A superintendent’s job can easily become overwhelming because of the multitude of things to do and problems to solve during the season. Being overwhelmed can be debilitating to one’s mental and physical functions. We need to manage ourselves so we don’t fall prey to unnecessary stress.
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Overcommitment is directly related to this condition. Committing to more things than we have time to accomplish is the origin for much of our stress. We must make commitments in our jobs and follow them through to completion. However, we also must be realistic about how much we take on at any one time. In our professional organizations and private lives, it’s easy to say yes to things without realizing we have overcommitted.
Some managers think stress forces people to get more accomplished. That might be true in the short run, but look at the high job turnover rate in high-stress employment. I’d rather have staff that’s well organized and completes their assignment in an orderly fashion. Some like to live on the edge of disaster putting out fires. However, most people aren’t equipped for this style of management and won’t be long-term employees.
There are useful tools we can use to help avoid crisis management. First, prioritize your projects. Discuss this priority list with your superiors and subordinates. Determine from both groups which items can be realistic to accomplish in the time frame allotted. Start a long-range planning list for the excess items and only go to that list once you’ve completed your current project list. The priority of your list might change, but everyone involved will have realistic expectations about the time frame for accomplishment.
Avoid predicting dates a project will be completed if weather conditions are a factor. You can say a project should take so long if weather conditions are ideal. Schedule the disruptive projects during the time of year you have the least amount of play. Summer (or winter in the south) projects are ill advised because the normal maintenance procedures must take precedence when your players are there in full force.
Give yourself permission to say no. After you give yourself permission, then you need to learn how to say no. You don’t need a good excuse. You might think you do, but you don’t. Have you ever had a friend ask you to do something you didn’t have the time or inclination to do? We either do it in silent protest or make up a fictitious excuse to say no. Don’t do things you don’t want to do. Don’t make up excuses. No excuse, no matter how good you think it is, is going to satisfy the other person. After all, they just want you to do it.
Saying, “Thank you for asking, but I decline” is all you need to do. I realize this isn’t the normal way people say no and it takes practice not to offer up a good excuse. Remember, you must give yourself permission to say no first. You can tell the person asking they may ask you again but only if you mean it.
Another tool is to delegate tasks to others. As an employer you can ask or direct employees to do some of what you’re doing. I use to hesitate to delegate because I thought no one else could do it as well as I could. By forcing myself to delegate, I discovered others can do as well and sometimes even better. You won’t know unless you give them a chance. Hire people who are organized, neat and on time. They’ll support your efforts to complete things in a timely fashion. Tell them to let you know when you start to overload them with too many things. You never want to overwhelm your staff.
Look at your yearly schedule. The months I have the most activity are the same months I have the most stress. If this is the same for you, see what commitments you can reschedule from the busy times to the slow times. When you eliminate one item from your schedule another item will appear. Decide in advance how much stress that item will put on you. If you need a stress break at that time you can schedule no stress items such as a sports activity, relaxation time or just doing nothing. The trick is to schedule it. Yes, you also need to schedule time to do nothing.
Be specific with your list of to-do-items. Separate the items you need to do from the ones you want to do. Eliminate the ones that are unnecessary and that you don’t want to do. This will help avoid being overwhelmed and automatically reduces your stress.
Sometimes becoming overwhelmed is unavoidable. In these cases, I find myself disabled by the enormity of things I need to accomplish. A friend taught me a trick to disengage myself from being overwhelmed. First, stop everything you’re doing and thinking about. Sit down and clear your mind. Then pick out one simple item that can be accomplished in a few minutes. Choose a task that requires little thought or effort, such as dusting off your desk or opening your mail. If you’re at home, empty the dishwasher or make the bed. After that task is completed, select only one more simple task and do it to completion. And so on.
Completion is energizing. It’s the key to having your mind regain full function in an orderly fashion. Having many projects started and unfinished is a formula for upsets with those around you as well as stress for you. Too many superintendents get in trouble with the members just because of numerous unfinished projects. To them, it looks like their course is in a constant state of disruption. Selecting fewer projects and completing them in a timely fashion will sit well with your members and your staff.
Making a priority list is a good idea, but be careful you don’t make the list so long it’s overwhelming. Superintendents are industrious people and susceptible to committing to more things than they have time to do. Take a look at your schedule and to-do list to see if you are one of these overachievers.
Most of us take in more than we give away. This results in accumulating a lot of excess baggage. You can reverse this condition with a little practice. Take a good look at your closet, basement, garage or file cabinet. Are they full of things that are not being used anymore? Schedule some time and get rid of all the things that you possibility can. Goodwill, the Salvation Army or the trash barrel can be great friends. You’ll be amazed at how energized you feel afterwards. Excess baggage is a major source of stress. Simplifying your surroundings and expectations will automatically give you more energy to do the things that are important to you.
We all have a lot to think about and accomplish during the golf season, so start divesting yourself of unnecessary items as soon as possible. Once you begin the process of getting rid of those items that clutter your surroundings and mind, you’ll feel a new freedom. It can be fun, and I promise you, it will work. GCI
Frank Dobie is the golf course superintendent at The Sharon Golf Club in Sharon Center, Ohio.
