MORE THAN GRASS WITH ALPHA JONES

By Alpha Jones , CSFM

How many times in recent months have you heard about labor challenges ? It may have been a headline on your news feed , a conversation with coworkers or industry counterparts , or you might be dealing with a shortage of available labor at your facility .

Many industries report that there is not enough help , the quality of the work output is down , and employees want more life-work balance rather than work-life balance . The green industry is no different ; so how do you combat against the uninterested ? A key component is to create a better work environment that includes team members in the process of doing business . One way to meet this challenge is through effective delegation .

As a team member and follower of designated leaders , I have questioned decisions made and asked why we do it that way on more than one occasion . However , when given accountability for making responsible decisions , my appreciation for making those decisions — and the discomfort of having them questioned — helped me reevaluate the work within the building .

A common practice by those in charge — in response to low staffing numbers and rebuttal to their decisions — is to take on the unassigned tasks . Many leaders often feel “ the job will not get done correctly or on time unless I do it myself ,” “ there is no other person on staff who knows how to do it ,” or “ it will not look right unless I do it .” These approaches help the “ doer ” personality feel justified in their approach . But this often results in increased stress and work hours , limited time to provide quality effort , and mediocre results . Although the task may have been completed , it is a missed opportunity to provide the best outcomes .

Effective delegation is a methodology that involves assigning tasks and responsibilities to others . This gives employees the authority and control to make decisions , and , more importantly , can improve the workplace environment . It is a skill that will help the leader be more effective and keep the team or department focused on the big picture rather than the day-to-day minutia .

Delegating responsibilities establishes the reputation of a workplace environment that embraces coaching , mentoring and career development . Effective delegation can be a built-in staff development process that provides support and value , includes the employee , and gives them less opportunity to question decisions made .

The process will push the leader out of their comfort zone . It will force the doer leader to ditch the rationales of doing it themselves and instead learn to trust the employees to whom they must delegate . Insecure managers might also lack self-confidence or feel the employee might outshine their own work . Or a manager might simply not know how to delegate .

The best way to be effective in delegating is to analyze the task . Are there multiple steps to follow ? If so , which ones must be done first ? If the steps are not followed , will this create problems ? Know what successful completion of the task looks like .

For example , spreading fertilizer requires several steps . Getting good results starts with knowing where you want to apply and the size of the area , because the application rate helps determine how much product is needed . If delegating this job , details like this must be understood by the person performing the task . Be able to describe — in a way the other person will understand — what a successful application looks like . If the picture is not clear , the result might be fertilizer burn or uneven color to the grass .

Choosing the right team member to whom you delegate the task is as important or more important than the task itself . The trust given when assigning an important task should assure the employee that they are a valued and important part of the process . Their significance will become more apparent as the task is performed and matches the description of what successful completion looks like .

Effective delegation may not overcome the limited quantity of staff members , but it will improve the quality of the work and the work environment .

Success is only as great as the diversity of the path traveled to get there . SFM

Alpha Jones , CSFM , is director of field operations for the Fayetteville Woodpeckers , MiLB affiliate of the Houston Astros . He serves on the SFMA Board of Directors as Secretary-Treasurer .

8 SportsField Management | March 2024 sportsfieldmanagementonline . com