30 SportsTurf | January 2016 www.sportsturfonline.com
THE INTERVIEW
SPORTSTURF: How do you help shape the STMA's "vision"
or strategic direction?
HECK: I have been so lucky to be included as an equal player in
the strategic planning sessions by all of the Boards of Directors for
whom I have served. These sessions give me the opportunity to
weigh in on important issues facing the association and its mem-
bership. However, at the end of the day, it is the STMA Board who
governs the association, and I am charged with executing their
decisions.
A board member's tenure on the board is maximum 7 years,
and that means our board is constantly changing, with new board
members coming on and others rotating off. New board members
bring wonderful perspective and insight, yet for some organiza-
tions this fast rotation could be dysfunctional. The reason it works
so well for STMA is that we have a 3-year strategic plan that guides
the work of the board. That plan is the road map that helps to steer
the board in its decision-making, resource allocation and priori-
ties. The Board evaluates its progress to the current plan during
each board meeting, and when we are in the final year of the plan,
we usually have a facilitator help us go through the planning pro-
cess to develop the next iteration of the plan.
SPORTSTURF: What is your role in building the culture and
values of the association?
HECK: Our culture and values stem from those of our mem-
bership, and they have been set for quite a while. Our members
are collegial, friendly and all-around really good people. My team
and I work hard to mirror those qualities through our work at
Headquarters. Many times when a new CEO comes to an organi-
zation, there are huge issues with the culture and the exec has to
change the culture. This is the easiest part of my job. Those who
served before me did an excellent job in sustaining the culture set
by our Founders.
SPORTSTURF: CEOs have ultimate responsibility for an
organization's success. How do you prioritize all the functions you
perform?
HECK: Association management is all about planning, project
management and customer service. I think I am a fairly good
time manager, spending my time on the things that are impor-
tant to advancing the association. I have a great staff who do their
jobs really well, so that I can concentrate on my responsibilities.
I think I am a fairly
good time manager,
spending my time on the things
that are important to advancing
the association.
