SportsTurf

September 2016

SportsTurf provides current, practical and technical content on issues relevant to sports turf managers, including facilities managers. Most readers are athletic field managers from the professional level through parks and recreation, universities.

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www.stma.org September 2016 | SportsTurf 27 TURFCO GOLF: TriWave 45, Mete-R-Matic XL & Torrent 2– 1/2 Page Horizontal Ad; Final 4/4/16 TURFCO.COM Call to discuss the equipment you need to keep your fields in top playing shape. 800-679- 8201 OVERSEEDERS Go green with the TriWave ® Series that delivers optimum seed-to-soil contact and maximum germination rates. TEAM UP WITH TURFCO MANUFACTURING, INC. 1655 101st Ave. NE Minneapolis, MN 55449-4420 TOLL FREE 800-679-8201 TOPDRESSERS WideSpin ™ and Mete-R-Matic ® spinner and drop-style models set the standards for productivity and ease of operation. DEBRIS BLOWER The NEW Torrent ™ 2 takes debris cleanup to a whole new level with unprecedented power, precision and control. controlled by external forces. At the same time, the politics of sports turf management is not about manipulating others to serve our own ends. Politics is a means of recognizing and, ultimately, reconciling competing interests within the organization. While we cannot control the thoughts and behaviors of other people, we can moderate our words and actions and thus increase our effectiveness. Here are some of the lessons I have learned (the hard way): Self-care. This is very important. We are in the care business. We could not be successful if we neglected the care of the assets we are responsible for. The same goes for us, too. Just like on an airplane where you place the oxygen mask on yourself first before your child, your needs (food, sleep, exercise, family obligations, etc.) must be satisfied first. I used to work for weeks during the season without a day off. I would shortchange my sleep and eat poorly. Like a frog in the pot of water gradually coming to a boil, I couldn't see how miserable and ineffective I was becoming. Now when I practice self-care, I feel better, am less stressed, and my attitude is improved. I am more open-minded and easier to get along with. As a result, when someone asks me to do something for him or her, it is more likely that my focus will be how to make it happen rather than why it can't be done. Leverage. It used to be that whenever I proposed an idea to my school's administration, I would often get shot down. Now, when I want to lobby for a site improvement on my campus, I have found it simpler to get approvals, funding and acceptance if I can get someone else on board with it. Selling the idea first to my boss, a coach or an athletic director makes it easier sell the idea to the decision makers. There is strength in numbers. Of course I have to do my homework first and have a well thought out plan and thoroughly know the costs and benefits. Allowing others to share the vision, participate in the process and share the glory helps to make an idea a reality. Learning how to say no. We're the "go to" guys and gals when it comes to our sports turf facilities. From being the "10th man" on the baseball team to the coordinator for a non-sporting event, we are the hub of the wheel. People at all levels come to us when they need something or want something done. (Sometimes, it seems the more arcane the request, the higher up on the food chain the requester comes from.) Most of the time, we are in the business of saying "yes." Occasionally, there is a collision of limited time and resources, weather and the unexpected. I hate to disappoint people but I have learned that if I take on too much, there is a good chance there will be a bad outcome. Even if I do all the big things right, mishandling the

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