Johnny was promoted to supervisor and within a few days, he noticed he was anxious and feeling sick. After a few days, he realized he had internalized the pressures from the deadlines, work demands and the new challenges of leadership. The expectations that come with being a leader can be high, especially when it comes to creating high-end results. In the book Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, they share...
Recently, in Orlando, Florida, I spoke to a group of landscape business leaders about cultivating their crews’ leadership skills. In the talk, I spoke about “The Racehorse Theory.” If you invested $100,000 in a horse for racing because you knew this horse had the potential to earn you one million dollars in a year, how would you handle that horse? Would you allow the racehorse to just graze in the pasture to eat briars, weeds or whatever...
In my mastermind group, Dan Miller, author and creator of the 48 Days to Work You Love, presented this question as a response to use when anyone runs into a problem we didn’t expect. He said, “What does this make possible?” Initially, I tend to think problems are bad when it comes to leadership scenarios, but have you ever considered that problems might actually be useful? Dan’s question, “What does this make possible?” helped me see problems...
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” This passage in Luke can sometimes prove applicable in the workforce nowadays. Sometimes we feel like we just don’t have enough people on the team to get the job done right and on time, and that can cause us to not give it our all. When I first started working as a landscape leader, it took us 10 days to mow the entire college campus. It didn’t...
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “Work smarter, not harder” more times than you can count, but have you ever stopped to think about what it really means? Or better yet, what it could mean for your team? The concept of working smarter and not harder should resonate with leaders who find themselves extremely busy and needing to get their work done efficiently. When you look at your daily schedule, who do you think is in...
One of the best lessons I learned from my dad was to lead with respect. He taught me just because someone has the power and authority to boss people around, it doesn’t mean they should use it to push people, to crush them or to be rude. My dad was that way in his work and personal life. No matter what trouble I got into—even the time I accidentally set off a box of fireworks in my bedroom—he...
What is the purpose behind the work you do every day? Pretty standard responses to this question include “to provide for myself” or “to provide for my family.” Although those are important, they suggest the person saying it doesn’t know the purpose behind the work they do; they don’t suggest the people know why their work really matters. Clear, motivating vision statements challenge everyone on the team to do their best work. They tell everyone inside and...
We’ve all heard the saying, “Teamwork makes the dream work,” and in my experience, I have discovered you have to have a good team before you can accomplish the dream. That begins by recognizing the fact that we can’t do everything by ourselves. We need others, but in our rush to finish a project or meet a deadline, we try to do so much on our own. How important is your team to your organization’s success? A strong team begins with a leader who first is willing and confident to lead...
“The best way to predict your future is to create it.” This quote is attributed to Abraham Lincoln. Is it true for you? Today I was speaking to a 30-year-old who is in an entry-level employee position. He said for the first time, he's considering a leadership position. I asked him why he was considering it now? His answer was not surprising, “I am getting older and I need to make more money. Becoming a leader allows me...
What is one of the number one characteristics of a winning team? Talent is obviously needed, but is that all?There are many factors that go into creating a team, but one that is foundational is that each person understands and knows the role they play in the organization's success. My 8th grade basketball coach used to tell us, “Accept your role.” Whether we were a starter or practiced to make the starters better, he said accept...