Challenges & Change
The Club’s representative governor explains why he’s excited about the year ahead.
It was never going to be a quiet year for Jesse Green. In his first term as the Club’s representative governor in 2022, he and the Board of Governors were faced with the daunting task of reinvigorating Club life after two debilitating years of the pandemic.
Reselected to lead the Board for another one-year term in November, Green discusses the challenges and achievements of last year and what new initiatives Members can expect to see over the coming months.
What did you learn from your first year as representative governor?
Green: I had every expectation that I would be partnering with management, working with the Board, setting direction, aligning committees and getting us pointed in the right direction while breaking down silos and getting the Club to be less bureaucratic. All of that took far more work than I anticipated. Also, until last year, I never understood the amount of work involved in trying to make change in an organization like ours. Why is that? Because everybody in the organization is as much a Member as they are an owner or stakeholder. So, ultimately, how do we introduce change without upsetting others in the process? It requires a lot of consideration and conversation.
What would you have done differently?
Green: The only thing I would have done a little differently was to encourage more strategic discussions throughout the year to measure our performance and see where we should be focusing our attention. That’s something I would like us to do this year.
Last year, you wanted to focus on improving Club dining and reinvigorating the Club’s sense of community. How would you grade yourself in those two areas?
Green: In dining, we’ve made tremendous progress, and we’ve got a long way to go. I said at the beginning of last year that I wanted to see distinctive outlets with distinctive menus, and I think we’re about 75 percent of the way there. Let’s call it a B-minus. Early this year, we will focus on American Bar & Grill and Vista. We still don’t have a finalized approach for CHOP on the third floor, but we will have an idea of the direction this year. As for community, it’s a tough one. Covid continued to hamstring us well through the summer, and there were days when we were close to having to shut some of our operations because so many of our employees were sick. That really hindered our ability to start rebuilding a sense of community. I would say that started to change in September with our Texas-themed First Friday. I think people are coming back to the Club, and there is more comfort around Covid. I would give ourselves a C-plus to B-minus. But there is a huge amount of runway for us to continue to improve that.
What did you take away from September’s membership survey?
Green: I think the membership is happy with the direction we are moving in. We have restored a significant amount of the value that was lost during Covid, and satisfaction is at an all-time high. The net promoter score has recovered, but it’s not at the level it was in 2019. There is still plenty of opportunity for improvement. As I have grown fond of saying, this is a journey with no destination.
The Club concluded a refinancing of its loan last year. How important was that?
Green: The financial health of the organization is in a far, far better place than it was in 2021 or 2022. We’re not going to diminish our focus in that area, but it’s no longer as much of a concern as it used to be. Operationally speaking, we have significant cost containment that needs to happen. That’s not cost cutting. We have to make serious decisions about how we spend our money and when.
What other areas will the Board focus on this year?
Green: Events. Our events are a long way from where they need to be. But I will say that the events team and the Culture, Community & Entertainment Committee are extraordinarily committed to understanding the wants and needs of our membership. I’m really excited to see what they come up with. Last year, we asked ourselves whether we were utilizing our recreational operations as effectively as possible. We introduced outdoor workout equipment in O-Zone, and we are planning an upgrade for the Fitness Center. But we want to drive a health and wellness strategy for everyone, from our youth to our middle-aged Members with niggles to our older folks focused on mobility. We will also put together a long-range planning task force to look at where we want to be in three, five, 10 years from now.
What about the Nihonbashi Club?
Green: There is enormous potential still there and enormous potential for more collaboration between Azabudai and Nihonbashi, so it feels more like one club.
How will the Board approach this year as opposed to last year?
Green: Last year was tactical. This year is strategic. We will focus on high-level priorities in events and community, health and wellness, food and beverage and long-range planning. We will select three or four priorities within those areas then work together with management and committees to achieve them.
Words: Nick Jones
Image: Kayo Yamawaki
