There is a point in almost every busy club season when the energy begins to shift.
The team that started the season energized and ready may now be working on tired feet. The schedule has been relentless. Members have been demanding. Events have stacked up. Staffing gaps may have required everyone to do a little more. The small frustrations that were easy to shake off in May can feel much bigger by August.
And leaders are often feeling it, too.
Mid-season fatigue is real. It can show up as shorter patience, less attention to detail, declining enthusiasm, more call-outs, missed communication, or a team simply going through the motions. Leaders may notice themselves becoming more reactive, spending their days solving problems and wondering why they have to keep reminding people of things the team already knows.
This is the point in the season when standards can begin to slip.
It is also an opportunity to reset.
Start With Empathy
Before addressing performance, recognize what the team has been carrying.
In a club environment, employees have spent weeks or months taking care of other people. They have smiled through long shifts, adjusted to changing member requests, worked weekends and holidays, covered for coworkers, managed weather disruptions, executed events, and continued showing up.
Acknowledging that effort does not lower the standard. It gives the leader credibility when it is time to refocus the team.
Sometimes people simply need to hear:
“This has been a demanding season. I see how hard you have been working, and I appreciate what this team has accomplished.”
That recognition can open the door to a different conversation: Now, how do we finish well?
Leaders should extend some of that same awareness to themselves. Leadership fatigue affects the room. When we are depleted, our patience changes. Our communication becomes shorter. Coaching starts to feel like one more thing on the list. Recognition becomes less frequent because we are focused on everything still needing attention.
Leaders set the emotional temperature for their teams. If your own energy has changed, acknowledge it and decide what you need to reset.
Change the State
Sometimes the team does not need another meeting about standards. They need to change their state.
When people have been operating in the same rhythm for months, doing something different can create a noticeable shift in energy.
Change the location of pre-shift. Bring everyone outside for ten minutes. Put music on before the team arrives. Have breakfast together. Let another team member lead the huddle. Create a friendly departmental challenge. Ask everyone to share one thing they are proud of from the season.
It does not have to be elaborate or expensive.
The goal is to interrupt the fatigue.
Even a small change can signal: We are resetting.
Leaders can also ask the team what would help. A simple conversation such as, “We have worked hard this season. What could we do as a team to bring some energy back into the next few weeks?” may generate ideas a manager would never have considered.
Give people some ownership of the reset.
Look Back Before Asking Everyone to Push Forward
Busy teams rarely stop long enough to recognize how much they have accomplished.
Think about what has happened since the beginning of the season. How many rounds have been played? How many members and guests have been served? How many events have been executed? How many new employees have learned their jobs? How many compliments have been received? How many difficult situations has the team handled successfully?
Put some numbers around it.
Share member comments. Revisit photographs from successful events. Recognize employees who have grown. Celebrate someone who learned a new skill, stepped into a leadership role, received a member compliment, covered a difficult shift, or quietly helped the team succeed.
Celebration gives people evidence that their effort has mattered.
It also reminds the team of something fatigue can make easy to forget: We are good at this. We have accomplished a lot together.
Reset the Standard
Once the team has had a chance to reconnect with what they have accomplished, revisit what matters for the remainder of the season.
Keep it simple.
This is probably not the time for a 45-minute retraining session covering every service standard. Identify the few things that matter most right now.
Maybe the dining team needs to refocus on table maintenance and anticipating needs. Golf operations may need renewed attention to arrival and bag handling. Housekeeping may need to revisit high-touch areas during peak periods. Managers may need to get back to stronger pre-shifts and more visible floor leadership.
Ask:
What are the three things we want to be known for through the end of this season?
Then coach those things consistently.
Mid-season fatigue often creates a knowing-doing gap. Employees generally know the standards. The opportunity is helping them reconnect their daily behaviors to the experience those standards are designed to create.
Create Some Wins
When people are tired, the end of the season can feel far away. Give the team something closer to work toward.
Create short-term wins.
Perhaps the goal is seven days of exceptional opening readiness. A week of member recognition by name. Five consecutive shifts with outstanding pre-shifts. A departmental goal around member compliments or teamwork.
Make progress visible and celebrate it.
Small wins create momentum. Momentum creates energy.
And energy is contagious.
Give People Something to Look Forward To
Hope matters more than we sometimes recognize in the workplace.
Employees need to see where they are going, especially during a demanding stretch of the season. Talk about what is ahead. The final tournament. The last major event. A team celebration. A seasonal milestone. A quieter period. An opportunity someone will have next season.
Give the team a finish line they can see.
Then make finishing well something you are doing together.
“We only have six more weeks” carries a very different feeling from “We have six weeks left to make this our best finish yet.”
The language leaders use shapes how people experience the work ahead.
Finish With Intention
Every season has a middle.
There will be weeks when people are tired, leaders are stretched, and the excitement that came with opening day feels distant. Strong club cultures anticipate those moments and respond intentionally.
Notice the fatigue. Recognize the effort. Change the state. Celebrate what has been accomplished. Simplify the priorities. Create a few wins. Give people something to look forward to.
And leaders should remember that they are part of the reset, too.
Your team does not need endless enthusiasm or manufactured positivity. They need a leader who can recognize where they are, reconnect them to why their work matters, and help everyone find the energy to finish together.
A season is remembered by more than how it starts.
How you finish matters, too.
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About the Author: Whitney Reid Pennell
Whitney Reid Pennell is the Founder and President of RCS Hospitality Group (formerly Reid Consulting Services), a firm she launched over two decades ago to bring her experience, education, and passion for excellence to the private club and hospitality industry.
Throughout her career, Whitney has helped clubs navigate an evolving landscape shaped by shifting demographics, changing workforce dynamics, and advancing technology, while staying grounded in the timeless principles of hospitality. She is known for her ability to balance innovation with tradition, ensuring clubs remain both relevant and true to their core values.
With a hands-on approach and deep industry expertise, Whitney and her team partner with clubs to strengthen operations, elevate service, and build lasting relationships that support long-term success.