Giving it 100%

deaglan O’Hagan, general manager, edenmore golf & country club

What is your job title?
General Manager

What time does your typical
day begin?
I like to think 9.00 a.m. It just depends on
the business.

Provide a break-down of a
typical working day? How
would you spend the morning, afternoon and evenings? Does this vary greatly?
Generally when I get into work, I walk round each department to ensure cleanliness and to check that all our conference users are happy. I then click on the dreaded ‘send receive’ button to tackle a few emails.

Each day I have advertising work pending; may it be next month’s radio ad, a new flier or Tatler ad. As the day progresses, I’m usually faced with some HR and management issues from the departmental managers. The afternoon and early evenings are usually jam packed with appointments for new business, golf membership or sales people trying to eat into the advertising budget. But once again the day can vary so much.

What are your typical working hours, 9-5 or do they vary daily?
Typical hours would be 9.00 a.m. - 6.00 p.m. Monday - Friday then possibly a few late shifts thrown in to keep in touch with the hospitality end of the business.

How to you feel about your ‘job’?
Most of the time I enjoy what I do… I enjoy generating new business, increasing sales, developing new corporate relationships, dreaming up the next successful offer etc. Like any job there are more stressful periods but I feel through good management and a great team around me we can get through anything!

Do you work as part of a team, or mainly on your own?
I work on my own for the majority of the role. There are parts of the job that require team work and organisation precision; for that I have an excellent management team.

How do you prepare for your working day?
More recently I have had to really prioritise my time due to the amount of projects on the go. So the night before, I try to write down a few bullet points that have to be achieved for the following day. If those points are achieved I feel like I’ve covered ground.

Do you work to tight deadlines?
With the speed that Edenmore is growing it is hard to keep all the balls juggling at the one time but with a bit of delegation and extra effort I always deliver on time.

How did you get to where you
are now?
I started my career at Gleneagles in Scotland and I think it gave me a real eye opener as to what is expected in order to be successful. I always give 100% to everything I put my hand to and I feel my time there put me a few years ahead of my peers. I had the good fortune to assist in managing the Belfast based Arena Yorkgate Fitness Club. My time in Arena was quite brief until I met one of the Edenmore directors at a corporate event.
I was persuaded to come down and see Edenmore and well that was it. I was totally taken by the warmth and prosperity of the company and haven’t looked back since.

How do your relax in your
spare time?
By the time this goes to print I will be a happily married man so maybe I’ll answer this question in a few month’s time