How Do Landscapers Implement Changes Successfully?
On my podcast, The Grow Show Powered by STIHL, in May, I had my longtime mentor and friend Ed Eppley join me to talk about the state of work in our country right now and what teams should be doing to drive results and foster positive company culture.
He brought up something I found so interesting: that leaders should be focused on growing their team's productivity by 3-5% every year so that companies can keep pace with their competition and always stay ahead of the curve. We can make these improvements with systems, training, and innovations, but we should all be taking time this summer to look for that 3-5%. What changes can we make that will make that improvement possible this year?
These changes should be individual to your company, and many of our Great Ideas can help you identify what they may be. Once you've identified the changes though, putting them into place can be a tough step too. So this week I have four steps to help you get your team onboard when you have a change in mind:
1. Show them what's in it for them. Sell this change to your team by showing them clearly how they'll benefit from it. Maybe it'll save them time, reduce their workload, or free up money in the budget for better raises and bonuses. When you talk about the change you want to make, always frame it with what's in it for the audience your speaking to.
2. Set the example yourself. We need to be great at what we want our teams to be good at. The team will look to leaders to see how they're adapting and adopting the change, and it's important that they see consistency all the way through the organization. Be the first to embrace the change.
3. Stick to your guns. Once you've set expectations with your team, enforce them. Publicly reward the team members who meet or exceed expectations, and privately correct the team members who don't. Try to avoid allowing exceptions for team members - remember that what you allow, you encourage!
Best of luck for the rest of this month, and know I'm always here cheering for your success!
Marty Grunder
President & CEO
The Grow Group & Grunder Landscaping Co.
P.S. We release new episodes of The Grow Show, powered by STIHL, weekly on Wednesdays. You can listen to my conversation with Ed, catch up on any episodes you missed, and subscribe to listen to future episodes on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.