Undoubtedly, one of the best aspects of my position is helping chapters offer more value to their members. One way this is done is through strategic planning and solid leadership, and they often go together.

I’ve said this before, so I apologize if you’ve heard it, but I’m often asked in my position, what makes chapters successful. The answer is not some secret formula which only a few select individuals in the industry know. The answer is leadership. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with many chapters over the years and the success of chapters always have one thing in common: strong leadership.

The Ohio GCSA had this on full display earlier this week as the chapter leaders joined together and did just that, they led. Along with the Steve Randall, GCSAA’s director of chapter outreach, the Ohio GCSA board, and executive director Chris DeMain (as well as myself), conducted a strategic planning session.

I won’t go into all the nuts and bolts of what a strategic planning session entails in this post, but in a nutshell, strategic planning sessions create a roadmap constructed by the chapter’s board of directors. This map lays out the future direction of the chapter and the markers that need to be reached along the way. The sessions typically feature six phases, with a seventh phase following completion of the day’s activities. The phases include:

1. Ask attendees to provide their expectations
2. Conducts a strengths, challenges, weaknesses, risks (SCOR) analysis
3. Prioritize items in the SCOR analysis
4. Discuss the chapter mission statement
5. Discuss the vision of the chapter
6. Goal setting
7. Take information from the session and follow up regularly

The Ohio GCSA board went through this process and discussed thoroughly what needed to be done to ensure members are getting what they need from the chapter, as well as ensure the chapter is offering maximum value. Being a new chapter (just over a year old), the OGCSA strategic plan will differ from a chapter that has been around for a number of years. That doesn’t matter when it come to building strong chapters, however. What does matter, is the fact the OGCSA leaders recognized the need to create a roadmap to ensure continued success.

No matter how long a chapter has been around, there is always a need to have a clear direction, create shared goals, and ensure the chapter is offering value and meeting the needs of the members. Strategic planning aids in this process and strong leaders recognize strategic planning is essential to everyone’s success.

Everyone in the room this past week has a family, and obligations outside of leading a chapter. I want to thank each of them for taking the time to serve their fellow OGCSA members and set the chapter up for years of success to come. Successful chapters don’t occur by happenstance. They occur because dedicated leaders – like the current OGCSA board – take the time to ensure their success.