Turf D.I.Y.

At the most senior levels of the turfgrass industry, we find those who not only can tackle DIY projects, but the folks who subscribe to a DIAY (Do It ALL Yourself) strategy.

While nobody can be the person who physically does it all at the turfgrass facility, the successful executive leader at the organization, club, or company, is the one who posses the ability to wear an incredible number of hats, performing as equally well on the grass as they do in the board room. They can respectably take it all on themselves, while leading and delegating work with their support staff.

This post is for those who's career has brought them to a first superintendent or senior manager/supervisory role, or at least to the edge of the diving board as they ready themselves to take the dive into the deep end. The job shifts from being the one who leads the daily attack, to a position of support for those who are out doing the work.

If you aren't quite thinking you're ready for the most senior role yet, but have kept reading, good for you. The TGC Green Program is open to you as well, to further understand the road ahead and get a head start.

At this phase, your immediate task is to deliver the turf in as high-quality a way that you can, but heaps of responsibility are laid on you to provide safety, education, communication, and empowerment for your support staff. There are those who make it on the "high-quality turf delivering" part itself, but the true masters are the ones who bring their people along for the ride.

The TGC Green Program is a new green stripe on your sleeve showing your mastery and dedication to protecting your operation from becoming anything but streamlined. You can carry the shield forwards for others to follow, as they make their own advances. Not only is your duty to guard the grass, but to also defend our reputation as an industry. Hold the door open for somebody else with a budding turfgrass career, it's a sign of great strength.

At this level, we know the turf science in our region. That's one thing search committees for senior level jobs will understand,

"Every applicant for this job can grow grass, what I want to know is, can they..."

...Can they what? What topic would scare you the most? That's the one you should be working on now as an assistant or mid-level manager before making that jump.

If you are early in your executive level, have you identified new challenges or responsibilities you didn't expect? Each place is different and your previous workplace may have striking differences compared to where you are now.

You may not know what finer skills or abilities an interviewer/hiring manager is looking for. What can you do then? Expose your experience to as much as possible and continue to develop your base of understanding, as well as your effective communication and appraisal abilities. Develop your character. Maybe every member, customer, or visitor doesn't want to talk about turf every time they bump into you? Is there more to you?

Our TGC Green Program offers a slew of impactful downloads to help you shine in your new gig. We can help you become more comfortable and confident in some of the most impactful situations a senior manager will find themselves in.

Human Resources ~ Walk into HR with reviewed and amended employee standards and records. Show your workplace you're thinking beyond turf and are more than a grass grower.

Communications ~ We offer 9 effective samples to help your spoken and written skills. These documents help you to convey expectations, justify actions, and navigate the need to be persuasive.

Budgeting ~ Our most beneficial downloadable tool available from TGC. Our Green Program Operating Budget sheet is a dynamic, interactive, and powerful form to track spending, generate and identify trends, and can even deliver starting points when planning an upcoming year's budget. You can know your spending and saving's story backwards and forwards before your accounting department does.

Join the committee at the Green Level as you prepare to make the jump to the highest levels of the turfgrass industry, or allow us to help reinforce your performance to help you not only keep your new job, but thrive in it. We have a shield for that.