From the TVSTMA President

Greetings and Happy New Year to all. First, I find it appropriate to thank everyone who was elected or appointed to serve TVSTMA for 2021 and 2022. I especially want to thank my friend and colleague, John Wagnon. John held the position of presidency from 2020 to 2021. I want to recognize him for his selfless service as well as leaving me large shoes to fill. John, I do plan to call on you often!

I begin this message to introduce myself. My name is Byran Farris. I now hold the office of TVSTMA president for 2022. I am a native Tennessean born and raised in Maury County. I am married to my wife Rachel of sixteen years. We have two children, Chaney (14) and Cole (12). I currently work for the city of Columbia, Tennessee Parks and Recreation Department and hold the position of Sports Turf Specialist. I have been with city government for seventeen years, with six of those years as a Firefighter, EMT, still holding an AEMT licensure. I also hold the certification of CSFM with STMA. I own and operate a honeybee business where we produce honey and sell bees for purchase. This is a topic for another day, so let’s get back to the point. I have owned and operated a lawn/landscape maintenance business for almost thirty years, gradually stepping away from residential/commercial property and transitioning into sports turf management. Perhaps like you, this is where I found my calling. I was not as fortunate as others to go to school and earn a turf or horticulture degree. However, I was tremendously blessed to live in an area where opportunities arose, mentorship was attainable, professionals were approachable, and organizations dotted the local landscape. This now leads me into my discussion for today.

Many of us have attended the local chapter meeting, a state conference, or the STMA in Savannah, Georgia. I hope you have taken these opportunities to grow professionally. These opportunities for education and networking are so valuable, especially at a time with technology and knowledge at our fingertips. When we get back to work and fall into the grind, do we find ourselves continuing to learn, LEADING our staff and organization, or does our growth halt?

I would like you to visualize with me. What in your mind does leadership look like? Is it someone who sits in an office all day barking out commands? Is it someone you never see or seldom interact with until things go wrong? Is it someone you work beside every day, listening to your boss’s frustrations and their superiors’ “unattainable goals”?

I want you now to think of someone who is a great leader. Is there a word or phrase that comes to mind to describe that leader? Words like tenacious, inspiring, a lover of people, meek, humble, have integrity, patience, hardworking, charismatic, visionary, etc. Is this leader within your organization? Are you that leader? Do you fit this description?

I will be the first to say I am not perfect and strive to be many of these listed characteristics. We all can be effective leaders. Any characteristic you think of in a great leader is a CHOICE and you can DECIDE to be that type of leader.

Leadership is simple because you get to decide how you want to lead. However, leadership is difficult because people alone make leadership difficult, whether it is the leader or those being led. So how do we know if we are leading properly? Do we read books on leadership to see how you compare? Do you compare yourselves to other leaders? I will spend the next few commentaries in the Tennessee Turfgrass magazine helping you decide what leadership can look like and how to be an effective leader in your workplace.

I look forward to serving you as TVSTMA president this year. If you need to reach out, my contact info is below. We have exciting things on tap for this year. By now you should have seen or heard of the re-brand of STMA, now SFMA (Sports Field Management Association). Our chapter will be exploring options to follow SFMA, so keep an eye out for emails, social media posts, and our website for ways to be involved. Thank you for your support.

931-698-4017

bfarris@columbiatn.com