8/13/2013 12:08 PM
Austin,
Below is a post I wrote on here to a fine young man in your same position several years ago.
What characteristics or skills have you developed in your career that would have been of benefit entering this Industry?
There are several things that you can begin to work in earnest right now and throughout your internship that will set the stage for the next step in your career.
Communication - This is undoubtedly the most important skill for a golf course superintendent. Think about it; if you can't communicate with you crew then the work will either not be done properly, if at all. If you can't communicate with your peers in the industry then forget about learning new techniques or other anecdotes that may help you in the future. If you can't communicate with your owner or board then you will never be able to justify your budget and/or needs of the department. You can provide the finest playing conditions in the world but, if you can't communicate with those around you in a meaningful and productive manner your career change that has been suggested above may be involuntary.
Learn to sell yourself and your ideas to those around you. When you are in your interview, at a greens committee meeting, or talking to a satisfied or dissatisfied customer you are trying to sell your idea(s) of how to maintain the golf course and/or make the golf course better. On your internship it may be as simple as explaining to a disinterested crew member why a certain job is being performed and what the positive outcome should be.
Always be ready to explain yourself or answer to whomever questions you on a situation or matter related to anything in the operation (this includes questions about the golf course, pro shop, food and beverage, etc.). Answering "I don't know" to someone's legitimate question reflects poorly on you and your club. If you truly don't know then you can reply with "I honestly cannot answer your question at the moment but, I will have an answer to you as soon as possible" or point them in the direction of someone who can answer their question (golf pro for pro shop questions, F+B manager for restaurant questions, etc.) If you don't know the answer to the question, you should, at the minimum, know where to find it or who to seek out for more information.
Accountability - This goes almost hand-in-hand with communication because when you make a mistake you will undoubtedly have to explain yourself to someone. Mistakes are a part of the learning process and at least in my experience, superintendents typically give a little more latitude to an intern with that in mind. When you make a mistake (and you WILL make a mistake at some point) own up to it immediately. Have the humility and fortitude necessary to go to your superiors and admit that you were wrong and more than likely they will be more apt to counsel you rather than yell and scream when they find it on their own. This includes having people work under you on small projects and the like. Understand that if you have been tasked with leading a group of people to complete a project, the success or failure of said project rests squarely on your shoulders. The superintendent on my internship put it very succinctly: "Ryan you can make a mistake, and that will happen, just don't make the same mistake twice."
Work Ethic/Leadership - Just as the other guys on here have said, from day one you need to establish a work ethic that will demonstrate to those around you that you are a hard-working individual. Set the tone and the pace for those around you so that they know who to look for when they are in need of a good example and leadership. Moreover, you can begin learning leadership traits now by understanding how certain employees are motivated to get the job done. Everyone is different and there is no right answer but, you need to comprehend that the motivation continuum spans employees that are motivated by money, others with positive feedback, and still others by the proverbial swift kick in the behind every now and again. Having the insight into how to motivate people will serve you well as you progress in your career to assistant superintendent and beyond. Above all, always be punctual, thorough, clean, attentive to detail, and professional in your work.
Education - Realize now that once you get your diploma that your education is FAR from over. There is a tremendous amount of information and experience out there for you learn from on the golf course. Going to work each day should be an education in and of itself because you should always be learning something about your golf course. Additionally, read voraciously; there is a TON of great information on this board, let alone the Turfgrass Information File from MSU, industry magazines, Twitter, blogs, etc. Also look to both formal and informal education opportunities that are all around you in the form of peers, state conferences, GIS, etc. If you are not constantly challenging and improving yourself then how can you consistently improve your course?
Networking - Develop relationships with peers, bosses, and even those outside the industry that you can trust and count on. These are the people that will help you with tough questions, get through troubled times, and confide in when other issues arise. You should be prepared to reciprocate for those that you network with. No matter what, never under any circumstances burn any bridges; this industry is much smaller than you think.
Personal - Just as you need to establish your work ethic, you should learn how to balance your work and your personal life. The better you become now at recognizing when you need a break will make it easier if your life gets busier later on (wife, kids, owning a home, etc.). It is difficult in this industry to take a step back and realize that work does not equal life; try not to fall into that trap.
What would you advise students in getting the most out of their internships?
First off, as has been stated the opportunity to work at a big name club can be no doubt be tempting. The pros of working at a big club are first the obvious of having the name on your resume and secondly being surrounded by a lot of talented and well-motivated individuals. The cons are you will be more than likely one of several interns which inherently limits your opportunity to experience all facets of the operation. Smaller clubs typically can offer more opportunities to experience all facets of the operation out of necessity and not luxury. You can also find the same level intelligence and talent at smaller clubs as well. Creativity becomes currency when the budget is smaller again, out of necessity and not luxury.
A better approach might be to seek out the type of club you think you might want to work for in the future (Top 100, mom and pop, muni, resort, country club, golf only club, etc.) and/or the area of the country you might want to work near. Then through professors, previous bosses, and the rest of your network (wink,wink) identify the best people to work for in regards to helping you learn and experience all facets of the operation and be someone who will mentor you throughout your internship. Even if some of the people's names who come up do not have an internship ad on this website or Turfnet, call them up and let them know you are interested in working for them.
Before you go to your interviews, prepare yourself by conducting an analysis of yourself and your experience. In this exercise identify your strengths and weakness so that you can go to the interview ready to answer the question "What do you want to experience on your internship?". Being able to communicate (yes, it's that time already) what you do well and what you would like to work on for the duration of your internship (and beyond). At this stage, being humble and telling your future boss where your focus is will help him/her put you in position to have a successful internship. Even after your internship begins continue to evaluate yourself, your experience, and ask your bosses for feedback. Remember you are an adult and if you don't communicate with those around you, then you will not achieve the desired result.
As others have said try your best to see the budget and start to understand that everything we do and everything we use on the golf course costs money. At the minimum, sit down on a rain day and talk to the superintendent about all the expenses and costs involved in maintaining the golf course. Make an effort to spend some time with the mechanic to gain a basic understanding of what his job entails. Also, if you have the opportunity try to attend a greens committee, parks committee, managers meeting etc. to learn about the interactions that take place between the greens staff and other stakeholders within the organization.
Ultimately, you need to realize that you have an incredible opportunity to gain experience and be mentored by someone or a group of people that care about you and your future. Make absolutely certain that the group of individuals that employ you will work as hard for you as you will for them. Remember too that you are paying for this experience via college credits and as such this opportunity should be looked at as an investment in yourself and your future. Suffice to say, in the real world finding the right people to work for is far away more important than where you work.
In conclusion, I know that this whole post is a lot of information and some of it has already been addressed in the posts above. If you can become highly proficient in the skills and traits that I mentioned in the first part,it will serve you well when you make the transition from student to spray/irrigation tech, and then to assistant superintendent. It is in those aforementioned jobs that you will learn in great detail about pesticides,fertilizers, water management, people management, scheduling, and how to create and manage outstanding playing surfaces. As you matriculate into positions of greater responsibility, you will learn and develop other skills such as budgeting, business management, human resource management, accounting practices and so forth. However, when you reflect at the end of each day you will be able to say unequivocally that you use each of the characteristics and traits described above. Manage yourself and your career carefully and with patience, persistence, and perseverance; success will follow.
Best of luck!