Leadership

Today, many business owners are becoming more and more aware of the need to manage and develop their employees at all levels of their business. Sometimes, power struggles can exist between the Business Owner and Managers, Team Leaders and Team Members inside the business. As much as these dynamics are frustrating and unsettling for us as business owners, the more we look for the core issue and communicate openly and clearly with the intent of resolving the issue, the quicker we can enjoy our working relationship

We cannot control external occurrences, like the economy or the weather, but we can control our response to what happens. We have experienced an extended boom in the Landscape Industry, so what we might be experiencing now is business as usual, (in other words the boom has subsided). I know tougher economic times are a great opportunity for every business owner to focus on their business and move ahead in a positive dynamic way. Here are some concepts and strategies you can use to ensure you

The end of the year is fast approaching, and if you reflect briefly over the past 12 months, you will find that many people have helped you and your business achieve goals, complete projects, execute transactions, perform thousands of tasks, learn lessons and helped your business maintain its strong reputation. December is the month we send out good wishes to clients, associates, suppliers and employees to enjoy Christmas and the holiday period. So with that in mind, how could you express gratitude to all the people

The Richmond Football Club’s transformation is a great story, going from a struggling club (poor form and extreme debt) to winning 2 premierships in the last 3 years and becoming one of the strongest clubs in the AFL. Let’s look at some of the key cultural changes they made and what can be applied to a small business. 1. Crystal clear vision Back in 2010, the newly appointed President of the Richmond Football Club, Peggy O’Neal, submitted a vision to the board. It involved the appointment of

In this article, I look at the key qualities and characteristics that successful business partnerships have. If you are considering taking on a partner or already have an established partnership, I hope this list can act as a checklist. 1. A successful history together Many successful business partners have often been working together for someone else. It's there, that they discover; if they have complementary working styles, how they both work under pressure and how they handle responsibility before they decide to start a business together. So

Being an effective business leader is a demanding role. It requires a business owner to direct, manage and balance every aspect of his growing business while earning the respect and loyalty of all people involved. In this article, I discuss the key qualities and values that make an effective leader. Lead with Passion Effective Leaders are passionate about what they do, and they're not afraid to show it. When they demonstrate to their team that they love and believe in what they're doing, their team will too. Humility  Jim Collins author

Some of our decisions have a positive immediate impact of our business and others may not be noticed for some time. The same goes for decisions that have a negative impact. In this article, I will give a few examples of how our bigger decisions can affect our business in a positive and negative way and what changes you can make so you benefit. Refusing to increase your Prices Let’s say you run a maintenance business and would like to earn more money per client. A decision to

I was speaking with a landscaper yesterday and he said one of the reasons his business hadn’t grown is that he finds it so hard to let go and trust his leading hand to totally look after a job. I told him that it a major challenge that many business owners go through. I found the same thing in my previous business. When it was starting to grow, I found that it was often easier and a lot faster to just do the work than explain exactly

Many Landscape business owners have expressed frustration regarding their employees’ lack of initiative to take full ownership of their roles and responsibilities and deliver a consistent effort. They want a team of employees that put in 95% effort, arrive on site before 7am ready to start on time, be well presented with the right enthusiastic attitude and work hard and smart all day. They want employees that value their job and treat their job in a similar way that they do. Now you may be thinking

As the most important person in your landscaping business, are you utilising your time so your business can benefit? Below is your approximate hourly rate based on an annual income you may pay yourself for an average 50 hr week. If you pay yourself $50K a year = $19.37 per hr If you pay yourself $75K a year = $29.06 per hr If you pay yourself $100K a year = $38.76 per hr If you pay yourself $125K a year = $48.44 per hr So think about this. If you are

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