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.
Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/77829
but if they truly take the time to learn the results over the long haul are worth it. Balancing employee skills and the work load but it's also 'on the job training' from peer to peer and that to me is important to creating a stronger team. ALLEN JOHNSON, CSFM, fields manager, Green Bay Packers than some human resource type things that were covered in an admin- istrative law class I had in the past. I think this is an area that our in- dustry could pay attention to more and help those who are tasked with managing people become better at it. Have you ever had any official training in personnel management? Johnson: I have not had any formal training in that area other and ambition. How do you handle "constructive criticism" from employees, What are the most important qualifications you seek when hiring? Johnson: Qualities I seek are intelligence, passion for the job, whether it is meant to helpful or not? Johnson: I'm not sure how I handle it. My guys actually laughed when I showed them this question. I do think it is important to listen to your staff and think about what they are trying to convey to you. At the end of the day, I try to create an atmosphere at work where all my guys are comfortable and enjoy coming to work each day. I try to cultivate an environment where the crew gets along and works to- gether so we can be productive and happy in our endeavors. That is my goal. If my guys give me feedback about my approach that isn't helpful to that goal I try to correct my actions. be performed works? How do you determine who does what best? Johnson: Everyone has certain strengths and personality differ- Have you found that matching personalities with specific tasks to ences so it isn't surprising that certain people are better suited for cer- tain tasks than others. You won't know until you go through a trial and error period. You have to let everyone try all the different types of work you have available to figure that out. For the most part, I try to alternate the tasks amongst my group so that boredom doesn't set in and they get plenty of variety. During our peak times when we need to be operating at our maximum efficiency I take it into account much more. MIKE MCDONALD, CSFM, turf manager, University of Minnesota Have you ever had any official training in personnel management? McDonald:Not really. I just keep my eyes and ears open for more info and techniques. What are the most important qualifications you seek when hiring? McDonald: I do mostly student hiring. That's an easy one; three things: first, what openings do you have in your class schedule? (most of the work done before 1pm); second, do you like manual labor? (working with your hands and getting dirty); and third and most im- portant, how bad do you need the money? (determines how often they will show up and on time). www.stma.org SportsTurf 23 Full-time people are much harder; I tend to go with what the per- son is made of, not the resume. What's the person's personality? Will [he or she] mesh with co-workers, staff and coaches? What's the work ethic—can they handle extra work? Will the person do quality work in a timely manner? What do the people say about them from past employment? Get to know the person before you hire. Resumes are good to see what knowledge they have, but resumes tend to be "beefed up." Looking at some people's resumes, I think they should be MY boss. whether it is meant to helpful or not? McDonald: I take it all in, discuss with individual or all co- How do you handle "constructive criticism" from employees, workers to see if it is appropriate for our situation, then move on. Have you found that matching personalities with specific tasks to be performed works? How do you determine who does what best? McDonald: Most definitely, if two people clash or don't get along the task will suffer, either the time it takes or the quality it gets. I like to see everyone on staff be able to perform all the differ- ent tasks/situations your operation has to offer. You have to give everybody a chance at every different aspect of the task to be per- formed. You can see who handles what issues, concerns or equip- ment better then the other person and then make a decision if one is needed. ■