Should You Hire a COO or CEO to Run your Business?
Should you hire a COO, or even a CEO, to run your business and to help you grow it to the next level? (Note: COO stands for Chief Operating Officer) My good friend and client George Tucker, owner of LanDesign in St Louis, has hired BOTH for his business. Why does one...
How to Get Your Landscape Team Winning Like Tom Brady
It has been an amazing few weeks in football, which reveals a huge lesson for everyone in business or sports: The art of winning. Tom Brady, the ex-quarterback (QB) of the New England Patriots, and the current QB of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, shows what it takes to...
Economic Predictions for 2021
Last spring after the pandemic hit, I predicted we would have a V shaped recovery. Although I received a lot of eye rolling, I still believe that to be true! Read on for my economic predictions in 2021. Good things are in store for you. You had a great year in 2020...
Success Is Not About The Money
As you climb the ladder of success, you will want more than money, things and freedom to show for your success. In business school we studied "Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs" to learn about the progression that people take on their journey of success. [bctt...
Tying Owners and Leaders Together with an “Accountability Agreement”
Early in my professional career I learned the importance of tying company owners and leaders together with an accountability agreement. Originally the idea was brought to me by a division leader in my landscape business. He did this as a way to get us both on the same...
7 Business Lessons From 2020
Welcome to 2021! As I spent the last few days with my family in the Netherlands (see some photos below), I have reflected on some of the biggest lessons I learned during the past 12 months that you can apply to 2021. Some of these you will recognize, some will be...
How Great Teams Work Together––Notes From My Travels Abroad
First off, Happy Holidays, from my family to yours! For the holidays, my wife and I traveled to her home country of the Netherlands to spend the holiday season with our three children—two of whom we have not seen for a full year. It was a strange and happy reunion....
Is Your Leadership Team Structured For Success?
How do you know you have chosen the right organizational structure to lead your team to success? Years ago, while in business school, I studied the teachings of Alfred Chandler (a management guru). He coined the phrase that "structure follows strategy." It is a...
Old Habits, Carried Forward Too Long, Can Harm Your Business Performance
I found this fascinating article in The Wall Street Journal on a quarterback from 50 years ago who changed how football is played today because he gathered data and statistics to inform his strategy, rather than using his gut instinct. Virgil Carter painstakingly...
New Ford CEO, Jim Farley, Shows Landscapers the Way to the Future
The new Ford Motor Company CEO, Jim Farley, is leading the transformation of the 117-year-old company by focusing on going digital and giving commercial vehicle buyers better use of their data to make better decisions. According to the Wall Street Journal, "As a racer...
