GROW! 2024 is over, and what a week it was in Des Moines, IA. We had fantastic sessions, an absolutely incredible tour of RJ Lawn & Landscape, and so much fun seeing everyone who attended in person again this year. The fun didn't end when the event did, and it was great seeing so many of you in the Des Moines airport as we waited for our flights home.

As I waited in the terminal, so many of you stopped to say hello that the person sitting next to me asked who I was. I said, "I'm a landscaper," to which the guy replied, "You must be a good landscaper."

While I am a pretty good landscaper, more than anything, I'm more proud of the community of people that I get to work with and teach. When we were together this week, we learned about:

Don't Take the Monkey
We heard from Megan and Tracy about coaching our direct reports to solve problems on their own and empowering them by using open-ended questions. Their keynote on Wednesday addressed a challenge we all face: how to coach team members to empower them and develop their decision-making skills.

Know Your Numbers, Share Your Numbers
Knowing your numbers was a theme that we heard throughout the event. During Annette McCarthy's session on the tour of RJ Lawn & Landscape, we heard about the numbers they track and their philosophy on sharing information with the team. In Tommy Cole's breakout session on operational excellence, we again heard about systems, metrics, and the importance of having a scoreboard. During Seth Pflum's breakout session, he shared what metrics the Grunder Landscaping team hears about monthly.

The theme was always the same: understanding your metrics and sharing metrics with your team helps you work better together.