St. George Leagues Club - Duty Manager Training
A Big Boost for Business: How St. George Leagues Club significantly boosted revenue and team confidence.
For more than 70 years, Sydney’s St. George Leagues Club has been servicing members and visitors at their Kogarah based venue via a variety of hospitality services including catering outlets, lounge spaces and more.
With the recent appointment of a new CEO, Craig Epton, and a mostly new leadership team on board, the club was undergoing another season of renewal. Additionally, physical venue renovations and other new service management systems were being implemented. With a refresh of the club aesthetics and a new, fully engaged executive team, the time was right to focus on some key areas and maximise the club’s potential.
Keen to re-ignite enthusiasm among the team, instill them with a can-do attitude and shift their focus to the bigger picture/future of the club, the executive team also set themselves the task of boosting customer service and value for membership.
“The vision here at St. George Leagues Club is to be Sydney’s premiere hospitality destination. We like to build lasting memories, we’re linked to the St George Illawarra Dragons, so there’s that football lasting memories but also the hospitality lasting memories. We want to be an active part of people’s lives,” said Epton. Enlisting the assistance of Sam Ekinci at Allied Risk Solutions, the two organisations partnered to create a program designed to support middle management and encourage strong leadership skills among the entire team.
They needed a confident team of leaders to keep up with their ever-increasing visitation and after only a few months into their training partnership with Sam, the improvements are impressive.
“We wanted our team to be more confident to make decisions on the spot,” says Chief Operating Officer Elie Bassil. “And to make sure we were one hundred percent compliant while operating a business that’s getting busier every day."
“We’ve grown revenue exponentially, with the same amount of staff,” adds Chief Executive Officer Craig Epton, attributing it to the team’s ability to use their ‘people assets’ better and increased confidence in thinking outside the box to create better hospitality experiences for members and guests.
The results of the training speak for themselves with staff reporting more self-confidence, a clearer career direction and increased motivation, concise and easy-access record keeping for easier future access and a boost in positive feedback via Google reviews to name only a few.
They’ve implemented systemised processes and practices that are now ready to be duplicated to other business units and staff are engaged, inspired and feel recognised and supported in their roles as well as nurtured to continue in their roles for a rewarding career path. Teams are reporting better interpersonal skills, and most importantly, the regular follow-up feedback sessions with Sam have been an ongoing support, ensuring an engaged team that truly feels as though they’re part of the big picture at St. George’s Leagues Club.
“Sam’s helped a lot in all those areas to bring it together and speak to real truths about where we need to go,” Epton added.
Only a quarter of the way through the program and the results are already evident. The team are excited about further enhancements over the two-year program.
“The difference that it’s made in the last six months is great,” says Bassil. “And I know it’s going to double and triple in the next 18 months.”
Today, the club is well on its way to achieving its vision of becoming Sydney’s premiere hospitality destination and the enthusiasm and dedication of the team has never been stronger.