The Impact of Behavioral Assessments on Club Culture: A Conversation with Jodie Cunningham

In this episode of Crushing Club Marketing, Ed Heil sits down with Jodie Cunningham, owner of Optimus Talent Partners and a certified Predictive Index partner, to explore how behavioral assessments can revolutionize hiring in the private club industry. Drawing on her years of experience, Jodie shares practical insights on building stronger teams, aligning talent with culture, and avoiding costly hiring mistakes. From understanding your club’s identity to using data to navigate generational differences, this conversation is packed with strategic takeaways for club leaders who want to elevate their recruitment approach and enhance the member experience.

Key Moments:

• Meet Jodie Cunningham (00:00:00): Ed Heil introduces Jodie Cunningham, owner of Optimus Talent Partners and certified Predictive Index partner, with a background in HR at the Four Seasons and St. Louis Rams, highlighting her expertise in behavioral science and talent strategy.

• Culture Drives Member Experience (00:04:03): Jodie emphasizes that culture is shaped by the people you hire, making talent selection critical; the Four Seasons’ process, where every candidate met the GM, shows how seriously they took cultural fit (00:05:06).

• What Clubs Often Miss in Team Building (00:06:12): Many clubs lack a strategic HR lead and jump into hiring without first defining their needs, leading to reactive, short-term decisions (00:07:13).

• Proactive Recruiting Strategies (00:07:13): Jodie encourages clubs to go beyond job postings by branding themselves as employers of choice and building pipelines through schools and networks; recruiting should be a shared responsibility, not just HR’s job (00:08:06, 00:08:58).

• Knowing Your Club’s Identity (00:09:52): Clubs must understand their environment—formal or informal—so they can hire people who thrive in that setting, especially if they’re going through change (00:10:55).

• Common Hiring Pitfalls (00:12:50): Reactive hiring, relying on resumes instead of fit, and unconscious bias are all common issues; resumes show where someone has worked, not how well they’ll perform (00:14:37).

• Why Use Assessments (00:15:37): Assessments give insight into how candidates will collaborate, lead, and fit into your team, revealing traits that interviews often miss (00:16:38, 00:17:22).

• Don’t Over-Rely on Assessments (00:18:15): Assessments are helpful tools, but people can flex in roles temporarily; Jodie warns against using them as excuses for underperformance (00:19:17, 00:20:55).

• Use Assessments Beyond Hiring (00:21:40): Jodie recommends using assessments for onboarding, feedback, conflict resolution, and succession planning to strengthen team communication and performance.

• When to Use Assessments (00:23:18): Ideally, assessments are used during the application stage, but timing depends on cost and length; even refusal to take one can offer insight (00:24:20, 00:25:07, 00:27:00).

• Fair, Valid, and Legal (00:27:45): Use scientifically validated assessments and create objective job targets to ensure fairness, reduce bias, and stay compliant.

• Picking the Right Tool (00:29:32): Clubs should identify their goals, weigh the cost of a bad hire, and evaluate tools based on pricing model, ease of use, length, and available support (00:31:21, 00:32:18, 00:33:08).

• The Predictive Index (PI) (00:47:48): PI helps clubs align hiring, onboarding, and performance with a common language; it’s quick to complete and offers individualized behavioral profiles (00:48:37, 00:49:41).

• Getting Started with Assessments (00:50:40): Jodie suggests piloting assessments on 3–5 candidates for a key role to test how it fits into your process before a full rollout.

• The High Cost of a Bad Hire (00:52:14): Poor hires cost more than money—they impact morale and culture; understanding your team and embracing change are key to long-term success (00:53:22).

• Generational Insight Through Data (00:54:09): Assessments help leaders adapt their style to different generations and better understand their own strengths and gaps (00:55:56).

• Sharing Assessment Results (00:43:36): While candidate data isn’t typically shared, employees can request access; cognitive data should remain confidential, but internal transparency supports stronger teams (00:45:13, 00:46:04).