By Callum Haughn

 

It takes a lot of different people with a lot of different personalities to make up a successful workplace. Managing these personalities can sometimes be the toughest part of our jobs. Thankfully this season has been one of the most successful I have been a part of to date.  

 

Learning to be a good manager is a lifelong process, but some of the things which have worked well for me as an assistant thus far may help others to build and maintain better work relationships while helping your facility reach its goals.

 

Communication is one of the most important aspects of being a manager. If you are unable to communicate with your staff, you will be unable to achieve your goals. Processes which seem relatively straightforward to you may not make sense to someone who doesnt have your education and experience. Telling someone to do something and expecting them to do it well is a recipe for failure. Benjamin Franklin once said Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn. Taking the time to explain to your staff why they are performing a task, the most efficient way to go about it, and the long term benefits of doing it right the first time lays the groundwork for everyone to achieve the desired outcome.

As a personnel manager, try to maintain a positive attitude. I know this is a tough one for a lot of people, me included. However, as I grow and learn, I find that approaching a situation with an upbeat personality will serve you well in the long run. This industry can get depressing, and sometimes the reasons behind the depression are out of our control. Approaching the situation with a positive outlook helps to elevate the moods of those around you. Happy workers are generally more productive workers, and productive workers are going to help you overcome obstacles. The next time a situation has you down, attack it with a positive attitude and watch how those around you rise to the occasion.

 

Work on using your own creativity, but leave space to allow your staff to use theirs. One of my favorite aspects of this industry is seeing the multitude of ways superintendents implement tasks with a similar outcome in mind. Finding ways to make things more efficient takes creative thinking. As managers we constantly try to improve our operations, but we should not forget that our crew members are a valuable resource as well. By asking your staff for their input and allowing them to use their creativity, you allow the crew feel like valuable team members. People who feel as if their contributions are valued are bound to be more dedicated to helping the course succeed.

 

Maintain a sense of humor in your daily operations. Having the ability to joke with employees can help remove them from the doldrums of the daily grind. Nicknames, jokes amongst the crew, or framing a negative situation in a positive light using humor all can serve to help build relationships as well as maintain a positive working environment. Always remember that there is more to life than work, and having a sense of humor allows you to have fun while still accomplishing everything you set out to do.

 

In the end, remember that we are all just people; people with dreams, people with lives outside of work, and people with all the problems that plague our daily lives. Yes, we all convene at the same time in the same place every day to work towards the same goal. Having a positive work environment can allow crew members to open up if need be. Take the time to listen, to understand, and try to help each other wade through the circus of life. In doing so you get to know another side of someone, and allow them to see a different side of you.

...remember that we are all just people; people with dreams, people with lives outside of work, and people with all the problems that plague our daily lives."

I recently had a long time employee say to me, 'Don't worry, I will always do whatever task you need me to do." Over the last five years I have established a great relationship with this employee, and we have both tackled many problems together. After all this time, knowing that this person will go to bat for me if need be is a very rewarding feeling and makes for exactly the type of employee one hopes for.

 

There is always going to be work to do. Having the trust and respect of your crew can go a long ways towards the success of your establishment. Remember not to lose sight of the individuals who make up your crew; they constitute the human element of our job. These same people allow us to present our courses day in and day out. We may have lots of different titles, but in the end we are all the same.