
More importantly, how is his/her
physical well-being going to be after years of toiling away in
the trenches? As a result, many professionals come to a crossroads
in their careers and have to decide whether they want to keep
going down this path or think about a career change: teaching
or management? Worse yet, they may wonder if they should leave
the industry. Can they keep their jobs if they are not offering
any “added value” to their facility? Do they have the
skills to transition into management? Can they afford to take
a “step back” knowing that it might be better off in
the long run? If they did, could they provide for their families?
Changes
in Compensation
In order to offer a solid career path that will keep our professionals
engaged and in the sport that they love, I believe there has
to be a fundamental change in how professionals are compensated,
especially once they become Directors of Tennis.
Our best professionals should
be paid much higher salaries to offset their usual lesson revenue
and be encouraged to minimize their time instructing. More time
can therefore be dedicated to running the tennis department,
truly mentoring the staff, being more visible with the membership,
understanding all aspects of the club and the role that they
play, delivering exceptional customer
service, and having greater emphasis on programming.
As Peter Burwash often says,
“We are in the service business. As tennis professionals,
we have an awesome responsibility to serve our clientele to the
absolute best of our ability.”
But, if all of your time is spent
on court with a limited few and you are not paying attention
to the general membership at large, are you doing your club a
disservice?
What Do
Clubs Want?
In a recent survey, club GMs in Florida were asked:
What are the
current strengths that you require in a Sports Director? Director
of Tennis?
Answer: Business skills, knowledge of all areas of the club,
be able to grow revenue and manage costs (budgeting), manage
staff, create programming, outstanding customer service, highly
visible with the membership, etc. (It’s interesting that
playing ability and teaching ability were not high on the priority
list for potential managers.)
What qualities
do you seek when hiring a person for each of these positions?
Answer: Proven track record of success, leadership, professionalism,
business acumen, outstanding communication skills, follow-up,
delegation of duties, highest level of integrity, infectious
personality, management skills (both up and down), attention
to detail, motivational/enthusiastic,
lead by example, hard worker, creativity.
What skill
sets would you like to see most improved within the tennis teaching
profession?
Answer: Gain a holistic perspective of all club departments,
including fitness (in most cases now a larger category than tennis),
understand how tennis fits into the strategic plan of the club,
become a “team builder,” ability to say “no”
and do so politely, able to supervise and motivate subordinates/staff,
sense of urgency, run tennis department like a business, understand
P+L. |
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Enhancing
Pros’ Appeal
If these are the skill sets needed to pursue upper-management
responsibilities in the club environment, it is up to professional
tennis teaching organizations to provide them access to education
that will enhance their appeal. As Michael Leemhuis, now the
COO/GM at Ocean Reef Resort in the Florida Keys, says, “The
more arrows that are in your quiver, the more you will distinguish
yourself from the pack.” Thus, we must start to educate
teaching professionals on what their careers will look like after
age 45 or 50 by providing more training on the business affairs
of a club, develop career pathways for young professionals who
want to stay in the club industry and want to be compensated
for “offcourt” skills, and teach how fitness and wellness
should be incorporated into their regular regimens, both personally
and professionally.
Being a tennis teaching professional
is a laudable career choice. Unfortunately, the need to stay
on court in order to make a living over the course of many years
can really take a physical toll on the body.
I ask club owners and facility
managers, restructure how our leading professionals are compensated,
and provide them opportunities to get off the court. It is then
incumbent on each professional to acquire the knowledge and skills
to prove they are worthy of taking on management responsibilities
while maintaining their desired lifestyle.
John Embree is
the CEO and Executive Director of the USPTA, a position he has
held since January 2013. He has been in a wide variety of tennis
industry roles for more than 30 years. |
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