What’s Needed, Not Just What’s Left: the CFO Championing Staff and Strategy

In the private club industry, where member satisfaction is the ultimate priority, the role of Chief Financial Officer is evolving. Today’s CFO is expected to serve as a strategic leader, someone who contributes far beyond the balance sheet, shaping culture, fostering collaboration, and championing professional development across departments. They are no longer confined to traditional financial oversight—they’re helping to build the future of the club. 

As Nick Gerstner, CFO of Desert Highlands in Scottsdale, Arizona, put it: 
“The employee experience is just as important as the member experience.” 

This may seem like a bold statement in an industry where every decision revolves around member satisfaction. But Nick’s insight reflects a deeper truth: the member experience is only as strong as the team delivering it. When employees are empowered, trained, and supported, they provide exceptional service.  

Breaking Out of the “Land of No” 

Historically, the finance office has earned a reputation as the “Land of No,” the place where requests for new software, staff development, or training are routinely denied. But what if the CFO took a different approach? 

A proactive CFO can flip the script by helping department heads think ahead about leadership training, communication skills, or onboarding support when building their budgets. 

Rather than waiting to reject last-minute training requests, the CFO can work in tandem with the GM/COO and department heads to ensure budgets are forward-looking, setting aside funds for development that supports a high-performing team.  

Budgeting with Vision 

The CFO’s strategic role includes identifying unseen needs: 

This type of planning elevates professionalism and sends a clear message to employees: their growth is valued. 

Showing, Not Just Telling 

Board members may need to see the need for staff investment firsthand. CFOs can take a cue from a conversation I had with Nick Gerstner, CFO, who suggested inviting Board members on a behind-the-scenes tour, visiting spaces such as employee break rooms, locker rooms, kitchens, and back-of-house service corridors. 

We discussed the importance of showcasing the quality of employee meals, the condition of staff amenities, and whether these facilities reflect the same standard of care as the member spaces.  

A Culture of Partnership 

The alignment between the CFO and the GM/COO is central to this cultural shift. While not all clubs have embraced this model, the industry is moving in this direction. Clubs with the scale, complexity, and ambition to support executive-level collaboration are increasingly seeking CFOs who are active strategic partners, helping the GM/COO lead with clarity, confidence, and a full picture of the club’s performance and potential.  

Integrating Industry Perspectives 

Annette Whittley—a former Director of Food and Beverage at both Congressional Country Club and Four Seasons, and now a trainer and search consultant with Kopplin, Kuebler & Wallace—often reflects on a key principle she carried forward from her leadership journey: we are always paying for training, whether through proactive investment or the costly consequences of neglecting it. 

She credits this realization to her time at Congressional, where her CEO wrote the phrase on her office whiteboard. This idea stuck and eventually became a guiding philosophy. In her article, she discusses the daily rigors of training and coaching in high-performing teams. Training wasn’t reserved for special events; it was embedded in the culture through daily pre-shift briefings, quizzes, guest speakers, and learning from mistakes. “The sin was not making a mistake,” she writes, “the sin was repeating it.” 

As a fellow trainer and consultant in the private club industry, I have also seen firsthand how often clubs realize too late that training wasn’t in the budget, not because it wasn’t needed, but because it wasn’t planned for. When I introduce a new leadership or communication training program, I’m often told they’ll need to “find the money.” This reinforces the perception that Finance is a roadblock when, in fact, a proactive CFO could have paved the way months earlier. 

The CFO has the power to eliminate these excuses by collaborating early with department heads, helping them anticipate needs, and building training into the operating plan. This isn’t about spending more, it’s about planning better. With foresight, clubs can allocate resources where they’ll have the most significant impact: the people who serve the members every day. 

Both Annette and I develop and facilitate training programs tailored to the unique environment of private clubs. Our work underscores the same principle: if you want a high-performing team, training cannot be an afterthought. It must be an expectation—supported from the top down, built into the budget, and championed by leaders like the CFO. 

You are always paying for training. The question is: Are you paying for it wisely? 

Strategic Planning for the Long Game 

In addition to training and development, CFOs must consider the long-term impact of succession planning. When clubs lack a strategy to cultivate internal talent pipelines, they risk disruption, the loss of institutional knowledge, and missed opportunities to promote from within. 

Succession planning requires more than just intent; it necessitates a comprehensive approach that includes a clear vision, career mapping, structured mentoring, forecasting, and a multi-year professional development strategic plan. These initiatives demand financial foresight and must be built into annual budgets. By collaborating with department heads to identify emerging leaders and aligning resources to support their development, CFOs can play a crucial role in ensuring leadership continuity throughout the organization.  

Leading the Investment in People 

As clubs elevate expectations for the member experience, the demand for staff excellence rises in parallel. Excellence doesn’t happen by chance. It requires planning, investment, and effective leadership. A forward-thinking CFO doesn’t simply approve or deny line items; they help shape the future of the club by championing its people. 

When the CFO is engaged as a strategic leader—forecasting the team’s needs, allocating resources thoughtfully, and collaborating with department heads and the GM/COO—staff development becomes a shared priority, not an afterthought. 

Clubs that recognize the evolving role of the CFO will not only budget more intentionally but also strengthen their teams, improve workplace culture, and increase organizational resilience. 

And that is money well spent. 

Michelle Riklan 

Michelle is a seasoned professional, specializing in finance-related executive search and recruitment in the private club industry. Her expertise in sourcing, recruiting, identifying, and placing top talent has earned her the reputation as a leading figure in the finance search field for private clubs.

Throughout her career, Michelle has demonstrated a deep understanding of the intricacies of talent acquisition in the private club industry. Her journey began with hands-on experience in front-of-house restaurant operations during her college years. She later transitioned into corporate human resource management, where she honed her skills as a generalist, specializing in employment, employee relations, and training and development within Fortune 1000/500 companies.

Stepping into the world of entrepreneurship, Michelle founded a successful career management firm, focusing on personal career marketing, outplacement, and soft skills training. With over 30 years of experience, she has seamlessly navigated roles as a human resources executive, executive recruiter, career marketing strategist, trainer, and speaker, serving individuals and companies across diverse industries.

Michelle’s extensive background, combined with her passion for excellence, makes her an invaluable resource for search, training, consulting, and coaching in the private club industry.  

Connect with Michelle on LinkedIn.

This article originally appeared on HFTP.