How Do You Plan for Headcount and Train Your Landscaping Team?
Having a great team at your landscaping company doesn't happen accidentally, it happens when leaders are intentional and invest in the team running alongside them. As many of us deal with the snow season, and we all look forward to a busy spring, on all of our minds is our team. How can we ensure we have the number of team members we need? How can we best invest in and equip the team members we already have?
Let's tackle those questions in order:
How can we ensure we have the number of team members we need?
The work to recruit team members is year-round, and we can't wait until spring to fill positions if we know we'll need them. Over the years, we've found that no single recruiting tactic is a silver bullet for landscaping companies. It takes early planning for the positions you need to fill, and a multi-pronged approach to finding new potential team members to be successful.
Because we know that this is an issue that will be top of mind come March, we are hosting our Finding & Fielding a Winning Team Virtual Event this month to share the strategies, tips, and tactics that have worked for the Grunder Landscaping team as we recruit team members. Join us to kickstart your recruiting plan, so that it's in place and ready to go when the busy season returns.
How can we best invest in and equip the team members we already have?
We are big believers in investing in your team by teaching them new skills at The Grow Group. We've seen first-hand the ROI that companies see when they train their teams well, and we know it can make a huge impact on your company's culture too. The team at Grunder Landscaping Co. knows this too, and this year we've been investing in teaching our team a different set of skills than what we've focused on in the past: soft skills.
Soft skills are those interpersonal skills that some people innately have, but others don't. For our team to work well together and take good care of our clients, we are dedicating regular training sessions to soft skills topics as we continue our more technical skill training.
For example, we've done a training focused just on handling disagreements because no matter how well we plan and communicate, there will still always be disagreements. When an issue comes up between team members, with a vendor, or with a client, we want our team to be equipped to find a solution civilly. We teach them to look at what and not who is to blame, take accountability for their mistakes, and be part of the solution when something goes awry.
Soft skills like these help our company be a better place to work, and they also make our team more efficient. We spend less time refereeing disagreements, and more time working towards a solution that everyone is satisfied with.
I'll lead a session on soft skills during GROW! 2023 on February 28-March 2 in San Antonio, TX where I'll share more of the skills that we teach our Grunder Landscaping team members, and will give you a framework you can use to teach these skills to your own team too. Sign up to join us today, the agenda is packed with great sessions to help you and your team succeed this year, and space in our host hotel is rapidly filling up. Register this week so you don't miss your chance to join us!
Have a great week!
Marty Grunder
President & CEO
The Grow Group & Grunder Landscaping Co.