This week’s insight came from a unique place:

We just attended the installment ceremony for the new board and President at my house of worship.  They operate on a May-to-May calendar.

During his remarks, the new President spoke about the many different dates and cycles they manage:

• The fiscal year
• The school year
• The Sunday school year (which is different)
• The religious holiday cycle

It struck me that, as owners and leaders of landscape firms, we manage many more cycles in our businesses!

The financial cycle keeps you in business. But only the owners and a few leaders are fully dialed into that timeline.

For everyone else, the business cycles look different:

• Maintenance leaders operate on seasonal timelines tied to growth and client needs.
• Bookkeepers focus on monthly closings.
• Install salespeople are driven by weekly, monthly, and quarterly goals.
• Snow teams follow their own unique rhythms—for sales, planning, and operational readiness.
• And so on.

But beyond the business operations, there’s another layer: the personal lives of your employees.

Yes, we honor the “5 year” anniversary of our employees — with their photos on our walls— but each of them is managing their own personal cycles:

• Children’s birthdays, graduations, and Quinceaneras
• Kids’ sports seasons (which can rival our busiest spring or snow seasons)
• Wedding anniversaries—and anniversaries of the loss of loved ones
• And much more

A good leader: has systems in place to track and stay ahead of company cycles.

A great leader: tackles all that, while remembering and honoring the life cycles of their team, because that is what motivates them to hustle and win at work.

Your Challenge: Tapping into the dreams and goals of your front line people

Sean Baxter, one of our Executive Coaches at Jeffrey Scott Consulting, and a successful business owner in his own right (Lawn and Landscape Solutions in KC), recently shared with me his unique approach to leadership.

Because his time is limited (at his company) he focuses intentionally on connecting personally with his people and what they’re experiencing in life – both inside and outside of work.

He sees them, and acknowledges their personal feelings, priorities and goals.

That is Sean’s secret power; connecting with his people in order to drive business growth across many initiatives.

As the old maxim tells us (my version):

People don’t care how much you know—or how much you care about your own business—until they know how much you care about them and their personal business.

Right now you are sprinting towards your spring and summer deadlines. “Go Go Go” is the mantra. So how do you keep your team motivated to bust their butt when the days are long and hot?

Let me know!

Remember, the dream is free; the hustle is sold separately.

And it’s that hustle that wins the race.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY!

Regards, Jeffrey Scott

P.S. You will be able to hear Sean Baxter speak at about his leadership secret sauce at our Summer Growth Summit.

The Early Bird is valid until June 26th, but book now to get your hotel room.