Being “open and honest” with staff is key for the success of your business, according to the boss of Carnoustie Golf Links.
Michael Wells spent 18 years with Open Championship organisers The R&A before he was appointed chief executive at Carnoustie Golf Links in 2017.
He will share his insights and top tips for employee motivation at the Courier Business Conference in Dundee next week.
‘Recruit for attitude, train for skill’
Michael said Carnoustie Golf Links recruits “for attitude and trains for skill” when it is looking for new members of staff.
He said: “We’re very proud of what we do and we’re looking for an individual that shares the passion for what we do, and that’s what I think gives you the resilience.
“People aren’t always performing at their best during interviews, but we want to see if there’s a spark there.
“We might take people out on the golf course or show them some of our induction videos that talk about what we’re trying to be and install that sense of belonging.
“If there’s a click there, that’s really important. It’s about whether someone is right for us.
“It’s about attitude and enthusiasm. I want people who enjoy coming to work because that means when there’s challenges, we can face them together.”
Michael said Covid-19 threw up a number of challenges. That included managing staff who were required to attend work as golf courses remained open virtually throughout the pandemic.
“Our office staff can work remotely and we’ve been supportive of agile working. Rather than putting a boundary around someone, we’re very flexible about that.
“When you’ve got a customer-facing role – and that counts for 50% of our staff – there had to be different strategies. That itself created some challenges we had to overcome.”
He said the most important factor for any business in motivating its staff is being “authentic, open and honest”.
“We like to think our staff have a strong sense of belonging to something,” he added.
“They immerse themselves in what we’re trying to do.”
Courier Business Conference details
Michael will be part of a panel looking at workplace issues at the Courier Business Conference, held in association with Henderson Loggie, at the Apex City Quay Hotel on March 27.
The event will feature ShortList founder and The Apprentice star Mike Soutar who will share his ‘checklist for tough times’.
A session on how businesses survive and thrive will feature Theresa Lawson chief executive of Journeycall owner ESP Group; John Reid, general manager of Wilkie and Ross Graham, managing director of Graham Pest Control.
The panel on workplace motivation will include Lyndsay Kennedy, head of HR at Loganair and Waracle’s head of talent acquisition and resourcing Claudia Wilson as well as Michael Wells.
There will be also be a trade exhibition, networking opportunities and lunch.
Tickets for the event, which runs from 9am to 2pm, can be purchased at thecourierbusinessconference.com
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