CDT Launches Internal Working Groups for Employee Collaboration

The Cliff Drysdale Tennis (CDT) portfolio spans worldwide, stretching from the islands of Bermuda to the coast of Hawai’i, with a plethora of locations in between. As a result, it can be difficult for company employees to connect amidst their respective time zones and schedules, much less have the opportunity to collaborate on areas and ideas for innovation.

In an effort to combat this disconnect, CDT leadership recently launched online, internal roundtables, providing employees with a chance to log valuable facetime with their peers and more importantly, foster a fruitful discussion around company (and industry) growth areas. The following shares a glimpse into the first of many CDT roundtables for organizational leaders looking to develop their own internal working groups.

“Junior Tennis Engagement” was chosen as the series’ inaugural topic. Rather than selecting a specific group of participants, a signup form was distributed company-wide so employees of all levels and experience backgrounds had a chance to nominate themselves for the discussion. As a result, the first roundtable included a mix of tennis professionals, junior program directors, directors of tennis and even company new-hires who were eager to exchange insights on junior tennis innovation.

To keep the discussions focused, CDT Regional Director and Director of Tennis at The Standard Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, Stewart Crerar, was selected as facilitator for all Junior Tennis roundtables. Crerar has played an active role in developing junior tennis pathways and engagement modules at CDT, making him a natural choice to oversee and guide the upcoming meetings.

Finally, each participant was given a post-meeting “assignment” to translate the discussion into a variety of distributable content. For example, participants from the first Junior Tennis group were charged with creating their own brief video answering a frequently asked question they receive from parents at their home club. Such videos will consequently help educate parents and players, as well as demonstrate best communication practices and program structures to fellow industry professionals.

“These roundtables are a great opportunity for all our pros and directors to get involved, work with peers and further develop their own skills,” noted Scott McCulloch, Vice President of Operations at Cliff Drysdale Tennis. “Our goal is for these groups to become a part of ongoing program and pro-development so employees have a platform to share their thoughts and promote innovation within the company.”

We look forward to the insights these roundtables will bring, as well as the opportunity to provide our employees with a new avenue for collaboration. As Steve Jobs pointed out: “Great things in business are never done by one person. They’re done by a team of people.”