CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The 2002 Lawn & Landscape School of Management kicked off Sunday afternoon in Charlotte, N.C. In addition to a golf tournament and a tour of North American Lawn & Landscape’s facilities, the nearly 400 landscape industry professionals in attendance had a wealth of educational opportunities to learn from. Here’s a sample of information they heard.
If you are like most managers, your workforce consists of employees from different generations – people with vastly different life experiences, different ways of dealing with workplace issues and different ways of achieving their goals. As a leader, you know that people and success go hand in hand. Effectively communicating with employees and integrating their ideas and strengths into the work culture helps them reach their personal goals and, in turn, aids the company’s growth.
Here, Katherine Donahue, president of The Mercury Group consulting service, offers her top 10 rules for effective management. Do you practice these team-leader tips in your company?
1. Tell the truth. When you lie to or mislead employees, they will find out anyway and then lose their trust in you. Be honest with your co-workers.
2. Tell the story. The more the employee knows about the decision at hand or an issue affecting the company, the better. Informed workers feel comfortable and can often offer suggestions to help remedy the situation. Besides, their support is important to the success of the company.
3. Assume best intentions. Expect the best, accept errors and assume the best when things go wrong.
4. Assume success. When addressing change or a problem, assume that it will be successfully resolved by the team. Attitude is everything, and your attitude will influence your employees’ attitudes as well.
5. Be human. Often, managers feel like they can’t make mistakes, or they hide the truth. Everyone ends up finding out this “hidden” information anyway, and by showing employees that you also make and allow mistakes, they are more likely to come to you if they experience difficulties or make mistakes as well.
6. Remember your business is not brain surgery. No one dies when a mistake is made in landscaping. Don’t overreact. Very little is actually “do or die.”
7. Be inclusive in discussions about ideas and solutions. If you don’t include everyone, they will not feel like they are a part of the organization. Get others’ opinions – you’ll get a better answer to your solution this way.
8. Be interested. Know about your employees’ kids and family – their lives outside of work. Do you know them as a person and not as just another “part” of your company, like a copy machine? You need to establish a connection with your employees that says, “You matter to me.”
9. Be a good example. Demonstrate what you want in your company.
10. Laugh! Humor is good. Share your “war stories,” and laugh about situations. Chances are, what was frustrating or stressful will eventually be funny, and then you and your employees can bond over the shared experience.