Private Club Radio Show
Welcome to the Private Club Radio Show, the industry's weekly source for education, news, trends, and other current developments in the world of private clubs.
Hosted by the talented entertainer and industry expert, Denny Corby,
the podcast offers a unique perspective on the private club industry, featuring expert guests, product spotlights, predictions, and more.
Whether you're involved in a golf club management, yacht clubs, athletic clubs, or business clubs, the Private Club Radio Show is the essential podcast for
anyone seeking valuable insights and information on the latest trends and developments in the private club industry.
Private Club Radio Show
459: Managing Peers, Finding Mentors & Leading Early w/ Mikayla Luby
How do you go from college intern to banquet manager before 30 — and actually lead with confidence?
In this episode of Private Club Radio, we’re joined by Mikayla Luby, a rising star in the private club industry, who shares her journey from hospitality student to full-time banquet manager at a major country club.
We explore what it’s like to grow your career inside a private club — navigating early leadership challenges, earning respect from older team members, communicating under pressure, and managing large-scale events. Mikayla offers relatable, honest insight into the real-life tradeoffs of club life — from working weekends while friends are out, to the responsibility of managing peers and building trust fast.
Whether you're a young professional starting out in private clubs, a club executive mentoring next-gen leaders, or someone exploring a career in country clubs, this episode offers powerful lessons in growth, grit, and professional development.
Tune in and hear what it really takes to rise quickly in the country club world — and why Mikayla believes more young professionals should give this industry a closer look.
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Hey everybody, welcome to the Private Club Radio Show, where we give you the scoop on all things private golf and country clubs From mastering, leadership and management, food and beverage excellence, member engagement secrets, board governance and everything in between, all while keeping it fun and light. Whether you're a club veteran just getting your feet wet or somewhere in the middle, you are in the right place. I'm your host, denny Corby. Welcome to the show. Today's episode is all about starting from the bottom, grinding your way up and learning how to thrive as a young leader in today's club world. I get to chat with Michaela Luby, who didn't grow up around clubs, didn't grow up around golf, didn't grow up having a club membership and definitely didn't plan on this career path. But in just a few short years she has gone from intern to hostess, to banquet manager and is now working on her BMIs, working on getting her CCM, and all under the age of 30. And she is now running full-blown events and building her career as one of the next generation leaders in the private golf and country club industry.
Speaker 1:We get into the wild ride of moving from peer to boss and without losing your friendships and what that means and how to navigate moving up, while maybe some of your peers and colleagues aren't. We talk about managing 200-person banquets on a Friday night while your friends are out partying and having happy hour, and why clubs are actually one of the best kept secrets for young hospitality pros who want to grow fast. So if you are a young pro looking to move up, this episode is for you. And if you've wondered on how to keep young talent in the industry, how to handle the pressure of banquets without losing your sanity, and what it takes to go from foot in the door intern to running the show, this episode is packed with takeaways that you will want to hear. Big thank you to some of our show partners here on the channel. You're going to hear me talk about them throughout the episodes, as well as the ads. If you're interested in any of them, hit them up and let them know you heard about them or are reaching out because of Private Club Radio or that you support them.
Speaker 1:Supporting us. It of Private Club Radio or that you support them. Supporting us means the world and costs nothing. And speaking of support, I have my Management in Motion leadership event coming up September 22nd. We have a couple spots left. We are taking over the Monticello Motor Club we are going to be doing ripping up BMWs M2, 3s and 4s on the track and also hearing from real leaders, real club professionals, on how all that relates to what we're doing in our clubs. So it's not just some random person then talking about AI. It's a well-crafted, very fine, curated event that I am super proud of and I want to see you there. If you want to learn more, head on over to privateclubradiocom slash MIM or management in motion, m-i-m or just privateclubradiocom slash management in motion. Enough about that, let's get to the episode. Private club radio listeners.
Speaker 2:Let's welcome michaela luby so events kind of are staying the same and then the like a la carte is kind of dying out since august.
Speaker 1:So everyone's going like their last minute family vacations and all that yeah so but it'll pick up like next week because we have a couple different events and labor day and everything yeah, and now you didn't come up in clubs, right, you came up, just like how'd you find your way into clubs?
Speaker 2:so I found my way into clubs through my college. They had they bring in different jobs and different locations to get an internship for the summer, and they were there. I did an interview and I was like you know what? What else am I going to do for the summer, Instead of working at the same place? I worked at all of high school? Let me actually get into a career that fits. So that's how I ended up in the country clubs and it was great.
Speaker 1:Yeah yeah, country clubs and it was great. Yeah, yeah, do you think coming from like a non-outside, because you didn't really have any experience with clubs prior to that like or prior to like, did you like know about them? Or was it just like a complete like? Oh, this is brand new to me it was brand new.
Speaker 2:you know, I kind of learned a little bit about it in college and they taught me, touched upon it, about how, and they used to have a degree there, um, but other than that I really didn't know much about it. But I was like you know what, let me just do it for a summer, and if I really don't like, it.
Speaker 2:I can say, hey, I tried it, it wasn't for me and it worked out. And then if I love it, then we go back for a year or two and we find somewhere else to go to, you know. So it was always like, if I try it, I try it. If I don't like it then that's okay, but at least I did it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, Now do you think that gives you a little different perspective than maybe some of like your friends and colleagues that may have either grown up in clubs or worked at clubs younger or earlier at all? I think it probably helps a little bit, just not really knowing what to expect, but at the same time I think it makes it a little bit just not really knowing what to expect but at the same time I think it makes it a little bit harder. I had to learn what the membership was and learn how people are different in different clubs, different cultures and how they operate in that sense.
Speaker 2:But I think overall it balances out with each other. I'm teaching other coworkers and managers stuff that they didn't necessarily think of, and vice versa, you know. So it complements each other more than like an advantage point.
Speaker 1:And some of your degree, if I remember correctly, is in facilities and facilities management, correct?
Speaker 2:Hotel and restaurant management. Hotel and restaurant management.
Speaker 1:Gotcha, did any of that translate over?
Speaker 2:Absolutely. I think the way the program I went to in SUNY Del High was that they would operate a restaurant class two days a week that you had to take and you did seven weeks in the front, seven weeks in the back and it was a real restaurant. You know, not only was it open to the students on site and all the professors, it was open to the town. So there was people coming off the street that they loved and they were supporting the school, but they were real customers, they were real guests in the restaurant. So I think that definitely helped because it wasn't just like oh, here's a professor's wife just come in to say hi and just to visit, and they had to be super nice. It's like no, these are real people.
Speaker 1:Spending their real, hard-earned money to come and dine out and experience you guys.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So then when I got into clubs, I was like, oh well, I kind of did this already. This is what school was like, just on a bigger scale and a little bit more pricier menu items, but other than that it's pretty much the same concept, and so I was like this is great and I love it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and then you're. You're. One of your first jobs in the clubs was a hostess host. Yes, yeah. What was it like going from host to now host? Banquet manager, banquet captain what's your official title?
Speaker 2:Banquet manager.
Speaker 1:What was that like?
Speaker 2:Honestly, I look back on it and just in the short time frame that it was, you know it's been almost four or five years since I started in the club and I started moving up and it's just been nothing but amazing. You know, you look back at when I first started. You know you're going into a club not really understanding how clubs work and operate. And you know, and you back at when I first started, you know you're going into a club not really understanding how clubs work and operate, and you know, and you're helping run the restaurant and be a hostess, you know, so you're just absorbing everything and trying to figure out, like, am I doing it right? Like what's the proper dress code? Because you're a hostess, you're not necessarily wearing the same uniform, you know, but you don't really need a full blazer. So trying to navigate that sense was really interesting.
Speaker 2:Um, but honestly, I learned a lot in the process of the way I moved up from step to step, because then it's like you get to greet the members and you know what to do when you're like. You know, so you're getting familiarized with faces. And then from being the hostess banquet manager, I mean I never would have imagined this was the route that I would have taken. Um, because I'm very big into, like every when doors and opportunities present itself, it'll be there, you know. So you don't necessarily have to chase them like they are gonna. You have to chase them to some extent, but, yeah, when the time is right and you're ready, like that right opportunity is going to be there. And that's exactly what happened along the way.
Speaker 1:When the student is ready, the master appears.
Speaker 2:Isn't that the like?
Speaker 1:fumbling to or something. Wasn't that like an old thing? So, for someone who may or may not know, what does your position entail? What does a banquet manager do? What does a day in the life of you? What does that look like?
Speaker 2:So, honestly, I'm, you know I'm walking in and from start to finish I'm setting up, executing the events. You know you're communicating with the kitchen, with staff. You know there's always call outs, so you're trying to make sure you still have enough staff. You know making sure all the rooms are nice and clean and there's no crumbs, and we really iterate. That is big.
Speaker 1:Sorry, did not mean to interrupt but that is big. I don't think enough banquet managers do that part. Sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 2:No, that's fine. It's usually a lot more straw wrappers on the floor and like the little pickets from passing hors d'oeuvres that you find on the floor more than anything. But yeah, those are big pet peeves. Just making sure that the room's all good to go. All the glasses are polished, they're all facing the same direction, all the silverware's on the table. But I do a lot of communication throughout the day as well.
Speaker 1:With who In my head, I would assume both the club and the events and the people who are coming in, all of that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, with whoever is hosting the event, with our pitching team, the staff team, you know, I'm also communicating with the restaurant, making sure that, like no-transcript, um, and then just making sure that we're both staffed equivalently. You know, sometimes they have a rush before the event starts and it's like, hey, I need two extra people. Okay, here you go, borrow my two people, but I need them back by this time, you know, so my mind doesn't crash, you know, um, but yeah, no, it's just. Really, communication is the biggest key to being a banquet manager yeah, what?
Speaker 1:what did you always know that? Or like is that something that you just like picked up quick, like because you know you've gone through the transition from you know hostess up to now banquet manager? Like when did you realize how important communication was?
Speaker 2:I kind of realized it once. I kind of transitioned from hostess to like a server, because they would put me on to like smaller private parties and they'd hand me the beo. And I was like, okay, okay. So I started asking a lot more questions and then that time I was like, okay, wait.
Speaker 2:So like the kitchen doesn't see anything that's going on upfront. So all they know is the timeline's still on point, it's still accurate, but, as we all know, in the front of the house they can say they're going to sit down at six o'clock and realistically it's going to be like six 30, because no one ever follows the timeline to a T. You know so, learning that aspect of it and trying to make sure that the kitchen was on the right time, you know, and sometimes, like the kitchen needs a couple extra minutes, and you know so, communicating that throughout the day and throughout the event, it's like, okay, I can delay clearing plates a couple more minutes and it's not going to hurt anyone, it's not going to affect service, it buys the kitchen the time that they need.
Speaker 1:And then both sides of it go out seamlessly, you know, and it works out and it balances out. Yeah, yeah, was some of this picked up from real experience? Did you have any like mentors? Did you have like people, like good people who like? Taught you some of this also?
Speaker 2:I have quite a bit of different mentors and they're all very different, but they're all very similar, you know so.
Speaker 1:Do tell.
Speaker 2:No, just like their personalities are very different but they're all friends at the same time. But they each taught different things in different ways, which I think also helped, because they were all saying the same message of like you need to communicate this and you need to do it this way. But hearing it in different ways actually helped and kind of re like enforce, like how important those were you know. So they were like folding that thing like this and it's like, oh okay, like I can do it differently. You know there's more than one way to do things, you know. So it kind of like broadened like the horizon, I guess would be the best way to say it like yeah you can do.
Speaker 2:You're doing the right thing if you're doing it, but there are different ways yeah, besides the communication, were there any other?
Speaker 1:you know skills or mindset shifts? Maybe that helped you also move up from you know one position to the next to the next, the next.
Speaker 2:I think, learning on my feet and being able to adapt quickly while still making the right decisions and not jeopardizing the rest of the event or the rest of the club properties. You know, sometimes people have a last minute change or you know, it's just different events and different things. You just had to be able to go quickly.
Speaker 1:Yeah, was there ever any? I don't want to say I don't know if struggle is the right word, but it had to be unique at your age to be around your peers and then going and getting different positions and moving up and getting more. You know, I don't want to say managerial roles, but getting more responsibility. And you know how did you handle that. Were there any like instances that you can remember that maybe, like you know, you had to like work through some stuff Because, like that is tough, you know when, like you're, you know everyone's on the same and all of a sudden, like one person starts like moving up and it's like, oh, it can sometimes create a unique dynamic.
Speaker 2:You know, there was some tension amongst the staff when it started happening and it was kind of hard in the beginning. But one of my managers at the time really stressed me. He was like look, not everyone's your friend and that's okay. You know, you're here to work, they're here to work. You don't have to hang out outside of work, you don't have to be friends, you don't have to know family birthdays the whole nine yards, but while you're at work you guys need to coincide, you need to work together.
Speaker 2:So that took a little bit of learning to learn, just because like what do you mean? Like these people I've been working with for the last year or two, who have been my friends from work, are like, not really my friends anymore. But what really has helped me out too, is that I realized that at the end of the day, this was my career, this is what I wanted to do For them. This is just another summer job or this is just a part-time thing until they get the job that they went to school for. They're figuring out what they're going.
Speaker 2:So once I kind of accepted that they don't need to be my friends, it's okay that they hang out without me. Then I was like okay, and even to this day day it's still hard. You know like I'm not much older than some of the staff that I oversee, but at the end of the day my mentor now has kind of like reiterated she's like it's a sign of respect that you don't get invited every single time. You know they invite me to like the birthday parties and it's a big thing, you know, just to have fun. But it's okay, they respect you as a manager to not be there every single day and you know they still show up on time and everything else like that. So it's still a learning process but I've come to terms with it.
Speaker 1:Was KDL the one who said not everyone's your friend.
Speaker 2:I believe so. Yeah, everyone's your friend. I believe so.
Speaker 1:Yeah, as soon as you said that, I was like it sounds like him. To that same topic how do you balance your career growth with your social side? Because clubs takes a lot of time and it's a lot of weekends, especially as banquet manager. You're there when everybody else is out having a good time and your friends are probably working more. Nine to fives, you're probably more, you know noons, whatever, plus maybe you know sometimes earlier, sometimes sometimes later. But like, how do you, how do you balance that and how do you work, work through that?
Speaker 2:um, that was quite an adjustment, especially since I really started off the career during covid. So back during covid, covid, everyone was home.
Speaker 1:Not kind of fucking late.
Speaker 2:So we were all off at the same hours all hanging out. But it was kind of nice because really the core friend group I had kind of understood it At first. They didn't. They were like, what do you mean? You have a 200-person party and I'm like, oh, we're hitting half of the grade that we went to school with and they go, oh, okay, so I don't get it. But that's a lot of people and I'm like, okay, you know, um, but now it's kind of like at that point where you just normalize making plans like three weeks in advance, you're like I know, I have this day off, let's do something. I don't know what it's going to be, but we'll do it, um. Or it's normalizing like the little errands, like going to the grocery store or running to get gas late at night. It's like, hey, let me come pick you up, we'll go, we'll go for a quick drive, you know. So it's just, it's not, it's normalizing the stuff that you typically wouldn't do with your friends. I guess it's like the best way I've dealt with it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, do you think the industry cause you? You you mentioned, you know how, how you came into clubs. You know finding it through through school. Do you think the industry does enough? You know, to attract and support young talent and you know, looking from your point of view, from where you were to where you're at now, you know what. What would, if you were in the position to be in front of more younger people to kind of showcase the industry? What would? What would you do to make it better?
Speaker 2:Honestly, I would reach out to more schools with hospitality majors. These are the people that are going to school for it. They want a career in it. They understand the importance of it. You know they're still going to want time off like typical high school college kids. You're not gonna be perfect right away, yeah, but it does make a difference in their skill level. But like their mentality of like this isn't just a normal job, like I have a career here, um, you know.
Speaker 2:So that was good. And then, in all honesty, more of cmaa, with student chapters and hospitality programs too, because I didn't really know that was good. And then, in all honesty, more of CMAA, with student chapters and hospitality programs too, because I didn't really know that was a thing until I got into the clubs. And then that's when it really opened up and I was like wow, there's a whole other side of the world in this industry. That is unheard of, um, you know, and I love every part of it, love being part of the chapter and doing everything. But I think that would drive more students. It's like you don't necessarily need to get a master's degree in hospitality, but join CMA, get your CCM, you get your CCE. All that fun stuff is like the same equivalent, more or less.
Speaker 1:You work in so many different scenarios, so many different situations. How do you keep calm under pressure? You know when. You know when everything's happening at once, you know you're in the heat of the fire. How do you, how do you calm yourself?
Speaker 2:a lot of smiles smiling you know the smile or not, no one's gonna know. Um you know, because if they see a sense of discomfort, a sense of stress, then you just lost everything that you worked for.
Speaker 2:Um, but when I was in college, one of my professors at the time, he was like the second. You step out of the kitchen door, the service door, the office, it doesn't matter what's going on. You have a smile on your face and you walk through the doors nice and proud, nice and tall. He goes once you step behind the doors. If you need to go on the walk in and scream, then you go on the walk in and scream and I was like OK. And back then I was like what is this guy talking about? Like this makes absolutely no sense. And to this day, and I'm like, nope, once I step out that door, this is what it is.
Speaker 2:But other than that, I really rely on other managers. If it's something that's really tough or tricky, then I just grab the next available manager and sometimes, just talking out the scenario and the situation, you come to terms with your own answer where you're like oh, I think I can solve it this way. And sometimes they're like, yeah, that's it. They're like, no, that's not going to work, but try it this way. So relying on those co-workers to actually help validate and re-steer you and stuff like that that helps a lot.
Speaker 1:Yeah, when, when, when we talked before this you, you mentioned some, you know, aspirational goals and things. What, what excites you most about that next step in going up to, like, the next level?
Speaker 2:I think that what excites me is that I didn't know it existed when I went to school. So I looked up to a bunch of people and different milestones of their careers and everything and it's just so cool. Each career more or less is the same but everyone has a different story to write. But really adding those three letters to my last name is really what's exciting, you know, and to be like I don't want to necessarily be the youngest person to get my CCM, you know, but to be on the younger side so early in the career is what's really exciting and really driving me to get it. But just like the meaning of it and being such a hard test, you know, it's like it's not just three letters, like you time, you earned them, you studied for it, you went through it, you know yeah, yeah, what?
Speaker 1:what advice would you give to a hospitality student, considering, you know, maybe, maybe not so much clubs versus hotels, but, like you know, what would you say to somebody as a hospitality student? You know, thinking about, or you know, just at least in the hospitality program?
Speaker 2:I would say go for any opportunity that you get. You know, a lot of these opportunities that the hospitality students get are just for the summer. You know you can miss the summer hanging out with your hometown friends to help you with your career, because eventually, at the end of the day, all the doors lead back to each other. My GM that I first worked with back in college had moved down to Florida and now he's back here in Connecticut. So our paths have recrossed X amount of years later, which is the coolest thing, because we're two different parts of our lives.
Speaker 2:And now here you are going these milestones, but also just being a sponge. You know, learning everything, asking questions. It's okay to fail, um, it's gonna happen. You're gonna make mistakes, you know. But it's what you do with those mistakes and how you bounce back from it is what's gonna make you a better like learner and a better co-worker. You know. And then also too like you see people, your own peers, struggling. Help them out. They're not necessarily going to ask you for help, um, but deep down you know they want to ask you. They just don't have the words for it, and you know. But that also helps you as a person and as a leader, to be able to catch and realize when those people need help, and you know yeah, what do you know of like?
Speaker 1:can you, can you give an example of any of those situations, of maybe somebody that you've helped without them asking, but you can kind of tell that they needed it um, that's probably like on a on a day to day basis.
Speaker 2:You know, we have a lot of young students and young kids that have worked with us at the club, you know, and sometimes and I like, can you get a cup of coffee? And they're like, yeah, and I'm like, all right, let's go together. I got you, I mean, I need a cup of coffee anyway, you know. So it's just kind of like reading their room and reading their facial expressions room and reading their facial expressions and sometimes, like, after giving them like a simple task and it may not be simple at all, it could just be the random task they kind of stand there like a little confused and kind of like where do I go? What do I do? And I'm like, all right, let's take a walk. I got you, you know, I gotta do. You know it's like what size table class? And I'm like, all right, let's go, I gotta do an order anyway, you know. So it's kind of like putting the pressure back onto myself rather than making them feel like oh, I should know what to do.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So and let's just say you know clubs weren't in the picture, you know at all. You never got introduced what you know, different career path do you think you would either want to want to try or you would have probably gone into?
Speaker 2:um, probably hotels, just because back from high school into college, I was like I want to travel the world but I want to have I obviously have to work, you know. So I was going to get in with like a well-known hotel, do like the manager and training program and get through there. Um, but I did do a summer in yellowstone for a couple, like three months or whatever it was, and it was the best and worst experience of my life. I realized I was like hotels are not for me, um, but if this is the case, maybe it's just not this location, but, honestly, like if anyone could take a summer and do a national park and work there. It was the best summer of my life.
Speaker 2:It really took me to like become more sociable. Like you go out there knowing no one. Cell service is really bad, you know, there's no tvs, the wi-fi is terrible, which is great. At first it was like, oh my god, what am I gonna do? But then now it was like, oh my God, what am I going to do? But then now it was like, no, you go on hikes and you're forced to talk to people, you know. So it was the best and worst time.
Speaker 1:It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Michaela, thank you so much for coming on. Thanks for sharing your part of your story and your journey and giving some really good advice for the youths, the youths coming up in the industry.
Speaker 2:Yes, thank you so much, that was great.
Speaker 1:Hope you all enjoyed that. Michaela, thank you so much for coming on and sharing and so excited to see how your journey is going to progress over the next couple of years. If you have not done so already and you want to learn more about the management in motion, head on over to private clubradiocom slash management in motion. You want to book me for next year, dennycorbycom? That's this episode. Until next time, catch y'all on the flippity flip.
