Reflections & Ruminations

The things that are most on my mind right now are my early reflections from the first eight weeks in the CEO role, the importance of strong leadership and what is next on my agenda.

Reflections

The first 90 days in a new role are always a bit of a rollercoaster. In my case, it has been a really busy first eight weeks or so — I have covered a lot of ground (literally, with a lot of travel in the first four weeks in particular). I’ve shaken more hands since I started at ClubsNSW then I had in the prior three years working at Tabcorp (noting the COVID-impacted period!) and The Star. I’ll ask in advance for your understanding if I forget your name — I’m much better with faces than with names at first.

What has struck me is the warmth, the energy and the passion of those that operate in this industry. I really get the sense that each of you (as I do) consider it an absolute privilege to work in this industry — to represent our communities and to do work which has real meaning and impact. 

I’m also reflecting on how our recent efforts as the peak industry body have been focused on gambling reform. That will remain a critical aspect of our role, especially as the Independent Panel’s work continues, but I’m also reflecting on the areas that need much more focus in the near term. Many of you have called out the following areas of concern, in no particular order, in our various discussions:

• Rising costs, primarily of beer (yes, I heard you friends in Finley — you should have heard from CUB!) and insurance (Adam in Leeton, we are onto it!).
• The availability and cost of resources (this goes for pretty much everyone I met with, particularly in regional areas).
• Efforts to either diversify or leverage physical assets in the form of consolidated sites made more difficult by local councils — childcare, healthcare, youth services, affordable housing etc. — more to come on this.
• Liquor licensing laws, their complexity and the need to have more flexibility for events and live music (expect some positive news on this subject very soon).

Our relationships with both sides of politics remain strong and constructive. Since I started at ClubsNSW, our team has met with more than 20 parliamentarians, which our Executive Manager of Policy and Government Simon Sawday will recap in his upcoming column — keep an eye out for that.

Leadership

I’ve been thinking a lot about the importance of leadership of late and reflecting on some of the best leaders I’ve had the opportunity to work with in the past. Those with clear, bold visions who operate transparently and with empathy and integrity, and communicate in crisp, consumable “bite-sized” messages that resonate are the ones that come to mind most frequently.

Sometimes, leadership requires us to make difficult decisions, execute on them and follow that through to conclusion. That takes courage — the courage to both decide and then execute (of course), but also to know that if you stuff it up (which on occasion, you most definitely will) you recognise the stuff up quickly enough and fix it. Be honest about it. And execute the strategic pivot with grace and style.

So crucial to good leadership is listening, not just having a conversation, but actually hearing what is really being said — then really taking it into consideration... which is exactly what I am endeavouring to do.

What’s Next?

I’m really looking forward to my first ClubsNSW Annual Conference & AGM. Some milestone events for me, and a great opportunity to meet many more of you, and also connect you all with our partners and sponsors. There is a lot happening across our industry, and it is a really important time to for us to demonstrate our contribution to our communities. We have a great line-up for the Conference, so if you haven’t yet secured your tickets yet, please do so!

Our AGM will be on the morning of Friday, 6 October, where we will be sharing a copy of our Annual Report. 

We are continuing our work on how we best organise ourselves around member services. I’m expecting the results of that work in mid-October and updates will follow in late October. I’m looking forward to announcing the benefits to members of our deliberate refocus on representing your interests and organising ourselves in a way that works best for you.

Following that, we are preparing for the next round of Regional Meetings. We are rethinking our approach to attendance and presentations at those meetings — I want to ensure that the content is meaningful to you and reflects the nuances of each region. As always, I’m keen for your feedback on what you’d like to see more of (yes, Scott from Armidale, I know you want to see me in Armidale!), less of, or want us to do differently for the Regional Meetings. After all, they are YOUR meetings, and we are privileged to get a slot on your agendas. I’m keen to ensure we use it wisely.

As always, you can reach me any time at [email protected].