Start talking

For ideas about how superintendents can distinguish their clubs with good people skills among crew, we invited tips from two service-minded professionals: Rick Capozzi, a global communication consultant with Pennsylvania-based Capozzi Group, and Richard Staughton, CGCS, a golf superintendent and general manager at Towne Lake Hills Golf Club in Woodstock, Georgia.

Bridge cross-cultural communication gaps by learning a few words. Staughton has learned a few Spanish words to help him communicate with Hispanic team members. “Golf course work is very repetitious, so you don’t need a huge vocabulary to communicate,” he says. “I speak a little Spanish, they speak a little English.”

Follow up when you sense something isn’t clear. “It’s usually pretty easy to see when my crew doesn’t know what I mean,” Staughton says. “It doesn’t take much effort to slow down and make sure they understand what we’re doing.”

When you’re new to an organization, make changes slowly. Spend time observing how things work before you change anything. “Changing staff doesn’t always solve a problem,” Staughton says. “Sometimes, you just need to stand back and observe the dynamics of a staff, and why they do things the way they do.”

Appreciate differences. In one role, Staughton rubbed crew members the wrong way before they even knew him. As a native of Canada, he was similarly irked by unfamiliar attitudes that were part of their regional U.S. culture. “It took a little time for us to understand each other,” he says.

Find synergies among team members. Staughton’s small crew is a collection of closely-knit family and friends. It’s easy to see who works together well. He tries to consider those relationships when dividing work.

Emphasize attitude. Situations can’t always be changed. Attitudes can. “People typically reflect back the attitude they receive,” says Capozzi. “When you interact with someone from a negative position, they won’t respect you or the work you do.” Capozzi says service-minded people recognize that every person is influenced for better or worse from every human interaction, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

Lead by example. Capozzi says employees exhibit desired behaviors, not because they are told, but because it’s what they observe. “From the second you walk in the door, you can feel the culture and its attitude toward service,” he says. Superintendents who model the behaviors they want to see will have the greatest impact on service.

Explain why. When leaders don’t say why things are done a certain way, people are less likely to follow, according to Capozzi. “If we’re concerned about team cooperation, it doesn’t take much time to explain why we are changing our daily routine,” he says. “When you explain that someone famous is going to be on the course today, it gives people a little piece that helps them look at the needs of the whole.”