<font color=red>ON THE ROAD:</font> Landscape Executives Focus on Peak Performance

About 125 landscape professionals explored their inner “Power to Perform,” at the Professional Landcare Network’s Executive Forum in Scottsdale/Fountain Hills, Ariz., last week.

The annual education and networking event took a detour from its typical management- and operations-heavy format, and focused this year instead on “the soft side of the hard stuff,” as speaker/moderator Paul Sessions said. In addition to Sessions’ talks on succession planning and how executives can navigate difficult conversations in their businesses, other speakers addressed executive wellness, coaching strategies and how to manage stress through relaxation techniques. 

PLAYING IT SAFE. Sessions, the director of the University of New Haven’s (Conn.) Center for Family Business, led Executive Forum’s two general sessions about creating a “safe place” to discuss difficult topics and succession planning. A product of a family business himself, Sessions also operates a consulting business that focuses on family business succession planning, interpersonal communications and conflict resolution.

Nearly every close-knit business has “a gorilla in the room” – the thing nobody wants to talk about, Sessions said. These topics often center on money, retirement, succession, substance abuse, death, incompetence and change. “What if you could talk about those things freely? How much better off would you be?” he asked. 

He offered the following strategies for creating an atmosphere where it’s comfortable to discuss the hard topics:

• Consider “filters.” Everyone sees the world through a different lens, Sessions said. Being conscious of one’s own history, biases, prejudices and beliefs – and considering others’ – is the first step to creating “safe spaces.”

• Take stock of your emotional responses. “Pay attention to your body,” Sessions said. Know your body’s emotional reactions to anger, fear, etc., and before you respond to these emotions, exercise a “pattern interrupt.” Stop, take a deep breath, lower your shoulders and think for a moment. Then, Sessions advises, “Choose a behavior of the kind of person you want to be.” And then act on that choice.

• Chose a “safe place.” When selecting a meeting place, Sessions encouraged choosing a meeting place that reinforces good communication. Choose a neutral location (not the CEO’s office), an agreeable time and consider air, light and noise.

• Consider “checking in.” For effective meetings Sessions suggests instituting a “check in” policy, where attendees go around the room and give a brief explanation of their emotional state and what they expect to get out of the session. “It’s just to let everyone know, ‘Who’s here today,’” he said.
 
PASSING THE BATON. After laying the ground rules for how to initiate tough conversations, Sessions’ second presentation focused on one of the most difficult topics a business owner must conquer – succession planning. “The best succession is one that nobody even notices,” Sessions said. “It happens with such grace and such care that it’s seamless."

To achieve a graceful transition, it’s important for the firm’s leader to bring up succession and help the company address it, Sessions said. A panel of industry executives who’ve experienced a number of different types of exit plans weighed in, too. Gary Thornton, former owner of Thornton Landscape in Maineville, Ohio, said it’s never too early for an executive to start thinking about how and when he or she will make an exit. “You have to start early because it’s going to go really fast,” he said.

Executives also should realize that succession doesn’t always mean retirement, members of the panel said. It may mean taking on a lesser role in the company, starting a new business, pursuing hobbies or teaching.

“A succession plan is not a succession plan when it’s only in your head,” Sessions said. A good, written succession plan includes a strategic plan, a development plan for future leaders, a transition time line and possibly an estate plan.

To kick start the planning process, he recommended business owners create “transition councils,” or a group of advisers to guide an executive through the preparations. It may include staff members, peers, and members of the company’s board of advisors or directors.

Sessions peppered his presentation with real-life stories of family businesses, with both good and bad succession plans. One thing’s for sure, Sessions said: “You don’t want to be like the story of the 88-year-old father whose 65-year-old son retired before him because he knew he was never going to get the chance to run the business.”

FIRST THINGS FIRST. In his keynote speech, Dave Zerfoss, president of Husqvarna Forest & Garden Co., put it plainly to the attendees: “We don’t pull in the pits to do the necessary maintenance on ourselves often enough,” said the avid NASCAR fan, using a racing analogy.

“Many of us believe we’ve won because we have mastered the art of multitasking,” Zerfoss said. “Multitasking may be a winning strategy, but is it at a cost of mediocre performance and burn out? Even the best juggler can only keep the balls in the air for so long.”

To create a better work/life balance, leaders must first determine all of the roles he or she fills in their life, Zerfoss recommends, crediting one of his favorite business books, First Things First by Stephen R. Covey. These roles may include but are not limited to “manager,” “spouse,” “parent” and “coach.” To perform better in each of these roles, Zerfoss recommends all leaders create a decision-making framework each week. Assign specific appointments for completing the tasks involved in each of these roles (“schedule an occasion”) – and keep them. This process is more than just creating a to-do list, Zerfoss emphasizes. “This exercise is not about prioritizing your schedule; it’s about scheduling your priorities.”