We hit the halfway point of May this week, and I wanted to do a check-in with all of you: how is the season going so far? How are you and your team feeling?
I know how crazy April, May, and June can feel as landscape pros—there's so much to do and it often feels like there isn't enough time to do it. And when we get into this stressed state, we sometimes let our brains make assumptions that don't actually serve us in the long run. So let Uncle Marty bust some of these myths for you:
1. "It'll be faster for me to just do it than to teach so-and-so to do it."
Ok, so this is probably true. You probably CAN get it done faster yourself this one time, but if you instead took the time to train someone else on it now they could take this off your plate every time it comes back up in the future.
In the long run, the time you spend teaching someone else to do a task will serve you well. So take a breath and slow down enough to invest in teaching your team.
2. "I don't have time to do this a different way."
When we're busy, we fall back on our habits. Whether they're good, bad, or in-between. If this isn't serving you well this year, there will be signs. Maybe you're:
- Driving out to meet crews at the start of new projects to lay everything out
- Answering questions all day about how something should be done
- Fielding questions and complaints from clients
All three of these issues can be solved by having good processes in place for teams to follow. The right process lets each team work independently and delights clients (and teammates).
Taking the time to learn new ways to operate can save you time and is a smart investment, both in your own professional development and in saving your sanity. We can bust these self-limiting beliefs, get out of our own way, and grow better as teams.
In my opinion, there's never a better way to learn this than to go see another landscaping company that's doing this well and learn from them. Our tour of Landscape Workshop as part of our Field Trip with NALP on June 11-12 will give teams the opportunity to do that: their team operates branches all across the South efficiently. We'll hear directly from their team how they do it, and I know there will be so many ways we can make our businesses better, and jobs easier, as a result.
Marty Grunder
Founder & CEO
The Grow Group & Grunder Landscaping Co.