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| "Lessons from the Garden” |
What does it take to build a “Best of Class” organization?
 Recently, we conducted a half-day workshop on the subject at PLANET’s annual Executive Forum in Orlando. More than 120 owners and leaders in the landscape industry attended the workshop, where we shared the lessons we’ve learned over the past 32 years, working for what we would consider two“Best of Class” organizations. We boiled down our combined wisdom to ten key points, dubbed “Lessons from the Garden.”
In our last newsletter we shared with you Lesson One: “It all Starts and Stops with the Leader.”
Now, we’d like to share with you Lesson Two: “Reflect, Connect, Decide, Do,” which stresses the importance of planning and taking the time to think things through before you leap.
If practiced consistently, these lessons can help you build the foundation for a successful organization. And in the process of striving to become a “Best of Class” operation, you also will create an environment that will attract top talent--people who’ll want to become part of your organization’s success and stay with you for years to come. |
| Lesson Two: “Reflect, Connect, Decide and Do” |
Start Building a Game Plan:
 The planning process should be a big part of your organization’s thinking and culture. Start with the end result in mind (or at least, where you want of be three years from now.) Ask: Where do we want to be, and how will we get there?
Get input from as many people in the organization and from as many levels, as possible. Conduct surveys, hold one-on-one discussions, and host small, town hall-type meetings. Gather as much information about what people think about the company and get suggestions on how to make it better. Everyone should feel heard and more importantly, that someone at the leadership level LISTENED to what they had to say. A “Best of Class” organization values everyone’s input.
Retreat:
Take some time and get away from the day-to-day melee, when you and your leadership team can relax. Rent a cabin in the woods, a beach house by the ocean, or a nice meeting room at a nice hotel.
Helpful Hint: Try to rent something from one of your clients, like hotel or restaurant space. Do some business with someone who you do business with or who you would like to do business with.
Let the Planning Begin:
Gather all the needed information you gleaned from your people as well as any other relevant information and data, like sales and marketing figures, financials, client surveys, operational goals, programs you would like to develop, such as recruiting and training, etc. If you can afford it, hire a facilitator to help you stay on point and to allow for some good-spirited, open dialogue.
Practice sound meeting etiquette and practices, including listening, asking good questions, and suspending “old way” thinking (or “that‘s the way we have always done it” thinking.) |
| Planning “Best Practices” should include: |
 Gather the facts, not the fiction- Think before acting; “sleep on it”
- Seek and take good counsel from experienced people
- Look at the cause and effect of decisions
- Consider what is best for the client, first, then the company
- Think: how does this plan fit with your mission and values?
- When making a decision, remember: no decision is a decision
Helpful Hints:
- Aim high when setting goals; if you miss, you’re still high, right? THINK BIG
- Spend 10% on problems/issues, 90% on resolution --Murray Banks EF Speaker
- Put the plan together, allow time to reflect and connect with other folks in the organization; consider its impact on people and clients
- After you’ve finished reflecting (which could take a day or two on bigger issues) come back and make any needed adjustments
- Be careful to not over think it, get to 80%, then launch your plan and adjust as you go
- Decide on a course of action, then do it
- Always end with a written plan, along with specific, measurable goals
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| Watch out for these two planning pitfalls: |
Ready Shoot Aim
Run and gun operations are famous for this. They do a very quick game plan and then run out and start “shooting” before they even know what their target is. This really wastes a lot of time and money. People get very tired of this type of planning and leave to go to companies that plan better for the future.
Taking the “Road to Abilene”
This type of planning is where people passively engage and just go with the “herd” so as not to cause friction or tension within the organization. Then later wonder, ‘why are we doing what we are doing?’
Get people engaged and encourage them to feel a sense of ownership. |
| Some Do’s and Don’ts of Planning: |
Do Make/Take the time to:
Reflect, refresh, reenergize, renew, reconnect, re-focus, recreate, rethink
Don’t waste energy and time to:
React, rush, retaliate, reject, retain baggage, repeat the same mistakes
Remember this and ask:
“One minute of planning saves seven minutes of chaos”
And ask:
How much chaos is there in your organization?
Can good planning help avoid it? (Answer: Of course!)
How does planning fit in at your organization?
Do your plans cover strategic (long-term) and tactical (short-term) objectives?
What’s in your plan? Growth, Profit, People Needs, New Services,
Marketing/Sales, Operations, Initiatives-Program Development?
Lesson Two, from “Lessons from the Garden: Reflect, Connect, Decide and Do It!”
Practice this lesson, and watch how people get engaged and truly feel part of a special organization--one they want to be part of for years to come. Please feel free to contact us with any thoughts questions or comments you may have on this lesson or any other lessons for that matter.
May Your Harvest Truly Be Bountiful,
Bill and Ed - Head Harvesters |
 Want to talk with one of the Harvesters in how we are helping organizations grow and prosper? Just click the phone image to your right, and all our contact info is right there. |
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