More than anything, General Managers expect their Director of Racquets to be a team player whose primary goal is to help execute the club's mission and vision. 

Getting and staying on the same page requires open and honest communication between the two parties. The General Manager has to be willing to hear, and learn about the needs of the Racquet Department, and the Director of Racquets has to be open and understanding of the needs of the club as a whole.

What does that mean in actionable items? A General Manager faces a barrage of people and situations daily. "General" is the tell, as the successful General Manager bounces between multiple challenges within the club throughout the day. The General Manager relies on the Department Heads to be the experts in their respective fields.  

The Director of Racquets should be the expert in the field of racquets within their private club, and is often recognized as a leader within the industry. 

Inevitably, when a member comments or questions the General Manager center around the Racquets program, the General Manager will need to engage with their Director of Racquets and to answer the question or solve the problem. The General Manager expects the Director of Racquets to get everyone to the answer or solution efficiently. Going one step further, the greater question is whether the Director of Racquets can solve the problem without getting the General Manager further involved? 

An astute General Manager will understand how the Director of Racquets sees the club’s racquet program currently and where the program should move into the future, and trust the Director of Racquets to act on his/her behalf.  

If both the General Manager and the Director of Racquets are on the same page regarding the current status and future direction of the racquets program, there is a much higher likelihood of achieving a successful General Manager / Director of Racquet relationship. The opposite is true as well. If the General Manager and Director of Racquets are not on the same page, there is a greater likelihood of confusion among members, mixed signals to other team members, and frustrated communications between the General Manager and the Department Head.