In clubs, the most sought-after leaders are almost never scrolling job boards or broadcasting interest in a change. The reality is simple and often uncomfortable: the strongest general managers, COOs, and senior department heads are usually fully engaged, well-supported, and deeply invested right where they are.
Understanding why this is true and what clubs can do about it is one of the most important shifts boards and leadership teams must make when thinking about talent.
Stability Is Not Complacency
Top-tier leaders tend to stay put not because they lack ambition, but because they are being challenged in the right ways. Many are in roles that offer meaningful scope, trusted authority, and a clear runway for impact. They are improving systems, developing people, and stewarding long-term strategies. In other words, they are building something, and builders rarely abandon projects midstream without a compelling reason.
Upward mobility also plays a role. When a club provides internal growth, including expanded responsibility, exposure to the board, capital project leadership, or enterprise-level thinking, leaders feel momentum. Even when the title stays the same, the role evolves. That evolution matters more than a line on a résumé.
Culture Is the Anchor
Culture is one of the strongest reasons great leaders stay, and one of the clearest signals they look
Healthy cultures are not accidental. They are built on clarity, consistency, and trust. Leaders stay when expectations are aligned, values are lived (not laminated), and performance is measured fairly. They stay when accountability runs in both directions: when leadership is empowered to lead, and governance is exercised with discipline.
This is where healthy boards quietly but profoundly influence retention. Boards that understand their role and operate at a strategic altitude create space for management teams to flourish. When boards resist micromanagement, support long-term decision-making, and evaluate performance through a thoughtful, professional lens, senior leaders are far more likely to remain committed, even through difficult seasons.
Compensation Is Necessary but Rarely Sufficient
Competitive compensation matters. It must. But it is rarely the deciding factor for top candidates.
Conversely, leaders will often remain in roles where compensation is fair (not extravagant) if they believe in the mission, trust the board, and see a future.
Timing Is Everything
The best candidates are often open to conversations, not jobs.
They are not running from something; they are listening for something. A well-timed, discreet outreach that speaks to purpose, stability, and vision can open a door that a job posting never will. This requires patience and discernment. It also requires understanding where a candidate is in their professional and personal life cycle.
Many senior leaders will only consider change when the opportunity is clearly better, not just different. That “better” often has little to do with prestige and everything to do with alignment.
Why Job Postings Miss the Mark
When clubs rely solely on active job seekers, they limit their field to those who are either dissatisfied, displaced, or early in their careers. There are excellent leaders in that pool, but not the full spectrum of talent.
The strongest candidates rarely apply. They must be identified, approached, and thoughtfully engaged. This takes time. It also takes a clear articulation of who the club is, where it is going, and how leadership is supported once hired.
How Clubs Attract Leaders Who Aren’t Looking
Attracting passive candidates begins long before a search starts.
Clubs that consistently draw interest tend to share a few characteristics:
When a club can articulate these elements honestly and confidently, conversations change. The dialogue moves from “Why should I leave?” to “Is this a place where I could do my best work?”
A Different Mindset for a Different Market
The executive talent market in private clubs has shifted. Leaders today are more selective,
For boards and search committees, this requires a mindset shift; a shift from filling a vacancy to stewarding a leadership transition. It means investing time upfront to understand the club’s culture, governance health, and readiness for the next leader. It means recognizing that the best outcome is not always the fastest one.
When clubs do this work well, something interesting happens: the right candidates lean in and not because they were looking, but because they recognized alignment.
And that is almost always how the best hires are made.
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About the Author: Paige Frazier