At Grunder Landscaping Co., we've learned the hard way that just because someone is talented, it doesn't make them the right fit for our organization. I've been doing this job for a long time, and I'll often say in my talks that it's important to remember that when dealing with people, 1+1 does not always equal 2. It can equal 4 and it can also equal -2, depending on the people involved. With people, you can leverage their skills to get a compounding effect.
As we enter the snow season, one of the many things we're working on between snow events is training and developing our team members. We've nearly doubled our annual revenue in the past two years, and we have further growth plans for 2023. We'll need more people in leadership positions to make that growth happen, and we're looking to our existing team members to prepare them for the career opportunities we expect to come along with the growth. There are two things we do to guide this:
We have conversations about career paths. We do goal-setting reviews in the winter with our team, where we talk about what they want to accomplish in their career and how we can support that. We lay out clearly what requirements there are for any promotion or role changes they want. For example, we may need them to get other certifications or demonstrate skills and leadership abilities.
We show them the path to follow, and it's up to them to do what needs to be done with our support.
2. We get our team around other pros. One of the best ways we learn is by getting around our fellow landscape pros, and our teams are attending industry events to network and learn. They're attending events within our state, and we'll have team members at GROW! 2023 in San Antonio too.
We have them participate in anything that might help them improve; we find experiential learning where they can see and feel other ways of doing things is paramount.
We're growing rapidly and facing many of the same challenges that I know you are too. Investing in and supporting our team is one of the many ways we're fighting growing pains and laying the groundwork for next year.
We have just one Grunder Landscaping Co. Field Trip left for 2022, and we don't expect to offer this event again until the Fall of 2023. Come see me December 7-8, you'll be able to tour our shop and yard to see how we stay organized and hear directly from our team how they manage sales, production, recruiting, and more.
These Field Trips are purposefully kept small so that we can spend time on the questions you have and help you find solutions to whatever your business is facing. I love getting to show people my dream and to talk about the dreams I still have for the little business I started nearly 40 years ago. I also love getting to hear about your own dreams while we're together. This event is a great way to end 2022 on a high note and lay a strong foundation for 2023.
Can I count on seeing you in Dayton?
Marty Grunder
President & CEO
The Grow Group & Grunder Landscaping Co.