Everyone needs an elevator speech

I know we’ve all heard about it, but how many times have you needed to use it? I’m talking about your elevator speech. Google defines an elevator speech as a clear, brief message or “commercial” about you. It communicates who you are, what you're looking for and how you can benefit a company or organization. It's typically about 30 seconds, the time it takes people to ride from the top to the bottom of a building in an elevator. If you are a superintendent or someone working in our industry, being prepared for that one time when someone asks you what you do can make a big difference in how that person perceives you. This can also have a huge impact in how you relate to your lawmakers as many of us will be attending our state golf days as well as National Golf Day.

Image by claybanksstudio.com

We all have our own elevator speech and are probably not even aware of it. Let’s say you run into an old friend and they ask you, “How’s the family?” For the next 30 seconds, you will probably give them a brief update on the kids and your spouse and then you’re off to the next subject. This morning after my swim at the gym, I was enjoying the sauna for a few minutes and started a light conversation with a gentleman sitting across from me. He proceeded to ask me what I did for a living so I explained that I was a golf course superintendent by trade and am now currently working for the golf course superintendent's national association (GCSAA). I knew right away that this guy wasn’t a golfer when he asked me how we keep the grass so green. I went into my elevator speech and told him how superintendents are always in the quest for knowledge and how we constantly work to reduce our inputs. Then I gave him my favorite analogy, which worked out great since I wasn’t wearing my shirt. As I patted my tummy, I said, "turfgrass is like you and me, if we overfeed it and give it too much to drink, it becomes unhealthy." Right then, I saw that look in his eye. It was either the fact that he instantly got the point or he was repulsed by my budding spare tire. I would like to think that it was the prior.
My point is: I gathered enough information in that short period to give him the golf course superintendents perspective on fertilizer and pesticide use. I feel like he left enlightened on our position and could probably tell someone else the same story. It’s all about one victory at a time. We may not be able to change the masses in one fell swoop, but if we all work as individuals with a common message, or our elevator speech, we may be able make a difference just one encounter at a time.

It's not adios, just good luck on your new endeavor

When joining the GCSAA on April 9, 2012, I could not have ever imagined the friendships that I would make in my first five years. Time sure does fly as I look back and remember some of my first trips within my region. As a superintendent, I left behind some amazing crew members that to this day carry a special place in my heart. It was that sense of family that I had with all my coworkers and the way we all came together each day to make Stone Creek that very special place.

I must confess, the first six months on the job as the Northwest field staff representative were pretty lonely. Many times I felt like a fish out of water. That soon came to an end as I met the members across the eight states that comprise my region. I felt as if I had lost my family members from Stone Creek, but instead, I expanded family to include the many new friends that I met across the Northwest region.

Not only did I foster new relationships with the Northwest region members, I also met and became very close with my fellow field staffers. Since I actually started in April 2012, I didn’t have the opportunity to meet “the gang” in person until the delegates meeting in October. But strangely enough, I had felt like I knew all of them for a long time. Immediately after I was hired, the emails started flying and we were team building like crazy. To get to know each other, Brian Cloud, our South Central team member, kept us engaged with some fun sports games. We would pick weekly NFL games, major NASCAR races, March Madness, and yes, golf’s majors, and accumulate points throughout the season. The winner would be awarded the coveted Field Staff Extravaganza trophy at the end of the season.

“In Texas, you would say he's so busy he doesn't know if he lost a horse or found a rope.”

Brian and I became good friends over the last five years and would often take calls from each other on any day of the week. At one point, Brian invited me and Ron Wright down to play in the Texas Trophy tournament in College Station, just prior to our San Antonio field staff remote meeting. In true Texan form, Brian showed us all the sites of Dallas and Fort Worth and even showed us, what I will admit, is the greatest car/truck stop I have ever seen. The highpoint of the trip was walking the campus of Texas A&M and learning the storied traditions of that university. Brian taught me things like Gig’em, or BTHO. I also learned that Aggies never lose, they simply run out of time and what it meant when an Aggie yelled REST in a crowd of people. It was demonstrated when Tom Werner yelled it during the Texas Trophy tournament and the room went silent. Brian taught me several sayings that I call "Texanisms," many that I probably shouldn’t repeat publicly, but some are just too funny not to share. “In Texas, you would say he's so busy he doesn't know if he lost a horse or found a rope.” Or,“you got to place a bet every day because you might be walking around lucky!”

By now, most of you have probably seen the GCSAA job posting, listing the South Central field staff position. Last week when Brian called me and said that he had received a good offer from a company in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, I knew that it was time for him to move on. He would have been a fool not to take the job. I was elated for him and the new opportunity that lay ahead for him, but the selfish side of me didn’t want him to leave. Brian is one of a kind and losing him will leave a huge hole in our team. However, I am sure we will find a new South Central field staff representative that will fill Brian's shoes and Brian will always be right there to ensure their success. 

Brian, thank you for everything. You are a role model, a true friend, and, a gentleman above all. We all wish you the best in your new endeavor and know you will be great at it.  It's not adios, just good luck on your new endeavor!