Standing still? Time to double down

Carlos Arraya

All of us, at some point in our personal and professional lives, will experience a brain cramp. In our professional careers, given the variety and amount of work turfgrass professionals have to manage, it happens so often you’d wonder how we manage to tie our shoes correctly each morning. How many times over the course of your career have you had to ask yourself, “What day is it today?”

Fortunately for us all, things seem to get back to normal quickly as you realize the actual day on the calendar, and your mind is able to focus on the more important things for the day’s operations. Unfortunately, before you even have a chance to take a breather, another day is gone, and then tomorrow arrives and the day repeats itself.

We’ve all been there … it just feels like you are standing still and all the world around you is moving at light speed. It’s like you are stuck in a concrete pad working hard to break free.

Everyone possesses or can learn motivational tactics when they are standing still. My preferred tactic is to “double down” and go slower. Allow me to share how my approach provides a fresh look at operations and helps improve outcomes. Full disclosure: This is my style, something that I have used that works for me when I am suffering from the feeling of standing still. When I double down, my four professional f-bombs are activated: focus, follow up, finish and fun.

Focus on the most important thing today. It could be setting up the course for the day, addressing an irrigation issue that has been a nuisance for days or dealing with the business side of your operation. The power of focus is that it centers you and provides alignment for the day, yet it doesn’t put blinders on the things that also matter. I have come to learn and embrace that my attitude requires the most focus when I am standing still. Those closest to me all concur.

Follow up on items you have left unattended. Following up can be viewed as a nuisance because it is basic and takes you back to something you’ve deemed complete. In a fast-paced world, no one wants to go back or feel like repeating, but following up is the most important aspect in the exercise. It ensures and verifies details of your operations are in good standing. Following up also allows you the opportunity to provide support, appreciation and peace of mind in your daily operations.

Finish tasks that have been lingering, sitting on your to-do list or piling up in your email inbox. This applies to the most basic of tasks, something as simple as emptying the course trash cans. Being an operational closer ensures that what has been completed requires neither additional attention nor a new approach for execution.

The last f-bomb is fun. No, that doesn’t mean fun in the sun or that you must perform backflips down the fairway. It simply means smile while you’re focusing, following up and finishing. Your smile while on the golf course can lead to someone else’s standstill moment suddenly unlocking. One could argue that the power of unlocking others, in a moment while they are standing still, places fun at the top of my f-bomb list.

Inevitably, the feeling of standing still will come over you. Don’t fall in the trap where you ask yourself a boatload of self-doubting questions: Did I miss an opportunity? Did I do it right? Am I doing it right? To all you #Turfies, #Turfheads and #Turflovers, or whichever tag describes you, find a way that best suits you to double down, go slower and create a better path for your operation.