Why Accountability Dies Without Follow-Up Part Three of Three: You just finished a great leadership meeting Thirty days later, you ask: “Whatever happened with that technician training program?” Silence… And there it is… …The place where accountability goes to die…The space between the meeting and the follow-up Accountability Is a Rhythm Many owners […]
If You Don’t Know the Numbers, You’re Guessing Most lawn, tree, and landscape companies have plenty of data. The problem is they don’t always use it. Your software probably tracks production hours, revenue, callbacks, route completion, customer cancellations, overtime, safety incidents, and dozens of other numbers. But here’s my question: Which five numbers does your […]
Why Accountability Starts With Clarity.” Part 1 of a 3-Part Series One of the most common complaints I hear from lawn, tree, and landscape company owners is: “My people just aren’t accountable.” Maybe. But before we blame the employees, I always ask a more uncomfortable question: Accountable to what? Many owners and managers believe […]
7 Wastes Costing You Money Every Day In the first two articles of this series, we discussed Job Sequencing and Property Flow Mapping. Job Sequencing helps crews understand what tasks should be completed and in what order. Property Flow Mapping helps employees move through a property efficiently. Now let’s tackle the next opportunity for improving […]
Designing Efficient Job Site Movement Part 2 of 3 Part One of Three Parts… …The Productivity Playbook for Lawn, Landscape, and Tree Care Companies In my previous article, I discussed the importance of job sequencing—determining who does what and in what order. However, sequencing is only half of the productivity equation. The second half […]
Why Employees Tune You Out (And What to Do About It) One of the most common frustrations I hear from owners and managers is: “I’ve told them a hundred times.” The problem is usually not that employees are unwilling to listen. The problem is that leaders often confuse talking with communicating. Communication is not measured […]
Part One of Three Parts One of the most overlooked opportunities to improve productivity and profitability in a lawn and landscape company has nothing to do with new equipment, software, or hiring additional employees. It comes from something much simpler—job sequencing. Every lawn and landscape company has hardworking employees. The question is whether they are […]
We all get the same 24 hours in a day so how is it that some people are able to accomplish so much more than the rest of the population? And how can you start doing the same? One effective principle for doing so comes from Stephen Covey’s bestselling book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective […]
If It Changes, It Gets Written Up: Creating a Change Order Culture One of the biggest profit leaks in the service industry is work that gets completed but never billed. It happens every day in landscape construction, irrigation, hardscaping, general tree care, and other service businesses. A client asks for “just one more thing,” the […]
It always hurts when a key contributor leaves. There’s no way around it. A great employee resigns, and suddenly you’re hit with a mix of frustration, disappointment, uncertainty, and maybe even fear. You start wondering: Take a breath. If you’re building a successful company, this won’t be the last time it happens. Strong businesses lose […]
