Last week, I interviewed Christian Ruf, a former special forces helicopter pilot, who now recruits ex-special operators for leadership roles across industries—including landscaping.
He told me something that stopped me in my tracks:
“Running a landscaping company is more chaotic and stressful than going to war with my band of brothers.”
At first, that sounded insane… but when I dug deeper, it started to make sense.
In Special Operations:
- They train together for 18 months before a mission.
- They drill the basics until they’re second nature.
- They role-play every possible failure and variable.
- They recruit for attitude and mindset as much as skill.
- And it’s all about teamwork and culture—no lone wolves.
Compare that to small businesses: hiring fast, little training, vague mission, unclear expectations, reactive leadership. Yep – that sounds like chaos.
And yet, the solutions are right in front of us. Here’s how to bring special forces discipline and clarity into your landscaping business:
1. Create a Clear Mission and Identity
This one’s easy, but often skipped.
Define your mission clearly, and with purpose. (Landscaping may not be life-or-death, but make your mission worth fighting for!)
Develop taglines, team names, uniforms, special language, and “isms” that build pride and unity.
Drill it into your team.
(Note, hire people that fit your mission and identity, otherwise you won’t get off the starting line.)
2. Drill the Fundamentals
Pick your top non-negotiables (like the following) and drill them weekly, monthly and quarterly:
- Site safety
- Driving
- Client interaction
- Accuracy (“Measure twice, cut once”)
- Professionalism
It’s what you talk about repeatedly that shapes your culture.
3. Implement 5-S: Sort, Set, Shine, Standardize, Sustain
Just like the Special Operations, make the basics so ingrained that everyone knows what to do every day.
Use the 5 S’s of lean thinking to keep your team organized on the basics:
- Truck organization,
- Jobsite cleanup,
- Tool readiness,
- Shop order.
When these small things are crystal clear, the big things become more easily manageable.
4. Train and Cross-Train for Versatility
Special forces train harder than anyone.
You can simulate that by creating drills and contests—crew vs. crew—around equipment handling, safety, and efficiency. Create a training rodeo and have fun with it.
Also, make sure crew leads and lead-hands are cross trained, whether it is how to run the truck, operate machinery, or handle client questions.
Everyone should know enough to step in, back up, and carry the mission forward.
5. Run After-Action Reviews (AARs)
If you’ve read the book Extreme Ownership (Jocko Willink), you know the value of AARs (Note: Read this book as a team. It’s inspiring!).
Hold reviews after key jobs, or key moments in the month, or after a major service fail – as a team. Ask:
- How did we do (looking at metrics)?
- What went right?
- What went wrong?
- What could I have done differently?
- Next time we will…
A culture of continuous improvement starts here and will take you far.
Your Challenge: Build a Team that Operates like a Band of Brothers and Sisters.
Make this spring—and every season—less stressful and more successful for your team.
Develop a Team-First Value System
“No soldier left behind.” Is a common refrain in any war movie you have seen.
Make it your company mantra.
If someone is falling behind, back them up. Help get the job done, together if necessary.
When you build your team like a special forces unit, the chaos fades—and a high-trust, high-performance culture takes its place.
Go get em!
Regards, Jeffrey Scott
P.S. You will see this same attitude in many of our speakers at our Summer Growth Summit and at our visit to Schill.
