“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.” ~Albert Einstein Recently I attended an online workshop with Joe Schmit through Professional Grounds Management Society (PGMS). A leadership program that launched just this year by PGMS, Joe Schmit was the first speaker. He laid the groundwork for ways each of us can be an impactful person. Joe reminded us that it is not the big things we do in life that are so impactful, but all...
Recently I spoke at the 2022 Tennessee SHRM Convention and Expo. They were an engaged group of Human Resource (HR) professionals representing many top organizations across the southeast. Speaking there reminded me that HR does so much behind the scenes for organizations. HR tasks include legal matters, maintaining forms reflecting government compliance, organizing/executing the hiring of qualified people, designing benefits packages, people development, counseling, and so much more. Lee Cockerell, former executive vice president, operations, Walt Disney...
Is our work about the paycheck or is it more? Paychecks are important. At different points along life’s journey, a paycheck’s value is much more important because it meets a need or want in life. If we don’t pay people well, they have no basic desire or reason to come work with us. So where does passion come in at work? As leaders is it our responsibility to find it and grow it in our employees? Should...
In 2019 I was fortunate enough to be chosen to participate in a landscape service day at Arlington Cemetery in Virginia. The organizers had the volunteers service several large grass sections using a riding, gas-powered spreader. It was an extremely efficient and fast-moving machine. Since I had never operated one of these, I was extremely nervous working between the thousands of hallowed headstones. It had been quite a while since I felt out of my comfort...
“If you don’t love your customers, someone else surely will.” ~Jim Cecil Have you ever experienced great customer service? Maybe the business treats you like royalty, they know your name and they are glad you’re there. My wife and I used to love to go eat at our local Hawaiian Poke’ restaurant before the owners decided to close their doors and move back home. At this particular Hawaiian Poke’ the food was always fresh, delicious and the place was...
“Culture trumps strategy every time.” ~Peter Drucker Be honest. Never lie.Lead by example – leaders set the tone and temperature of the organization.Don’t take short cuts. Use every decision to build the long-term culture.Invest in key relationships on the team. People want to know their leaders do care.Invest in growing your team’s knowledge, skills and positive attitude. Start your training program now.Focus on building a culture that attracts and retains top talent, not warm bodies.Develop and grow your...
The Washington D.C. mall added the WWII Memorial in 2004. This memorial is big, it honors the 16-million who served in the armed forces of the U.S., the more than 400,000 who died, and all who supported the war effort from home. Symbolic of the defining event of the 20th Century, the memorial is a monument to the spirit, sacrifice, and commitment of the American people. Today, in our Landscape Leader-to-Leader session with the front-line employees, we...
When our family visited Baseball’s Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. one summer, and while I am not the biggest baseball fan, it was a special treat. I highly recommend the stop. The place was filled with history, showing timelines, changes in the game and, of course, all the legends. It is every baseball fan's "Field of Dreams,” designed to make sure the stories, legends and magic are passed on from generation to generation. Induction into the...
a: the act or power of imagination b: (1): mode of seeing or conceiving (2): unusual discernment or foresight There were three of us interviewing a candidate for the next Facilities Director. Along the way I asked the candidate about his vision and direction for the facilities department. Where did he desire to take his group of 300 facilities people if he got the job? He never missed a beat as he said, “Just to take a small...
To say my wife, Suzanne, is a potato fan is a bit of an understatement. She tells me that when she was in grade school and into Junior High, she would come home after school and make her favorite snack, a bowl of instant potatoes. So, one summer when our family was driving near Blackfoot, Idaho and we passed a sign that read, Idaho Potato Museum Next Exit, we had to take this unscheduled stop to...