It’s OK to brag

We’ve all known braggarts. To hear them tell it, which they’re happy to do, their kids are the smartest, they’ve just returned from the best vacation ever and they’re incredibly busy doing their incredibly important jobs. The last time they made a mistake was, well, never.

Don’t you hate those guys?

Most of us prefer humble, modest and self-effacing over egotistical, bombastic and arrogant. We like folks who know their stuff and let their accomplishments do the talking. That’s why golf course superintendents are some of the most liked and respected people in this business. Humble, modest and self-effacing come naturally. Egotistical, bombastic and arrogant are just not in their DNA.

All of which explains why most superintendents shy from the spotlight as if public adoration was the next COVID variant. But they shouldn’t. There are times and circumstances when bragging is absolutely the right thing to do.

If you want to be a successful bragger, follow these tips and remember the words of homespun philosopher and baseball legend Dizzy Dean: “It ain’t braggin’ if you can back it up.”

Brag on your team. Do this at every opportunity. Write a memo (and copy the employee) to let your supervisor and manager know that a member of your team has made a significant contribution, something that has reduced costs or improved member and customer satisfaction. Also brag on the overall team. Their accomplishments can be as simple as days without an on-the-job accident or injury, or as complex as the implementation of an innovative program that took months to complete and resulted in more efficient operations.

You can formalize this process by taking on the role of crew historian. (You could also rotate this task among team members.) The historian’s job is to record individual and team accomplishments in a computer file or logbook, so they are not forgotten or overlooked. These accomplishments — in print and video — can be presented to management as part of an annual performance review and when supporting budget requests.

Whenever possible, brag on your team and individual members in front of managers, members and other players. For most employees, in any profession, there is no more satisfying or motivating reward than hearing their boss tell his or her boss what a great job they’re doing.

Brag on your course. The land on which you and your team spend most of your waking hours is your pride and joy. Don’t be bashful about letting players know about the work you’re doing to make their experience more enjoyable and the course more playable and sustainable. Have you changed how you’re maintaining bunkers? Have you removed a dastardly pin position from the rotation? Have you changed mowing patterns to help your greens weather summer temperatures? These are things many players don’t immediately recognize. And don’t limit your praise to the players on your course. Business and social occasions also present opportunities to let leaders and influencers know how your course is supporting the community’s economic and environmental interests.

Brag on yourself. Like we said earlier, this doesn’t come naturally to most superintendents. The trick is knowing how to pull it off with subtlety and professionalism. Pick your spots —annual performance reviews, of course, but also quarterly lunches are prime opportunities — to let your managers know how your leadership is contributing to the success of the business. Here’s the secret to making this a more palatable exercise and a more credible one: Do it in the context of goals and objectives.

Your managers have a business plan that has been presented and approved by ownership and, in many cases, a board of directors. This plan has revenue and cost targets for which your managers are accountable. When you point out that your leadership and decision-making have contributed to hitting one or more of these targets, you are affirming how you are helping to make the business — and them — more successful.

When you frame your bragging on your team, your course and, however reluctantly, on yourself, you’re likely to find yourself being bragged on by one of your bosses. The superintendent’s tendency on those occasions may be to brush off the praise with their own version of “Aw shucks, it was nothing.” Not so fast. Whatever accomplishment or success led to being the object of someone else’s bragging, it wasn’t nothing.

Saying “thank you” for the kind words reminds people of your humility and professionalism. And it just goes to show why superintendents are some of the best-liked people in golf.