GreenSearch Hiring: HELP WANTED! The Honeymoon Truly is Over

Some of GreenSearch's industry-oriented educational institutions are having trouble getting enough new students to fill available classes. Justifying the continuation of horticultural curriculums without appropriate levels of student enrollment is becoming tougher to do. We worry that the image of the industry is becoming defined solely as a demanding, tough career versus being perceived as one of the last bastions for the success minded entrepreneur who likes to beautify and improve the appearance and value of the surrounding areas in which they live. It is not unreasonable to assume that the recent merger and acquisition activity in our industry will create larger and more attractive opportunities that could siphon off mid and senior level management talent and further dilute that pool for other companies whose career tracks are less impressive. Most smaller companies can only offer lateral career moves for many of the people in their management and supervisory ranks.

Time and time again, we hear business owners talk about their reluctance to invest heavily in the training and development of their staffs because once they are trained, they leave to start their own business or go to work for a competitor for more money. Like it or not, this is a reality in an industry that requires a fairly small investment to enter.

HEARING IT FROM THE FIELD. At a recent trade show, we had at least four different business owners come up to us and describe what we call an operations manager. This "walk on water" position had to be able to schedule, hire crews, monitor projects, operate equipment, soothe the customer, inspect for quality, turn off the lights at night and be prepared to work 24 hours a day, if necessary. The common thread among all these discussions was that the owner/manager was looking to dump all their problems into the lap of the person hired for this position. The company had grown beyond their ability to handle it, and now they were looking for the "quick fix."

Conversely, another part of this trade show involved our participation in breakfast round table discussions. At one of our tables were owners from all over the country. Yes, they were struggling with turnover and labor shortages, but the difference was that they were all learning how to cope with those problems in different ways. The common thread was that they treated their employees as individuals. They knew a lot about their people, and what they knew enabled them to do special things for their folks at a time when niceties were least expected. Despite the fact they were all busy companies, they knew how to give time off when it was appreciated and badly needed. They remembered special things about their people and referred to them in a timely manner. It was a simple thing like a year-end dinner for all employees in the owners' farmhouse in Iowa, thanking them for another successful year and encouraging them to help with the challenges of the upcoming new year. There was never a discussion about looking for someone to dump their problems on. They had figured out how to become successful at understanding each employee's strengths and, based on this, delegating responsibilities so that almost everyone had something for which they were accountable. In essence, they had created a working environment at their company that differentiated it from other companies for which their employees could work.

Each of these company owners had identified and focused on the perpetuation of the four most important elements of the employer-employee relationship.

• The first one is growth. People like to be associated with a company they feel has a future and is going somewhere. Everyone likes a winner and everyone likes to think they belong to a winning team.



• The second one is equity. Equity deals with the relationship people perceive between what's in their paychecks and the level of the contribution they make to the company. Clearly defined expectations and honest feedback is a major part of a positive employment experience.



• The third one is security. Companies who make reasonable investments in the training, growth and development of their people give their folks some control over their own destiny. Well-trained people never worry about their job security because they can always get another job elsewhere. Secure, well-trained people tend to be top performers and prudent risk takers.



• The fourth one is membership. Companies who are capable of providing that sense of "family" often create strong, loyal, employment bonds with their employees.

Each of these ingredients requires balance, good judgment and prudent, ongoing attention. The people we talked to had made a conscious effort to keep the employees they now have. They've studied them and understand what makes them tick. When they can't compete in terms of high salaries and extensive benefits with larger, more financially capable organizations, they find ways to implement the four success factors discussed above.

The message is clear: take care of the folks you have because replacements are hard to find.

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The above article was developed by GreenSearch which provides key management search, web-based job posting and management consulting services to the green industry and allied trades nationwide.

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