The "How we do small things" Podcast

The August 2026 Summer Conference was one to remember! What a pleasure to chat with our fearless leader, Kelly Grabowsky. Kelly absolutely killed it at conference this year - the education and presenters were amazing, the thought and planning was evident and the venue was unbeatable. Perhaps the biggest thing we all noticed was all of the small details that went into making this year's August conference special...Just more proof of the small things being the big things!

In this conversation we also get to hear from Rob Martin, who is our FLCMAA VP and also the GM/COO of Wycliffe Golf and Country Club in Wellington. 

Of course we talk about conference and all that goes into the planning...but we also talk about core memories and how getting woken up at 3:30a by a fire alarm, can also be a positive experience. We touch on all things from AI to empathy, to new conference attendees, to takeaways and a little bit of insight into the future of FLCMAA....

And of course, they each pull a question from the ice bucket of truth and share their on the spot thoughts when I ask..."FLCMAA is........"

Rob and Kelly are true leaders who have the vision at heart!

Spencer saw an opportunity to revolutionize the club F&B business that happens outside of your clubhouse...Clubs are very different today than 20 years ago. Golf is important, but not the main thing...Members now want to connect with their club in different ways - activity and lively resort pool areas, racquet sports, take out and delivery and on course delivery....ClubGrub connects your food service with all of these member desires and expectations and it does so seamlessly.

We're proud to be on the first clubs in SWFL to partner with ClubGrub and begin offering our members a new way to enjoy the F&B experience in all areas within our gates. 

Obviously, when Spencer told us he'd be in town, we knew we had to get him behind the mic.

Check out ClubGrub and revolutionize your F&B offerings: https://clubgrubapp.com/#top

This was an episode that was recorded at the FLCMAA Summer Conference held in Sarasota, FL. I had the privilege of chatting with Alan Gregerman who was one of our keynote speakers and from what I and many others felt - the best session of the conference! Alan shared the power of curiosity, creativity and looking at things with a beginners mind and stay open to seeing how new ideas and concepts can come from existing things, designs or processes. He's an incredible speaker and an even more incredible person who has a zest for life and a natural curiosity for seeing things differently. 

Alan's Bio:

Alan Gregerman is a highly-respected and award-winning keynote
speaker, best-selling author, business consultant, teacher, community
volunteer, and all-around nice guy who has been called “one of the
most original thinkers in business today” and “the Robin Williams of
business consulting.” His work, research, and writing focus on helping 
companies and organizations to unlock the genius in all of their 
people in order to innovate, grow, and deliver the most compelling 
value to their customers.

Alan’s first three books—"The Necessity of Strangers," "Surrounded by
Geniuses," and "Lessons from the Sandbox"—challenge our thinking
about people, the world around us, where brilliant ideas actually come
from, and how to reach our full potential as individuals, leaders, and
organizations. His newest book, "The Wisdom of Ignorance,” available
October 2025, is all about the six essential skills all of us and all of our
companies and organizations will need to master to innovate, have
greater impact, and remain relevant in a fast-changing and uncertain 
world.

Learn more about Alan and his mission by visiting his website:

https://alangregerman.com/

He's also active on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alan-gregerman-a33b236/

What does it really take to create an extraordinary hospitality experience?

In the Season 2 premiere of How We Do Small Things, Joe and Executive Chef Jay sit down with Matthew Gilbert of Medinah Country Club for a wide-ranging conversation about food, leadership, creativity, culture, and the relationships that make private clubs special.

Despite operating at very different clubs, the conversation quickly reveals how universal the principles of great hospitality really are. From preparing years in advance for major events like the Presidents Cup to creating unforgettable culinary experiences, the group explores the enormous amount of work that happens behind the scenes to make hospitality look effortless.

But the conversation goes much deeper than food.

Matthew, Jay, and Joe discuss the importance of earning trust before introducing change, balancing a club's traditions with the need to continually evolve, and understanding that creativity only works when it is built on a foundation of consistency and credibility.

They also explore the unique relationship between a chef and general manager, why leaders can't be above doing any job, how positivity and negativity spread throughout an organization, and why authenticity from leadership gives everyone else permission to bring more of themselves to work.

Perhaps most importantly, the conversation comes back again and again to relationships. Members can find great food almost anywhere. What they can't easily find is the feeling of belonging somewhere—of knowing the chef, being remembered by the team, having someone notice the small details, and feeling genuinely cared for.

The episode closes with a conversation about mentorship, developing the next generation of hospitality professionals, and a reminder for young leaders: don't simply chase the biggest name or most prestigious property. Find great people to work for and learn from.

Because ultimately, the moments people remember aren't always the biggest ones.

They're often the small ones.

And how we do small things is how we do all things.

Stay tuned!

2.5 million square feet of convention space....to say the National Restaurant Show was overwhelming is an understatement. But we're glad we had the opportunity to attend. We had some quality time discussing pizza, sampling new food and products and brainstorming what's possible in the future...

What was it like the first season back in the clubhouse? That's the discussion on the table in this episode with Scott, Chef Jay and Joe. Yes....We made it. Season started in July with members over the top excited to get back into the club and experience what they've waited two years for - an extra long year but overall it was incredibly successful. Members were patient - nearly everything was well supported and the team was able to pivot as the activity grew and we figured out how the club and the new spaces were being utilized. 

We shared some insider details and "things we'd recommend" if you're about to open a new facility...Buckle up and tune in for this one...and of course, we finish up with with a small thing that made a big impact.

Three questions...

1. How has marketing and communications changed in 40 years?

2. How has communications at Countryside changed in 20 years?

3. How do you continue growing  a 20 year solid foundation of communications?

Mary Groesser, Countryside's Director of Communication for the past 20 years reflects on you her 40 year career in the marketing, advertising and graphic design industry - you won't believe how far things have come in a relatively short time. Ironic how Mary is finishing up her career the same year Countryside is celebrating its 40th anniversary. Half of her career was spent at Countryside growing our communications department into what it is today - best in class! 

How do we plan to keep it best in class?? Sarah Nadal....Our new Director of Communications. Hand selected by Mary for her unique background, eye for detail and incredible perspective in how she is able to see what needs to be communicated and understood from the Member's perspective. She's got big shoes to fill but is more than up to the challenge and already taking things to the next level. 

This is a cool episode not only because of these two ladies being powerhouses in the communication field, but also because it's not often you're able to sit down with a long term retiring team member and the incoming team member to discuss their areas of expertise and how the "torch is being passed"...

Enjoy this one - tons of wisdom and remember...."How we do small things is how we do ALL things"..

Another busy month. Another month of record golf rounds. We chat all things golf with our golf ops leadership. We're finishing up our first season back in the club and as expected activity was an all time high. The team discusses the ingredients that led to a successful year and high member satisfaction. We also discuss culture, expectations and how empowerment means the most in tough situations....and of course, we share some small stuff...

In this episode we talk about all kinds of stuff....We recap February, the shortest / longest month of the year. We share some very impressive, almost unbelievable stats...listen closely to learn how many range balls get hit at Countryside...It's alot of balls....

And our historical averages across all departments have been shattered...The team is setting records everyday and doing it with pride and grace. 

Overall we discuss all kinds of topics as is usual in our monthly recaps...

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