Page 19 - GreenMaster summer 2023

Growing
to Grow Grass
Graduation Day at Olds College (from left to right; Quaid Mcbean – As- Rob with his dad, fellow Superintendent and mentor, sistant Superintendent, Lakeside GC, Chestermere, AB; Matt Piers, Assis- Rick Munro (left).
tant Superintendent, Springbank Links GC, Calgary, AB; and Rob).
cared enough about this career path that I had supposedly chosen, and that if I didn’t show that I was more interested than others on the team, then maybe I have made the wrong choice.
While this may not be how I would necessarily communicate this information to someone else, it was a jarring enough moment to make me go “all in” on asking questions. Every day, I would add a question to a growing list of turf questions, as I thought of them, and at the end of the day, I would ask a mentor for answers.
Noting questions and asking them not only taught me about turf and answered my actual questions but also created a continuous dialogue between myself and my mentors about a variety of topics. These relationships gave me an insight into my mentor’s own management philosophies and techniques. Being able to compare the styles of others is something that has been and will continue to be an asset in my own leadership journey.
These questions do not always need to be about turf either. Our responsibilities as turfgrass professionals are so much more than just turf. One of my personal goals has always been to travel, and while I do love what I do, I always have had a thought at the back of my mind that travelling is impossible with this career path, especially in a year-round management role.
BE YOURSELF
One of the best things I ever did in my own journey was discover that at a certain point, it is easy to become very comfortable in a particular situation, and oftentimes personal growth can slow down in these comfy situations. A
GreenMaster • CGSA • 19