Crystal Thomas, MCM, CHE CAE
Crystal is the founder and CEO of an accredited association management firm. She focused on connecting individuals and building relationships that foster a strong sense of belonging and drive value to members, boards, and partners of various organizations. She leads her team in creating innovative experiences that engage members and partners. At the same time, she and her team work to empower boards to focus on governance.
Previously, as the GM at private clubs in Canada and the United States, she has over 30 years of hands-on experience in building and leading teams, driving strategic growth/development initiatives, and engineering operating efficiencies/cost controls. This contributes to her frontline expertise in association management.
After leading The Athenaeum at California Institute of Technology to Platinum Club status in 2003, she founded Crystal Clear Concepts in 2005 to drive the success of other clubs by leveraging her experience as a consultant and educator. That same year, her team began managing one of California’s CMAA chapters. In 2008, she collaborated with leading club managers to unify California’s four CMAA chapters into The Golden State Chapter. Her team has managed that association ever since. Her team also manages the Chapter’s foundation. Concurrently, her company has managed a legal association for private clubs in California for over a decade and other associations as well.
Crystal has provided club industry education across the globe, including in China. She has also authored dozens of articles and three manuscripts/books: Learning to Love, Harnessing the Fear Factor, and Business with a Heart.
She has several notable awards and recognitions to her credit. She is a recipient of the Excellence in Club Management Award and one of the twenty-two global industry leaders to achieve a Master Club Manager designation. She has been recognized twice as one of the most influential women in the private club industry. In 2019, the Board Room magazine honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Crystal is also a recipient of the Gary Player Educator of the Year Award. She holds a Master’s Degree from the University of Santa Monica in Spiritual Psychology.
Why We Created the Leadership Centredness Balance Assessment
Crystal Thomas’ research for Master Club Manager monograph was A Study of the General Manager Performance Evaluation Process. This research birthed the Leadership Centeredness Balance Assessment. In this research, she theorized that General Managers that were subject to performance evaluations had more longevity than those that didn’t. However, this turned out to be incorrect.
The research then opened her mind to the intricacies of the world of performance evaluations. She felt that there was more to this than simply evaluating skill levels. She was also intrigued by the concept of a “balanced General Manager” or a “balanced direct report.”
The assessment is a comprehensive test of how balanced your leadership is in the areas of heart-head and being-doing.
