Last week I shared the 4 Elements of a Sticky Culture. The focus of that blog was on using your company culture (and not just pay) to retain employees.
There is a 5th element that I see all top companies using to retain and attract talent: Growth.
A reputation for growth has been the not-so-secret weapon that leading companies (think companies in the LM 150) have continually attracted employees and leaders.
Top landscape companies use growth to retain and attract talent. Discover how to leverage this in your business. Click To Tweet
All things being equal, where would you rather work, at a stagnant company or a strongly growing company?
My old neighbor and friend Mike Hoffman (Hoffman Landscapes, CT) emailed me last week with the following, “Growing companies can offer opportunities at all levels. Companies that are not growing can only offer new opportunities when they lose someone. Who wants to do the same job, year after year, knowing that the only way to ‘move up’ comes when someone else retires or quits.”
It’s a Catch 22
You may be wondering, how do I grow if I can’t recruit new employees? It’s a conundrum. Yes, you must first focus on recruitment (always be recruiting through all four seasons), but you also have to develop a company strategy and reputation for growth.
Four Ways to Kick Start Growth
For anyone who has followed me over the years, you know that I love coaching and writing on the topic of growth.
So much so that I named my summer event, The Summer Growth Summit.
At this year’s Summit, my guest presenters all have stellar records and distinct strategies for growth. They will share 4 unique strategies to grow one’s landscape firm.
1. Building Mini Branches
Todd Pugh (Enviroscapes, OH) has developed a clever approach to setting up mini branches that quickly allow emerging leaders to head up a mini division. By keeping the branch mini, it also maintains higher profitability.
2. Acquiring
The host of the event, LanDesign, has used acquisitions strategically to get into new markets and diversify their business. They believe in selling more services to existing (and new) clients, and they use acquisitions to bolster this strategy.
3. Recapitalizing
Kurt Bland (Bland Landscaping, NC) has used recapitalization (selling shares to private equity) to develop a platform for expanded growth.
4. Growing Organically
The host, George Tucker, has also focused on organic growth. He hired leaders from outside the industry (his COO and CEO) to bring in the firepower needed to chase down all the opportunities while keeping the day to day running. Todd Pugh and Kurt Bland are also experts at organic growth.
There is not a single right way to grow. You have got to discover what’s right for you.
Your challenge:
Growing your mindset in order to grow your company.
Before one can have organizational growth, one must first personally embrace a growth mindset.
It is defined (by Dweck, 1995) as follows: “In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”
Grow your mind, grow your network, grow your business!
The best way to do this is to hang out with others who have a similarly open, curious and ambitious growth mindset. There is no better way.
To rub shoulders with other growth-minded landscape professionals, join us at The Summer Growth Summit.
