Objective: Participation in leisure organisations is important to the well‐being of many retired Australians. However, the success rate of these groups is highly variable. The objective of this study was to investigate the role that managers play within a range of different leisure organisations and how they react to changing demands from members.

Method: Qualitative data from hour‐long interviews with 29 managers of organisations were analysed and compared with levels of success (as measured by membership growth) of the leisure groups.

Results: Three quite different managerial styles were found. These were categorised as “go‐getters” (whose groups prosper); the “hamstrung” (whose groups are struggling because of external or internal group influences); and “yesteryear” managers (whose groups are unlikely to survive).

Conclusions: It is argued that the long‐term survival of an organisation is determined by the manager's capacity to adapt to changing demands and social circumstances.