Collective Wisdom

By M. Virginia Wood, Executive Director

Bestselling author and Harvard Business Review columnist Bill Taylor said it best: “Nobody is as smart as everybody!” That maxim certainly rang true at this year’s Annual Meeting and Lunch. Everyone agrees 2018 was a tough year. Wet weather, pests and diseases, bureaucracy, and more conspired to test the mettle of New England’s most seasoned sports turf professionals. With that in mind, we asked members at the Annual Meeting to share a single idea that drove significant change and meaningful improvement at their facility during a difficult season. In other words, we drew on the collective wisdom of the group. The networking and resulting ideas were fantastic! Check out a round-up of NESTMA members’ Best Great Ideas below.

Making new connections, sharing professional challenges, and learning from each other are the greatest benefits of NESTMA involvement.

Speaking of involvement — we are grateful to all of you who renewed your membership in 2019. Now we need your help to grow our ranks. Take a look at Charissa’s Membership Matters message on page 10 and think about who you’d recommend as a new NESTMA member. Share that information with us and we’ll be sure to reach out and extend a personal invitation.

June marks the beginning of a great series of educational opportunities for members. From new Turf Technique Workshops and an innovative Summer Field Day hosted by the Town of Natick, MA at the Gardens at Elm Bank, to the introduction of an early winter dinner meeting and regular TurfZone podcasts, members can take advantage of many chances to dig deep and learn from cutting-edge research, state-of-the-art technologies, and trend setting equipment.

As Spring 2019 revs at full speed, you won’t want to miss a thing. Stay tuned and stay involved!

The Best “Great Ideas ”

The annual meeting was packed and buzzing as members met up and talked about the lessons learned from the year that was and the changes they plan to make in the year ahead. During lunch, NESTMA board member Ed Olsen emceed a lively exchange of ideas. As Ed said, “Our goal is to provide everyone here with a good meal and the chance to take away new thinking and practical advice that you can put to work right away.”

Each table had a volunteer moderator and members were encouraged to talk about anything that helped improve productivity, communication, turfgrass health, morale, or the bottom line. No idea was too big or too small, just as long as it was something that had a positive impact on operations. Each table held a good-natured vote and then shared their BEST great idea with the group. Here are the highlights:

Professionalism / Communication

• Early field closure decisions and strong communication with stakeholders is key

• Education as main driver for addressing areas of concern and training staff to go above and beyond

• Develop strong schedules throughout the season, with clear goals and hit your marks

• Understand “why we do what we do” – focus on the “why”

• Cloud-based records and schedules

• Create a strong list of vendors you can depend on –problem solve together

• Build interpersonal skills – communicate with legislators, town officials, coaches, etc.

• Team building — “build each other up and have each other’s backs”

• Networking is priceless

• Collaborating with Coaches and A/Ds on how to best use, maintain & protect fields

Turfgrass Health / Iissues

• Wetting agents for softball/baseball infields

• Aeration aeration, aeration

• Aerating infields — deep tine — fracture soil

• Seed moisture

• Turf coverage/dormant seed

• Herbicide resistant weed species

• Biological grub control

• Sustainable practices in all aspects of turf maintenance

• Promoting safe playing surfaces

• Updating and utilizing the latest equipment — tools and technology

• Water management/rain sensors

Everyone agreed it was a beneficial exercise that really got people talking! Many thanks to Ed Olsen and our table moderators for their help with NESTMA’s first Great Ideas Exchange.

M. Virginia Wood, Executive Director