From the TVSTMA President

By the time this commentary is posted, we will be well into the summer months. Some of you have completed your warm season grass green-up, while others are transitioning from cool season to warm season grass. Spring sports and practices are now complete and outside activities at your facility are in full recreational mode and hosting weekend tournaments. Fiscal budget planning has been submitted and approved. It is my hope you were able to plan and meet some of your needs regarding products, equipment, and of course additional staff. Our resources for material, staff, and equipment vary across this great region. It is worth mentioning that we all as turfgrass and facility managers continue to do our best with what we have and always strive for excellence within our industry.

The last TTA magazine highlighted our “Excellence in Sports Turf Award. Mr. Dustin Wilson, football coach and athletic director at Springfield High School, has a compelling story. I personally want to thank Dustin for his excellence in sports field maintenance and for being a leader within his community. Please look forward to our next recipient announcement in the next TTA magazine publication.

The February/March TTA magazine commentary introduced the idea of being a leader within your workplace. I would like to take this time to continue with another characteristic of leadership, perhaps the most valuable. It is a skill that is simple and easy to do, and often overlooked by no fault of our own. We as leaders MUST practice empathy. Empathy is understanding the plight and feelings of others. This goes on to understanding the emotions, thoughts, and realities of team members in the workplace. A decline in mental health, the increase in stress and anxiety, loss of sleep, being sad and irritable within the workplace affect job performance significantly. We’ve all been there in some shape or form. The source of these challenges may tie back to things within the workplace, or from the home. It is our job as leaders to be empathetic and recognize this context within our team. Are we so totally focused on our job and routines that we truly do not notice these challenges? Or far worse, do we know as leaders and not intervene?

As I delve now into empathy, how does this look within the workplace? This can be as simple as visiting your team members and asking them “how are you doing, feeling, or what are you experiencing?” It could be the simple question of how is work going? Responses such as “Hey I’m sorry,” or “I understand,” “I’ve been in that situation,” and “Hey, I’m working on it, and this is what we are going to do.” Empathy must be truly genuine and applied on a regular basis to show healing. This healing can result in team members being more engaged in their work, being able to navigate the high demands in workload, and finally, team member retention. Those members who experience empathy from their leaders are more likely to stay in their current role and overall be more productive at work. What about problems occurring from home? It is understood as a leader you may have no control of those situations. You CAN walk it with them emotionally and give encouragement. This can provide the necessary hope that your team members need to overcome their difficulty.

As I close, I do want to say it is easier said than done. I do believe if we engage and show empathy on a regular basis, your team will RISE and overcome those challenges. Let us all begin by being those leaders that define a healthy workplace.

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TVSTMA President