At the risk of ruffling some feathers — and let’s be honest, if I weren’t, I wouldn’t be doing this right — this needs to be said: If you want to be a better leader, if you want to run a stronger operation, if you want to develop a culture that attracts and retains good people, then escape the turf bubble.
I’ve spent a lot of time going through the recent workplace trend studies for assistants and superintendents, and there’s a common theme. People want better leadership training. They want to improve at managing people, navigating workplace culture, and balancing work and life.
But here’s the issue: many of you are only looking for these answers within the turf industry.
And that’s a problem.
The data doesn’t lie — people want more leadership training
According to the Flagstick LLC & Bloom Partners Assistant Superintendent Employment Study, leadership, communication and business/finance skills outranked agronomic knowledge by a 4-to-1 ratio in terms of what assistants felt were the most critical skills for their career success.
Yet, despite this overwhelming demand, most assistants don’t feel adequately prepared in certain areas:
- Feeling overlooked and lack of leadership/communication training were listed as top challenges holding assistants back.
- When asked to rank the single most important skill to achieving their goals, “leadership, leadership, leadership” dominated the responses.
- The No. 1 goal assistants have once they become superintendents? Creating a great workplace culture for their team. This outranks hosting majors, winning awards or even making money.
On the superintendent side, the Bloom Golf Partners Superintendent Employment Trends Report highlights a similar gap, with many superintendents acknowledging that they never received formal leadership training and struggle to develop strong team cultures because of it.
So, what’s the answer? Start by taking advantage of the leadership, communication and development programs already available to you.
Leadership development starts within the industry
Before you look outside the turf world, start by seeing what’s available right here. GCSAA and BIGGA provide excellent leadership, communication and business training programs. The reality? These programs exist — but members don’t always prioritize them.
GCSAA Leadership and Development Programs include:
- EXCEL Leadership Program: A premier leadership development program specifically for assistants.
- Melrose Superintendent Leadership Academy: Designed to help superintendents develop strong leadership and business acumen.
- Business, Communication and Leadership Webinars and Classes: A robust collection of free and premium education that many members overlook.
BIGGA Leadership and Development Programs include:
- Mental Health Toolkit: A valuable resource for managing mental health and workplace well-being.
- BTME Education: Offers classes on leadership, performance reviews and difficult conversations.
- Bernhard Academy Leadership and Development Training: Focuses on professional growth, safety and leadership.
Being a great agronomist isn’t enough — leadership makes you stand out
I know hundreds of great agronomists. But being a great agronomist alone doesn’t make you special.
Being a great leader does.
Being a great communicator does.
Being great at emotional intelligence, operational logistics and team management does.
The best superintendents and directors aren’t just good at managing grass; they’re good at managing people, leading teams, making smart business decisions and driving efficiency.
Want to set yourself apart? Focus on these skills:
- Creating a high-functioning team culture
- Writing performance reviews that actually matter
- Managing budgets and eliminating waste while maximizing impact
- Having difficult but necessary conversations
- Leveraging AI and technology for operational efficiency
- Building and selling a vision for your department
Concerned your schedule doesn’t align with turf industry education timing or can’t find what you want? No problem. These skills are universal to every business industry and there are many great options outside the turf bubble. You must be willing to go find them. These are the things that will push you ahead in your career — not just knowing how to grow great grass.
Speaking and presenting: If you can’t communicate, you’re losing Want to know what separates a great superintendent from a good one? Or a leader from a follower? Their ability to communicate. If you can’t effectively present your ideas, tell your story or advocate for yourself and your team in meetings, you’re always going to struggle to be recognized. Here’s what you can do about it — inside and outside the turf industry: Dale Carnegie Training: The absolute gold standard for leadership and public speaking. Toastmasters: Join a Toastmasters group and watch your confidence and communication skills improve dramatically. Coursera and MasterClass: Both provide highly rated courses on communication and negotiation: Coursera: The Art of Storytelling: Learn to create captivating stories that resonate. MasterClass: Chris Voss Teaches the Art of Negotiation: Learn negotiation techniques from a former FBI hostage negotiator.Mental Health: If you don’t recognize it, you can’t manage it
One of the most overlooked skills in leadership today is understanding the mental health of your team and yourself.We’re managing a workforce that is more aware of burnout, stress and anxiety than any previous generation. If you’re not learning how to navigate that, you’re already behind.
Great mental health leadership training programs include:
- Ollie Health’s Mental Health Leadership Training: Focuses on workplace leaders supporting team mental health.
- Workplace Mental Health Leadership Certificate Program (TELUS Health): Provides tools to create a mentally healthy workplace.
Workplace culture and development: Building a real team
The biggest mistake in our industry? Assuming workplace culture builds itself. It doesn’t. Culture is built intentionally, refined constantly and led deliberately. If you don’t invest in it, you’ll never have it.
Want to get better at this? Here’s where to start:
- Coursera’s “Building a Positive Workplace Culture” (University of Pennsylvania): A fantastic course on creating and sustaining a high-performance workplace.
- MasterClass “Overinvest in Culture”: As the Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz teaches how nurturing a company’s culture leads to success.
Books: The cheapest, most valuable education you can get
Some of the best leadership training you can get costs $20 or $30 (or is free at your local library!) and a few hours of your time.
- “Multipliers” by Liz Wiseman: If you lead people, you need to read this.
- “Stop the Shift Show” by Scott Greenberg: Transforming workplace culture and leadership.
- “The Culture Code” by Daniel Coyle: Breaks down how the best teams in the world operate.
- “The Anxiety Toolkit” by Alice Boyes: A must-read for handling stress and pressure effectively.
Final thoughts: It’s on you
Look, I love the turf industry. But I also know its weaknesses. One of those is the tendency to only learn where we are comfortable. If you want to be better — if you want to be a real leader, build a strong culture, and advance your career — you must step outside the turf bubble.
Take the classes.
Read the books.
Seek out the best, not just the familiar.
Because at the end of the day, no one is going to hand you leadership skills. You must go out and earn them.
Stop waiting. Get out of the turf bubble and start learning.
Explore the June 2025 Issue
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