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Presented in partnership with YOUR CAREER
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Success by committee
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Most superintendents raise multitasking to an art form. So it may seem that taking time for yet another responsibility would be daunting. However, serving on a committee — whether through GCSAA, your local chapter or in your community — is time well spent. For example, serving on a GCSAA committee or task group provides you with an excellent opportunity to hone communication, planning and analysis skills that you can apply immediately at your facility.
Serving on a committee or board of your local chapter can be a great way to network with superintendents in your area and prepare for future leadership roles. If community service is more to your liking, you can still make great connections and learn key business skills while getting a chance to promote yourself and your profession. Whether these service opportunities are golf-related, such as your state turf foundation, or outside the realm of golf, you can still gain skills you can take back to your facility. Other benefits of volunteer service include:
• Building relationships. First and foremost, giving your time to committee service lets you learn key business skills, such as Robert’s Rules of Order, teamwork strategies and consensus building.
• Finding your voice. Maybe you aren’t that comfortable with public speaking — many people aren’t. Voicing your opinion and providing insight to fellow committee members is a great way to get comfortable speaking in front of larger groups.
• Earning service points. GCSAA recognizes the amount of time and effort that go into serving on committees, and you can earn service points accordingly. Serving on a GCSAA national committee/task group/advisory panel or resource group will earn 0.5 points per year per committee. Serving on your chapter board of directors, an allied association board, a golf- or turf-related body or a First Tee board, will also earn 0.5 points per year. Serving on a (non-board) chapter or other industry-related committee will provide you with 0.25 points per year. Other types of committees fall under community service and earn 0.1 point per 5 hours with a 1-point maximum per cycle for Class A and 2-point maximum for certification.
For GCSAA committees, interested volunteers may submit a GCSAA volunteer form online at gcsaa.org. Start watching the home page beginning Sept. 1, when the form for 2009 committees will be available. For chapter committees, consult your chapter leaders about your chapter’s committee options.
For more information about the rewards of committee service, visit www.gcsaa.org or call 800-472-7878.
A new rule from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires employers to pay for nearly all personal protective equipment required for employees on the job. OSHA expects the rule to yield safety benefits, including more than 21,000 fewer occupational injuries every year. The final rule contains exceptions for items that may be considered safety gear but are not the responsibility of the employer, including safety-toe footwear, prescription safety eyewear, logging boots and weather-related apparel. Also under the new rule, which became effective in February and is required to have been implemented by May 15 of this year, employers are not required to reimburse workers for safety gear that employees choose to buy instead of employer-purchased equipment. For more information, visit OSHA online at http://osha.gov/SLTC/personalprotectiveequipment/index.html. Working outdoors in humid, hot conditions can lead to heat exhaustion, dehydration or heat stroke. To ward off the likelihood of this occurring on your staff, encourage crew members to wear hats with wide brims, wear sunscreen with an SPF of at least 15, wear UV-resistant sunglasses, drink water, wear light-colored clothing, take short breaks in the shade and eat small meals before their shifts. |
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