With Thanksgiving a little more than a week away, it is only fitting that we talk about gratitude. While many of us tend to take a more personal view of gratitude, gratitude in the workplace is equally important. Gratitude makes us and our teams feel a sense of belonging to something greater than ourselves. Gratitude creates a sense of meaning at work.
Wanting to find meaning at work isn’t new. Since the pandemic, in addition to increasing our sense of connectedness, “why” we do what we do professionally moves us toward a more human workplace. For me, I have always been intentional about wrapping my teams in the resources they need to be successful. When our employees feel appreciated, respected, and empowered they tend to reach their fullest potential.
Gratitude is the close cousin of recognition. You’ve all read Howie’s regular conversation on this topic. When we recognize one another, it further demonstrates that we are appreciative. Unavoidably and naturally, recognition inspires the person we’ve thanked. We sometimes underestimate just how impactful this is. When we recognize someone else, we are injecting happiness, increasing morale, and deepening engagement. From here it is a very simple equation. The changes we initiate directly influence performance and productivity. It improves retention. In a breakout session of Section CEO’s at the 2021 Annual Meeting in Milwaukee a couple weeks back, the number one challenge cited by my peers was retention. This prompted me to ask my colleagues across the forty-one: “How appreciated do your teams feel? When was the last time you talked about gratitude with your members?”
This is the gratitude effect: a ripple of acknowledgment and appreciation that surges forward, transforming and inspiring us, and improving business outcomes. The more legitimate gratitude we show, the better the connections are made with those around us. The result: more collaboration, engagement, and innovation across the organization. And it doesn’t start and end around Thanksgiving or performance reviews. Studies have shown that when recognition is given frequently throughout the year, the impact of that positive reinforcement expands nearly exponentially.
In addition to appreciating the impact gratitude makes in our personal AND professional worlds, we must also consider the effect it has on both our employees and on us. Gratitude changes the giver, not just the receiver. It is only natural; typical managers don't stop to consider the positive effects giving recognition has on themselves.
The act of expressing gratitude makes us vulnerable. Simply saying “thank you” creates a powerful, human connection between two people. Acknowledging that “what you did had a positive impact on me,” is a profound message to give to another person. In addition to making you both happier, it makes you both more productive. In 2019 a report was conducted that quantified this increase, estimating that “a meaningful increase in well-being” yields, on average, about a 10% increase in productivity. In many cases, the act of giving recognition can be an even more transformative experience than the act of receiving it. Dr. Robert Emmons, professor of psychology at University of California, Davis, characterizes gratitude as “the ultimate touchpoint of human existence … and the ultimate performance-enhancing substance.” When you thank someone, you’re creating what experts call “a defining moment,” not just for the receiver, but also for yourself.
Leaders should model the habit of frequent and widespread expressions of recognition and appreciation to inspire others throughout the organization to emulate that behavior. Three tips for getting started:
Inarguably, Thanksgiving is an opportune time to acknowledge and remember the many benefits of gratitude in the workplace. We must also remember that the power of gratitude is too important to be celebrated on just one day. When people lift one another with acknowledgment and recognition–when giving and receiving gratitude is the foundation of a culture–we’re all elevated. In this spirit, I would like to thank our Section’s Officers, our Board of Directors, the Section staff, our sponsors and, most importantly, every Member and Associate of the Pacific Northwest PGA personally and sincerely. Together, you all make it my privilege and my pleasure to serve you as your CEO.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving,
Frank Talarico, CEO
ftalarico@pgahq.com
Doug Doxsie, PGA
I appreciate the opportunity to give you an update on some things going on nationally and with the Sections. My article will be longer than usual, but I hope you find it of some value! As always, please reach out to me if you want any more information or have questions.
The PGA Annual meeting wrapped up November 5th in Milwaukee, with most delegates attending in-person and a few delegates choosing the virtual option. It was a great week and I enjoyed spending some collaboration time with your Pacific Northwest Section attendees Howie Pruitt, Chris Nowlen, John Grothe, Monte Koch, Caleb Hung, and Frank Talarico. We also got to see Carissa Shaw graduate from her PGA Lead Class. Any of these attendees can also be a great resource on everything that happened at the meeting. Much of what was reviewed with the delegation can also be found on pga.org, which continues to be a great resource for news and information about your association.
Maybe the most exciting news of the week was the announcement of IRS approval for the PGA of America Deferred Compensation plan. This will allow PGA Members to receive contributions made on their behalf by the association, for various activities, like programs that grow the game as an example. Funds will be distributed on an annual basis to PGA Members according to the criteria which will be established. It will build similar to a retirement account, truly creating a meaningful member benefit. The new program has a lot of logistics to work through including how to qualify, how we will fund it, and who is eligible, but it should be fully available and implemented for fiscal year 2023.
The delegation was led through an extensive presentation on everything PGA Frisco including all the different complexes: the PGA of America Headquarters, North Texas PGA headquarters, golf courses, education center, fitting center, short course, retail district, Omni resort and more. This will be an amazing home to the PGA of America and no doubt build our brand and showcase what we do as PGA Members and Associates for our great game. Current timelines have our headquarters opening March of 2022, which will allow for education to resume in-person. The golf courses are done and growing into maturity and their opening will time with all construction completion, including the Omni resort, likely March of 2023. Check out the latest photos on PGA.org.
The delegation received a number of presentations and engaged in breakout sessions on programs, initiatives, and resources available to them. I will just bullet point a few here and will provide more information in future articles and communications.
Overall, I came out of my most recent Board Meetings, Committee Meetings, and this Annual Meeting with a couple main takeaways.
First, the PGA of America, the game of golf, and our PGA Members and Associates place in our industry as leaders has never been stronger. We need to capitalize on this growth by sustaining it, building upon it, and find ways that this growth can continue to benefit our PGA Members. We all know this growth has created challenges including more work with less staff and resources. Work-life balance is an ever-growing concern. Compensation needs to keep improving. The labor market is a growing challenge in our industry like most others. This is why we are taking a close look on how the association can help you attract employees and retain them. Efforts and action plans are already underway on all these topics. I feel confident we are attacking these challenges head on with commitment and focus. There is a lot of great stuff happening within our Association and industry but like any business, we need to address the challenges.
Secondly, I am proud of the resources we continue to increase to sections not only with financial support, but with programs with staffing support. We all realize that the best connection to the PGA Member is through their section and chapters, and we continue to find ways to offer support from National to the local level. I am confident I speak for the entire PGA Board of Directors that everything we do is with the with the mindset of, "Does it help our individual members?" I feel that the pandemic has strengthened relations with the sections and the work of the Section Business Operation department is fantastic. The Section Executive Director Committee has never had a stronger voice in our Association, to the point that their Chair, Joe Stadler, sits in on our National Board Meetings. This committee has been a great help to us as we make critical decisions for the Association.
Next on the horizon, the Pacific Northwest and Southwest Section officers will gather with me and a few other key national representatives in January for the District 14 meeting. Each District is encouraged to do this every year. This will be a couple days of leadership training, review of national and section business, issues, and sharing best practices. It will be a great couple of days in collaboration.
Lastly, congratulations to Incoming District 14 Director, Jeff Lessig, who will follow me representing you starting in November 2022. Jeff will shadow me on the Board for this next year. I hope to do as good a job mentoring him as Don Rea did for me, so he can hit the ground running when he takes that official seat on the National Board of Directors.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve you and again, please reach out if I can ever be of assistance.
Doug Doxsie, PGA
Seattle Golf Club
PGA District 14 Director
425-681-8889
doxpga@msn.com
Branden Thompson, PGA - Regional League Manager
It’s that time of year to register for the 2022 PGA Jr. League season, so here we go:
Coach Registration (formerly Captain Registration, yes we’ve changed the terminology going forward)
The Pacific Northwest Section has been given the opportunity to be the one of the first sections to test and provide feedback on the PGA Jr. League's brand-new, custom-built platform. This soft launch will take place over the next couple weeks. We need as many Pacific Northwet Section PGA JL Coaches as possible to register their 2022 PGA Jr. League programs during this time period. Please use the link below to register and have your PGA.org OneLogin information handy:
https://my.pga.com/junior-league-signup
There will be a "carousel" on your dashboard that walks you through all the new processes. Please take a moment to go through it, as it provides a brief overview of some of the new terminology and will point you in the right direction to get your programs registered.
Make sure you create your Location and publish your 2022 Program.
The following link will provide FAQs and Guides for the new website:
Please use that link for your initial questions and support issues (this is a soft launch as well, so we need feedback on these articles and videos and how helpful they were). If all else fails, please reach out to me and I will help you as best I can!
I was a part of the project team that helped bring this new platform to life, so providing me with your feedback on the process is very much appreciated and vitally important to the project going forward.
One quick note, please do not share the registration link. This is a soft launch meant only for a few Sections. We want to make sure things go well before we open things up to all Sections.
Online Help Sessions
I have scheduled the following sessions for those that need more help getting registered as a Coach, taking a deeper dive in the new software system. Here are the dates, times and Google Meet link for each session:
Monday, 11/29, 10:00am
Wednesday, 12/1, 10am
Friday, 12/3, 10am
Thursday, 12/9, 1pm
Friday, 12/10, 1pm
Want to discuss PGA Jr. League, Family Cup, or just bounce some ideas around? The following link will take you to my Calendly page where you can choose a time that works for you, and eliminate the need to email back and forth.
Regards,
Branden Thompson, PGA
561-293-2585
bthompson@pgahq.com
Monte Koch, PGA of America Employment Consultant
With the “humpty-bump” of 2020 and 2021 in the game and business of golf (thanks to a pandemic), the life and times of golf professionals, club managers and course superintendents is likely never to be the same. Before this tectonic shift, the meaning of “the neighborhood” was different. Comparing one neighborhood to another was generally focused on the actual location, the zip code and the demographics.
I’m not going to say these factors don’t matter anymore, as they still do, but the term “neighborhood” has become much more complicated, specifically in the world and business of golf. Instead of just location, demographics and the cost of living, there are new mega-trend factors that need to be understood, including:
For our golf industry, some industry trends are now factors that define the “neighborhood” and the quality of the opportunity as well. These include (but are not limited to):
With all this said, I am finding success educating golf professionals, club managers, employers and club boards on the value of “understanding the neighborhood” you’re in. To make the biggest impact, I need your help. Complete the “Compensation Profile” (and update it whenever you have a comp change or even benefits change).
Complete your Compensation Profile Survey now >>
Let me know if I can help you with finding a deeper and more meaningful understanding of “your neighborhood” and the “position you have in that neighborhood” in the next few months. Now is the time to make your case and I’m here to help you make it.
Book a 30 Minute Virtual Meeting
Online Professional Development
Four players recently represented the Pacific NW Section at the 45th National Car Rental Assistant PGA Professional Championship: Colin Inglis of Shadow Hills CC, Zach Dietz of Olympia C&GC, Shane Prante of The Home Course and Brady Sharp – although Brady has recently moved out of our Section, he is still one of us!
Monte Koch, PGA of America Employment Consultant
Click here to access the PNW PGA job postings
We are all feeling the Crunch of Inflation - Be Proactive Today about Your Compensation Keeping Up!
That’s right, in 2022, the SSA will be giving a 5.9% COLA for recipients. That is added to the 1.3% that was in place in 2019 and the 1.6% that was in place for 2020. You’ve seen the comp for entry level roles in our business go up over the past 3 years...has yours? It’s time to do something about it.
As of 10/29, we are here as a Section: 45.12% (393 completed, 478 incomplete) #21 of 41 Sections. The more of us who complete the profile, the better data I will be able to provide to any PGA professional, facility, etc. who needs it. Knowledge is power here...so do it for yourself and your peers.
Please don't hesitate to call or email me if you have any questions or difficulty in completing your profile. Thank you for your contribution to this important tool used to impact compensation for you and your peers!
Complete your Compensation Profile Survey now >>
Regards, Monte
Every Thursday @ 9:00 AM Pacific
Latest Episode: Bob Marshall of OB Sports
November 16 @ 1:00 - 2:00 PM
Train2Trust: Optimize Your Practice to Perform Under Pressure
presented by Christopher Smith, PGA
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November 17 @ 1:00 - 2:00 PM
PGA ExecuSearch: Overview for Success in Landing a Top Management Level Role
presented by Monte Koch, PGA
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November 23 @ 2:00 - 3:00 PM
PGA Jr. League in 2022: Opportunities for Competitive Players
presented by Branden Thompson, PGA
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November 30 @ 2:00 - 3:00 PM
PGA.Coach Impact
presented by Branden Thompson, PGA
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January 13-20, 2022
Maui, HI - Kaanapali Golf Courses
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2022 Tournament Schedule