If you have been following us for a while, you know I listen to Andy Stanley’s podcast. If you don’t already follow his podcasts, I highly recommend them. 

Last year Andy interviewed Donald Miller and they chatted about effective communication and the role it plays with your team. “People will not move into confusion, but they will follow clarity.” How timely is that quote based on what’s happening right now?

My takeaways from this episode are the five questions to ask yourself when you’re planning your weekly meeting:

1. What do your teams need to know? Pick one point and build your meeting around that central idea.
2. Why do they need to know it? Answering why keeps them listening. Let them know what’s at stake.
3. What do they need to do? Be specific.
4. Why do they need to do it? Help them understand why they should do what you have suggested and what is at stake if they don’t follow through. 
5. How can you help them remember?

...

How has the last week gone? Were you able to implement any of the tips suggested to help alleviate feeling like a firefighter? As promised, here are a few more from Bruce Wilson of the Wilson-Oyler Group:

1. Delegate. Take a look at your to do lists and identify what can be done by others. It may take them a little longer than it would you, but that’s okay. It’s better if a job takes a little more time and gets completed, than to not get done at all because you’ve run out of time. You can’t do it all, delegate to your staff.
2. Slower can be faster. Sometimes you go so fast trying to keep up that you lose sight of the big picture. Prioritize so you don’t miss what’s important.  
3. If your crews are scheduled to work in inclement weather make sure scheduled tasks can be done effectively in the rain.
4. Rely on your team. When you start falling behind, don’t be afraid to ask for help .Senior managers are there to help you be successful. 
...

With the beauty of spring comes the stress that accompanies the start of the season for landscaping companies. It’s been nicknamed the “100 days of hell” because of the chaos that so often ensues. This year, much like last, we have the added stress of COVID-19 and the stress of the unknown when it comes to zones and restrictions. 

As Bruce Wilson put it, “In less disciplined organizations, spring makes everyone a firefighter”. You’re constantly putting out fires, it gets out of control quickly and by the time you see the financial impact, it is too late to do anything about it. Some companies never escape the spiral.

If this is sounding a little too familiar (and uncomfortable), here are a few tips Bruce Wilson suggests to help you move out of the firefighting space permanently:

1. Understand the difference between routine and non-routine work. Weekly maintenance is routine work, while nonroutine work includes things like post-winter cleanups,...

Spring is here which means things are typically happening at lightning speed. Although there are a lot of unknowns this year, keeping organized is not only a nice idea, it is crucial to you and your team's success. 

Here are a couple tips that will help ensure the important things are not slipping between the cracks:

• Create a written plan for the day. Preplan all of the repeat tasks that often fall through the cracks and use the rock, pebble, sand method to ensure the most important things are scheduled first. 
• Leverage a calendar. Leave some whitespace between tasks so that if something comes up, it doesn’t derail your entire day.
• Block out distractions.
• Delegate tasks you do not need to do.
• Track how you are spending your time.
• Eliminate unnecessary tasks.

I also encourage owners to pay attention to how much time they spend on the phone and with whom. Is it your management team or are you getting calls from staff and crew leaders regularly? 

If crew leaders...

Fleet management is an important part of your business. It includes things like leasing, financing, general maintenance, licenses and compliance, supply chain management, accident management, monitoring and diagnosis, driver management, fuel management and safety management among many other things.

For a simple start to managing your assets, try keeping an inventory spreadsheet with the most important information for each vehicle/piece of equipment and motorized hand tool. This allows you to have all the key information in one place for easy reference and the ability to look at the entire set of assets at a glance.

Choose a person who will own this process and have them set reminders on their computer or in their phone so that simple things like oil changes and routine maintenance are not being missed. 

When you're ready for the next step, consider a fleet management program or software. Should you need suggestions on what program to use, do not hesitate to reach out to us for...

Having an effective Joint Health and Safety Committee (JHSC) is an often-overlooked component in an organization’s success strategy. 

The current Covid-19 pandemic, however, brings to light some of the benefits of having one.  For example, it allows for all the employee concerns regarding Covid-19 policies to be discussed with management on a regular basis through the employee representative. Feeling represented when it comes to your health and safety is always important. But during Covid-19 or any major health concern, it becomes especially important that your employees feel they have a voice.

A Joint Health & Safety Committee offers many benefits:

• Provides a way to empower employees while ensuring your organization remains compliant with current health and safety legislation.
• Promotes an attitude of problem-solving health and safety issues and an increased safety culture in your workplace.
• Encourages open lines of communication and strong working relationships...

Tailgate talks are one of the easiest ways to engage your staff and promote a culture of safety. They are specifically designed to be a quick review of safety protocols and techniques your staff have already been trained on as a reminder to keep safety in the forefront of their minds.  

Tailgate talks create the opportunity to connect with your entire staff once a week and enable you to not only touch on safety topics, but also to talk about changes in company policies, recognize individual or crew-based achievements, and acknowledge birthdays or other important events. 

Here are 5 tips for creating engaging tailgate talks: 

• Preplan your tailgate talks for the season so you don’t need to worry about what your next topic will be. Create a tailgate talks binder sorted by topics and dates relevant to the time of year (ie. In April, talk about blower safety ahead of spring clean-up) and decide in advance who will be speaking on each topic.
• Keep it short....

As you move into the very busy spring season, it’s crucial that you as the owner be organized. 

Over the years I have tried different tools and strategies and have a few I’ve come to love and use regularly. Click the link below/ the resources link in our bio for my list of go to tips and tools.

• Always keep a notebook handy - Evernote is my preferred digital notebook. https://evernote.com/
• Use a planner. It doesn’t matter if that’s paper or digital, just make sure it’s being updated on the go so that appointments and meetings are not being missed. I love using Calendly for appointments. If you’re using paper - I would recommend the Michael Hyatt Full Focus Planner. https://fullfocusstore.com/
• Set a morning routine and stick to it. When you do the same thing every morning, it removes the decision-making from that part of your day. This allows you to save your decision-making energy for the business and avoid decision fatigue
• Work with a coach...

A new month means a new book recommendation! This month’s recommendation comes to you from our staff member, Jordan Robertson. 

Have you read Safety Walk, Safety Talk?

Author Dave Galloway absolutely hits the mark as he explains how safety is first and foremost about caring. Throughout the book Galloway focuses on the mentality of safety itself and leaders that want to create a culture of safety throughout their organization.

You’ll read in depth discussions on compliance vs. commitment, how to develop a safety strategy as well as the psychological aspect regarding why people make mistakes and take risks.

One of our favourite parts of the book is that each chapter ends with a "Safety Leaders Toolbox" segment which gives practical tools and tips to becoming a better safety leader using small things you think, say and do everyday.

Here are Jordan's biggest takeaways from the book:

• Reading this book changed my outlook on the idea of safety in the workplace and I...

Let’s talk about firing. Although it’s uncomfortable, there are times when it’s essential. At those times, it’s important that you are prepared and that you do not avoid it. Total Landscape Care posted a couple of articles a number of years ago that are still relevant today. Here is a brief overview of my takeaways from reading them.

Things to remember:

• “The goal is not termination. The goal is to gain the performance you want. If it comes to it, the termination should never be a surprise to the employee” - Bill Cook (President, Human Resource Associates)
• Know the laws and create a paper trail. All infractions must be documented. It doesn’t hurt to book a call with an employment lawyer if there are any questions around it.

Questions to ask yourself:

• Why do you want to terminate them?
• Have you terminated others for similar performance?
• Do you see anything personal in your reasons?
• Have you exhausted all other remedies?

Three things to...