This year it has been hard to find everything we need to get each job done. We have had shortages in labor, plants and materials, and sometimes even patience. We've fought and succeeded through the worst of it alongside all of you, and looking back I think there has been one saving grace for us: the camaraderie among our team at Grunder Landscaping Co. At Grunder Landscaping Co., we've kept the camaraderie and positive attitudes front and center by:

Staying True to Our Culture
Even in the early Spring when our team was understaffed, we didn't lax our hiring and onboarding standards. We constantly reinforced the behavior and attitude we wanted to see in our team by catching the team doing their jobs well. Our private Facebook page is full of compliments to team members, and we spend time in our morning huddle sharing positive feedback we get from clients.

Talking About Career Paths, and Following Through
We strongly believe in giving our team members the chance to prove themselves with low-risk experiments. We had team members who were given the chance to lead a crew this year, and then permanently promoted to the team leader position when they did well.

Finding Solutions Instead of Pointing Out Problems
We work hard to help each other find solutions, and we don't shoot new ideas down with "Yeah, But..." When we face a challenge, we work together to find a solution. While good attitudes don't make challenges go away, bad attitudes make them worse.

Strong company culture helps your team to row the boat in the same direction, and it's always more fun to face the year alongside people you enjoy working with.

Ruppert Landscape has mastered this: they have a strong company culture that recognizes their team's achievements and sets them up for success. Join us September 1-2, 2021 for the NALP Field Trip: Frank & Marty's Excellent Adventure to see their culture in action for yourself. It will be a great event to gather new ideas to implement this winter and to set your team up for success in 2022.

I hope to see you in Maryland!