As we journey through our lives and careers, how many times have we been told that “there is no shortcut to success”? Well, I beg to differ. I was fortunate early in my club management career to have the counsel of a wise club president and candid feedback from my administrative assistant.

My first valuable insight came from a club president. During one of our weekly breakfast meetings, I asked him if he would be comfortable sharing with me how he achieved the success he enjoyed. He was a highly regarded businessman who had started and sold a number of companies. His advice was respected by many of his fellow club members. He also had a wonderful family, and he was engaged in community activities.

He took a sip of coffee, smiled and said, “Dick, you are one of the few people who have ever asked me, but I am happy to share what I truly believe has been the catalyst for whatever success I have enjoyed. I was never afraid to ask for help! Maybe because I have always been curious about so much in life, but nonetheless, I found that asking for help was an incredible shortcut for achieving my goals.”

I shared this story with my business partners, Kurt Kuebler and Tom Wallace. As a result, we wrote an article, “Asking for Help Is Not a Weakness. It’s a Superpower.” In the article, we discuss how the most accomplished general managers in the private club world have become adept at saying, “I need your help.”

My first experience with the “power of asking” occurred after I had assumed the role of general manager at a young age. I was overwhelmed by some of the issues at our club.

Most frustrating for me was the lack of teamwork among the department managers. Everyone seemed to enjoy working in their own silos and, for whatever reason, was never focused on what I thought they should be doing. My epiphany occurred during a conversation with Renee, my administrative assistant.

I was telling her how disappointed I was that the department managers were not following my advice and not functioning as a team. She said, “Mr. K., it’s simple. Ever since you became our general manager, you have been telling us how we should do things, assuming you know the best answer. Never once have you asked for our opinion or help with any issue.”

I felt as though I had been hit on the head with a baseball bat. This 32-year-old general manager had just received a reality check on how his management team perceived him. A major paradigm shift in my leadership style quickly changed the club culture in a positive manner.

Not only did I engage our department managers on operational issues, but I also developed the same rapport with our entire employee team. Whenever an employee approached me with a problem, my favorite protocol became, “I can see that is an issue, what do you think we should do?”

A natural extension of this leadership strategy was to engage the same type of advice-seeking from our board members. Typically, private club boards are populated with successful and often influential people. I enjoyed tapping into this “brain trust” whenever there was an issue where I thought a particular board member might be able to provide insight. “Wow!!!” Best shortcut ever to getting some free advice.

As Kurt, Tom and I often say, “Admitting you don’t have all the answers doesn’t cost you credibility—it builds it.” Engaging the ready resources general managers have in their employee teams and boards is one of the quickest ways to build trust.

Yes, asking for help can truly be a shortcut to success. This much I know for sure.

The BoardRoom Magazine – July/August 2026

“This Much I Know for Sure” is a regular feature in BoardRoom magazine. Dick shares some of his reflections based on his 50-plus years of working in the private club business.