Executive Desk
By Brian R. Mahoney, MGA CEO/Executive Director
Every morning when I wake up, I find myself thinking about three things.
First, I think about our people (both staff and volunteers). How are they doing? Are they happy? Are they healthy? Is everything stable in their personal lives? If the answer to those questions is no, it is hard for anyone to be fully present, engaged, and at their very best. While I cannot control what happens outside the office, I care deeply about the well-being of the people who make this organization go.
Second, I think about the work itself. I think about the individual disciplines across our staff, how they complement one another, and how, together, they advance our mission of serving our members, our clubs, and the game of golf to the very best of our ability. No department succeeds in a vacuum. The strength of the MGA comes from talented people working in concert, each moving the ball down the field in their own important way.
Third, I think about my role as a leader. My job is to help create the conditions for success by providing guidance, resources, support, and clarity. Good leadership is not about standing in front of the work. It is about equipping people with what they need to perform at their highest level and helping remove obstacles that stand in their way.
Those three thoughts shape nearly every day for me and define the way I view my role with the MGA. In my experience, winning organizations are built on a simple formula: people who are supported and well, a team that understands its direction, and the tools necessary to achieve meaningful goals.
I share this with The Met Golfer audience because I am often asked a simple and sincere question: How can I help?
The answer is dynamic and depends, in part, on each person’s interests, abilities, and opportunities. But at the most fundamental level, helping often looks like advocacy. It means supporting our events, whether that support comes in a boardroom when leadership is reviewing a request, or through participation by registering for and bringing a group to our charitable Day of Golf. It means helping us tell our story and making people aware of the many great things happening in the game across our region. It means welcoming more people into the fold by using the referral tools available in our MyMGA mobile app and encouraging others to discover the many ways to play, watch, follow, and enjoy reading about the game here in the Met Area.
One of the MGA’s greatest responsibilities is generating the resources necessary to fuel programs that serve golf and the broader community. That includes championships, member services, scholarships, philanthropy, junior golf, and many other initiatives that strengthen the game. I will never shy away from encouraging those who are able and inspired to invest in that work.
Golf has a very good thing going right now. Our charge is to keep the train on the tracks, remain focused on the right priorities, and continue building momentum. If we do that – if we support our people, stay committed to our mission, and work together with purpose – more good things will happen.
Yours in golf,
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