 Poster: A snowHead
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Well when you are a top exec you've always got to be on the look out for something bigger and better even if that means only staying around for a year or so. Better to go now rather than not delivering all the things you promised!
Someone I know was told by an HR exec (who no doubt spouted on in public about loyalty etc., and thats a Personnel officer for those who know what they really do) that you should spend 20% of your time at work looking/networking for your next role.
DG, Undoubtedly you will be applying.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@ster, What a wonderful idea. Where can I/we vote? 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| ster wrote: |
Well when you are a top exec you've always got to be on the look out for something bigger and better even if that means only staying around for a year or so. Better to go now rather than not delivering all the things you promised!
Someone I know was told by an HR exec (who no doubt spouted on in public about loyalty etc., and thats a Personnel officer for those who know what they really do) that you should spend 20% of your time at work looking/networking for your next role. . |
I thought the secret of management was to move on to your next management role before the chickens come home to roost in your present one..... 
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The seagull school of management: squawk loudly, poo-poo over everything then fly off.
I've worked for a few of that school.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Just read thro the last page of postings. Whilst I don't really root for the principal antagonist, he does seem to come up quick with the news, and often things that never get aired on the Club site, eg production of Ski and Board.
This time they have been quick to advise Members of the resignation. I never thought a lot of the chap anyway.Don't know why, just didn't ring true.
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| Farley Goode wrote: |
Just read thro the last page of postings. Whilst I don't really root for the principal antagonist, he does seem to come up quick with the news, and often things that never get aired on the Club site, eg production of Ski and Board.
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He does but to what point? I guess it is a hobby.
Clearly the ski club is very entrenched as even snowheads hasn't succeeded in dislodging it. One day Rodney, one day!
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It's not clear if the timing is coincidental or coordinated, but less than 24 hours after yesterday's announcement of Darren Neylon's resignation the SCGB has posted that its Council is co-opting two new directors (described as 'non-executive') ... namely Abigail Bunney and Angus Maciver ...
https://www.skiclub.co.uk/news/ski-club-news/2019/04/appointment-of-new-council-members
The Club's AGM last November was unusual, in that the two vacant positions on Council which are now being filled (6 months later) did not attract any candidates looking to be voted in.
From yesterday's news ...
| Quote: |
| Ian Holt the Club’s Treasurer and Vice-chairman has agreed to act as interim Chief Executive Officer on a part time basis until a new permanent Chief Executive Officer joins the Ski Club. |
This is interesting, inasmuch as when the Club's former CEO Frank McCusker died suddenly in June 2017, Tim Whelan (Head of Commercial Services / Head of Finance) took over the day-to-day running of the organisation until Darren Neylon joined as CEO in March 2018. This time the arrangement is clearly different. It may, in fact, be unique in the 166-years history of the SCGB for a treasurer to adopt administrative control of the organisation.
Ian Holt is pictured here, in March 2018 ...
... in a ceremony at De Montfort University, handing over its historical collection of books, trophies, artwork and artefacts for archiving.
https://www.dmu.ac.uk/about-dmu/news/2018/march/ski-club-of-gb-hands-over-a-century-of-history-to-dmu.aspx
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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How's the SCGB ski pub doing?
Is it open yet n do they have chunky chips (& gravy)?
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@Davina Goldballs, FWIW, I think you'd make an excellent executive of the SCGB. It's utterly shameful that the members are too brainwashed to see past the establishment-driven propaganda to give you a chance.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@AL9000, perhaps we should have a snowHeads-driven attempt to get @Davina on to the board or appointed Chief Exec. Then we could sort out the chunky chips and gravy.
Actually, the idea of @Davina as chief exec does quite amuse me.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@Alastair, I fear the power of the old boys in the SCGB establishment is far too strong for my campaign on chunky chips n gravy. In fact, i suspect even my compromise resolutions of large battered onion rings or melted cheese on garlic bread, would be loudly guffawed at 
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| Alastair wrote: |
...
Actually, the idea of @Davina as chief exec does quite amuse me. |
I think it would be a breath of fresh air for the SCGB but of course, it's an internal matter for the SCGB membership. Unfortunately they've been programmed to be far too narrow and insular in their thinking and extremely protective of their established elite.
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You know it makes sense.
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| AL9000 wrote: |
| Alastair wrote: |
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Actually, the idea of @Davina as chief exec does quite amuse me. |
I think it would be a breath of fresh air for the SCGB but of course, it's an internal matter for the SCGB membership. Unfortunately they've been programmed to be far too narrow and insular in their thinking and extremely protective of their established elite. |
Rather a case of "kill or cure" and I really don't know which way it would go. As a member, I could be very tempted to support it out of interest. I have this strange feeling that the result wouldn't be any worse than the current situation.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Davina Goldballs, I would vote for you, especially if there were chunky chips and gravy in it for me! (I would have to join first though and sadly its not an election).
I am interested to see they are using the same recruitment company as who got the last splitter. They must either be doing it for a free/reduced cost rather than the rationale of "they will do better this this time as they know what went wrong last time". (See Alastair Morton and Eurotunnel)
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Alastair, The current situation excludes chunk chips - FFS it can't get any worse!
As a member, pls exercise your rights and fight for your freedom! Davina could do for the SCGB what Mel Gibson did for the Scots. Viva la revolucion!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Better Davina than Gerry.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@esaw1, TBF, that ol slapper liked a chunky chip
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Sounds like a euphemism.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I try and avoid the sort of internal divinations that go in this thread. A few ritual sacrifices and examination of the entrails and the various oracles pronouncing. I really fear whether there is the calibre of person out there who is willing to do the job at the salary affordable. As a member I like the insurance and some of the discounts but the whole leader business only benefits the few who go to resorts with a leader. The only way of success going forward is as a buyer and agent of good priced services probably at a lower sub. Scrub leaders and negotiate good rates in resorts for guiding as in France. New strategic thinking but will the directors be prepared to swallow that and will the new CEO be prepared to break the mould and think outside the box. The status quo had to change but I right - probably not but the status quo has to be changed. And that is not a criticism of the current board as some like to do. A CEO has to drive but not many CEO are capable. In C21 envisaging the future in a different way is critical. Oh and they could start by reverting to the old website which was streets ahead of the new one but still relatively poor
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| countryman wrote: |
| .. will the directors be prepared to swallow that and will the new CEO be prepared .... |
An excellent question.
From afar, it seems the new leadership are not as prepared as the previous leadership to do whatever it takes, not as intellectually instinktual, or as butch to grab the bull by its horn.
Perhaps it's time to bring back the old guard, with plentiful experience and willing to get their head down, roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty to service the clientele with the same diligence and stamina as before?
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@esaw1, Not at alll....Give him 6 months at his usual rate and he'll get alot of jobs done.
SCGB could do alot worse than Davina IMHO.
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@AL9000, Having worked in a similar role in a smaller but higher turnover members' club I can understand how difficult it may be to retain a good quality Chief Executive. The place I worked for only had about 800 members but I sometimes felt that I had 800 bosses with 801 opinions on how I should be doing my job.
Once a members's club gets to the size of a medium size business, it has to be run as a business even if the executive are ultimately answerable to members rather than shareholders. The members won't always like that, because it may feel less of a club and changes may not be welcome, but it must be the Chief Executive's job to run the place for the benefit of all. A supporting board/council/whatever must enable the CEO to do his/her job within the brief provided, but that brief needs to be clear. This doesn't necessarily mean that the club needs to look like a business from the outside, which this club certainly does at the moment and which, IMHO, is part of its problem.
I note that the CEO is working a month's notice which implies that his departure is his decision. It would be interesting to know the reasons for his departure but I fear we may have had a clash of opinions between a 'go-ahead' CEO and a less dynamic council. If this is the case, the council need to address this before appointing a replacement, or they will surely repeat their mistake.
I don't think the Ski Club really knows what it wants to be and it needs to work that out.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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That all sounds right, from this outsider's perspective. It looks like a cat herding job; not one I'd take until they were truly united in desperation and willing to do whatever is necessary. I'm a bit surprised that they're still there at all.
It's not my area, but the notice thing seems a bit strange in a senior role, although you don't know what happened prior to this.
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@Alastair, Your last para says it all, really. If you don't know where you're going, you'll get nowhere fast. Seems like fresh minds are needed.
What do SCGB do well? What not so well? What would they like to do? 3 bullets for each pls.
TBH, I don't see much but definitely don't see a huge problem, it's not as though they're going bankrupt and need a turnaround.
These things go in cycles. Seen the same thing in golf clubs over the years. Responsiveness is key IME.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@philwig, It's rarely anything but herding cats nowadays. Little team spirit anywhere. As for long term vision  where can I get chunky chips on Friday night!
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| AL9000 wrote: |
These things go in cycles. Seen the same thing in golf clubs over the years. Responsiveness is key IME. |
Golf clubs, like the kind of club I used to manage, are in some ways quite different - people attend and take part on the club's premises. Members feel a strong relationship with the club as non-members can't come in (unless there's some kind of agreed reciprocal relationship with another club). You go to a place where you 'belong' - and may have had to be proposed before being accepted. Sheer membership has a perceived value.
The Ski Club doesn't offer anything similar to members to encourage the feeling of membership of the club. A nationwide club offering access to its premises in Wimbledon (or wherever they've moved to) isn't offering access to most of its potential members, only those who happen to live nearby. Instructor led Guiding in its much diminished role in France is simply offered at a discount to members - why is it accessible to non-members at all? Indeed, why not train Ski Club reps to the standard required locally so it can be offered free to members as was the case in the past?
The Ski Club's actual offerings to an ordinary member like me primarily consist of a magazine (interesting, but could be so much better) and 'discounted' insurance which I can obtain cheaper elsewhere. Renewing my membership is an act of faith that things will improve. There's no sign of that happening, and there needs to be a good reason for people to join.
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My understanding is that the Council were all 100% behind the CEO and his vision and the one or two on the executive side that weren’t onside were quickly shown the door. He’s simply been headhunted and there’s nothing more to it that that.
There really is no old boy network in charge at the club and holding it back like there is at snowHeads.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Alastair Pink, Well we're all getting on a bit. Maybe we need an old boys network, sponsored by Tena incontinence pads, or support group for the summer months?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| AL9000 wrote: |
But just like a golf club, you make of it what you will. Some just play a round with a chum or 2 then go home; others enter every comp or cane the bar every Sunday afternoon.
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The problem is they don't have any greens/links (or whatever golfers call them) and only one clubhouse.
The problem with any existing organization is that effecting change is difficult because you either wee wee off your existing vested interests or try to carry them with you. They screwed up social media because they felt they had too much to lose. by letting members actually talk to each other. At the moment it seems more a case of managing the decline, a bit like British Leyland.
For people who are serious about snowsports then Snowsports England seems to off the best pathway
For people who want to have a career in skiing there is BASI
The ski club's USPs were the weather service (better skiing on upper slopes), insurance and discounts and resort "guiding". The weather service is no longer that relevant in 2019 plus they wouldn't let Reps just post conditions directly in the forum due to commercial interests. The guiding service was kiboshed in many areas as the club appeared to local authorities be a business and not a club, that leaves insurance and discounts, a bit like a ski version of Groupon.
Difficult role for a new CEO, if they make real changes and screw up they'll be blamed for killing the ski club. So the natural thing to do is to come in for a couple of years, take the salary and then move on.
David is right that "Ski and Bored" could be a real federator kind of publication if it were run well with some interesting content. Should it be paper these days or electronic?
Should they move away from being a specialized Tour Operator and revert to being more of a club?
As for snowheads, it is a specialized Tour Operator with an associated forum, it is certainly not a club but a private business.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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This place has a membership which as a private business provides a market for the owner to sell to. That pays for the site and provides services which "members" can take or leave.
In contrast, the SCGB has a membership who are essentially paying to be part of a market which the SCGB can sell to.
In 2019 the latter looks like an outdated business model to me.
In terms of assets, the SCGB is a brand, but it's hardly been a shining light of snow-sports in my life time at least, and feels more like baggage.
Their "futures" video seems to think that one brand will run from families through to teenager hipsters... without any obvious understanding of where there may be a market need.
Do people really need to join a club to find live music in Whistler, and would such a thing be remotely cool? Would even posh people really join a club their parents are members of?
I'd guess that the SCGB is a bunch of oldsters hung up on pride for a brand which has little relevance to anyone outside their clique.
That's a tough place to start from.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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The membership might be a little older than the SCGB would like, but they still have around 28,000 members, a large proportion of which renew every year. So it's obviously not as completely irrelevant as some here would suggest. It might not be perfect, and obviously faces some challenges, as all membership organisations currently do, but it clearly still provides some benefits and services that a significant number of people feel it's worth paying their membership fee for.
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I have a friend who has recently turned 90 and hasn't skied in donkey's years, but still renews his membership every year. Go figure. Personally I don't see the point of the Ski Club, even though I'm not exactly young myself. 
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https://planetski.eu/news/11023
Quite an ambitious agenda, but I'm not sure how relevant it is to the existing membership?
And the SCGB mag would have a tough time competing with Planetski for news n articles.
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Planetski Old news, I wonder how much of that is related to the departure though.
It's probably a "Planet Ski" error, but the one snowboarder image in that link has a bloke sitting down carrying ski poles.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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That Planet ski interview tells you all you need to know. You can somehow tell that he didn't believe in it and identified the issue perfectly:
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| "Our existing demographic is getting older and older and we are not bringing new blood into the club..... the average age of our membership was 46 in 2009 and now, in 2018, it's 53." |
The momentum is all the wrong way and accelerating. The "new blood" as he puts it will do anything but join a crusty old idea. It's why some clubs just pack up and divi up the remaining cash among the members. If you were starting a brand new club from scratch would you end up with something that looks and feels like SCGB? No, no you wouldn't. So it's simply no longer fit for purpose, has a very limited shelf life left and may as well quit while the cash balance is still positive.
The benefits aren't unique, too few people really love it and care about it and the club doesn't seem have a defined vision or purpose.
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| philwig wrote: |
This place has a membership which as a private business provides a market for the owner to sell to. That pays for the site and provides services which "members" can take or leave.
In contrast, the SCGB has a membership who are essentially paying to be part of a market which the SCGB can sell to. |
The Ski Club of Great Britain doesn’t make a profit although I do accept this is difficult for small minded snowHeads to get there limit intellects around. Actually I think it’s small and cliquey businesses like snowHeads that are outdated.
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FAQ
