The Role of a Grunder Landscaping Co Group Leader

At Grunder Landscaping Co., our production team is set up with team members who report to team leaders who in turn report to group leaders. We have three group leaders who oversee the work that all crews do, and their jobs are critically important to the success of the company.

These three group leaders, Jimmy, PJ, and Alan, divide their time between the office and the field managing the projects we're doing and the crews that report to them. Let us take you through what a typical day looks like for Jimmy, who manages design-build crews:

Once crews break from the morning meeting, Jimmy is helping crews load and get out of the yard promptly. He'll verify the team's needs for equipment or materials and talk to them about any changes they need to pay attention to. Our crews should all be out of the yard by 7:30 a.m. (many even earlier) and headed to their first job site.

Between 9-2:30, Jimmy visits job sites to do on-site training for any work a crew isn't sure how to do and ensure all crews are working efficiently. We expect our group leaders to spend about 30% of their time alongside crews training, teaching, and giving feedback on their work. That equates to roughly 15 hours a week based on our Group Leaders' work schedule. 

The days vary, but usually, our group leaders are also helping our crews stay productive by picking up and dropping off any materials they need that they couldn't bring out themselves. They also will do quality checks using the audit functionality in Aspire. 

At 3 p.m., all the Group Leaders converge back at the office to plan for the following day. Once they're prepared for the following day, they start preparing jobs in the 3-9 day window. 

There are plenty of other things that our Group Leaders are responsible for throughout the week and month, including:

• Monitoring bulk materials like mulch, leaf compost, and woodchips and reordering or processing what will be needed.
• Planning out large construction projects
• Reviewing materials, designs, and logistics with the sales team as they work on proposals
• Gathering invoices for purchases
• Preparing safety tailgate talks
• Reviewing any EPA or OSHA updates
• Helping set the work schedule
• Team member development
• Creating lists of wants and needs for equipment, headcount, etc.

We hope this helps you understand what our managers are responsible for, and to work on defining the roles at your company too. Clearly defined roles improve efficiency, smooth out the growing pains, and also create clear expectations that create a more positive work environment. This week, how can you work on better defining roles and responsibilities so that your team knows what to expect?

Come meet our group leaders, and see them in action at a Grunder Landscaping Field Trip; we have space available on September 14-15 or October 12-13. You'll hear directly from our operations team and see how each position in our company works together to achieve our goals. You won't believe what 1 day with us can do for your business. 

Happy Labor Day, we'll talk to you next week!

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