Recently, I was conducting an onsite consultation for a landscaping company whose owner had an ambitious vision for his business. He thought they were doing okay but he knew he could accomplish so much more if only his team were more engaged and invested in the company’s success.
Sound familiar? I hear this a lot. And every time I do, I ask the owner what it is he or she is doing to foster and drive that engagement. Because before you can fault your team for failing you, you have to get honest with yourself about how you may be failing them.
Are you training your team adequately and regularly for the job you’re asking them to do? Are you providing clear paths for growth and advancement? Are you communicating your vision for the company and each team member’s role in it? Do you acknowledge them for their contributions? Sure, you recognize the sales designer who lands a major account, but the crew member who meticulously edges the beds is crucial to your success too and should also be acknowledged in a meaningful way.
As best-selling author and workplace researcher Eric Chester puts it in his book On Fire: How Great Companies Ignite Passion in Their People without Burning Them Out, “Great workplace cultures take care of their people, and those people provide the kind of performance, attention to detail, and customer service that grows the organization.”
Eric, whom we’re thrilled to have as our keynote speaker at GROW! 2019, has interviewed the leaders and the frontline workers of the world’s best places to work—from Marriott and Ben & Jerry’s, to the Container Store—along with those heading up and working at small businesses that have also cracked the code for getting employees to work harder and perform better. What he found was that these companies all focus, deliberately and consistently, on taking care of their people.
So if you want to improve engagement at your company, find time this week to sit down and make a list of what you’re doing to take care of your people. Be honest with yourself. If your list is short, you, my friend, have work to do.
Have a great week!
P.S. Join us at GROW! 2019, where Eric Chester will deliver the keynote address. This is truly a rare opportunity to get tactical advice from a worldwide expert on how green-industry owners and their teams can improve performance.
Want to bring your team to GROW! 2019? Companies with three or more attendees receive 15% off; e-mail lindsey@growgroupinc.com for details.
Following the conference, The Grow Group is heading to Beaver Creek, Colorado, for two days of fun in the snow and relaxation. We’re thrilled to announce Koch Agronomic Services has generously offered to provide FREE two-day lift tickets for the next 12 folks who sign up.
Join us, and bring your spouse or partner, too!
Learn More about the Ski Trip
We’re honored to count Gravely as our lead sponsor at GROW! 2019. Watch as Gravely’s JW Washington, director of business development, gives us a sneak peek into what we can expect to see from Gravely this month in Denver: