Gearing for winter improvements
By
Jacki Hart CLP
Prosperity
Partners program manager
By the time you read this, the growing
season is shifting gears, as plants of all descriptions prepare for the coming
winter. Are you preparing for the
coming winter?
We are very fortunate in this industry
to have a shoulder season. For many, it’s a long stretch of down-time. While
the winter months may present cash flow challenges, for many the huge benefit
of a more flexible schedule allows us to catch our breath, and reflect on what
we need to do differently next year. Of course, for others among us, winter
means long hours of clearing snow and ice.
Consider for a moment how you would
answer the following questions:
·
What
is the one thing that really caused you the most stress this year at work?
·
Based
on your answer (and there may well be a tie for what caused you the most
stress, so it’s perfectly OK to have more than one thing you want to address),
how would you like that one thing to change in order to reduce stress at all
levels and for everyone next year?
·
If
you start with that end in mind, and work backwards, what things would you
address in order to get a more desirable outcome?
·
What
skills do you, or anyone you work with, have to help create a solution?
·
What
skills are you missing, or if you don’t know where to start creating a workable
solution, what resources do you have to gain the skills needed to reduce the
stress resulting from the problem you identified in the first question above?
Find available resources
In the Prosperity Partners program, we
take a look at gaps which may exist in your business, and the available
resources to help make improvements. The best place to start is with our
Professional Development Guide. This guide, which will be available this month
from Landscape Ontario, is full of excellent training opportunities for people at
all levels and a variety of jobs in your business.
All of the professional development at
Landscape Ontario is organized by six pillars: Technical Education,
Professional Operations, Sales Success, Financial Health, Leadership and
Developing Loyal Customers. First, take the time to consider where the people
you work with need to expand their performance ability. Then go to the relevant
Prosperity Pillar and find the training you need. Be sure to check out the
Prosperity Partners resource page (www.horttrades.com/prosperity) for
additional business and professional development offerings, which are either
available on the Internet, or locations outside of Landscape Ontario’s
facilities.
If you have taken the Prosperity
Partners program, you may recall the following expression, “If you are aiming
at NOTHING, you will hit it with HUGE accuracy.” Tim Glover, Jump-Point. So,
WHAT are you aiming at?
I am here to encourage you to step back
as the season winds towards a chance to catch your breath. Start considering
what you are going to change for next year. Develop a professional development
plan for the company team, budget for it, and go for it!
I have always used the month of
November for this kind of working ON my business, and it has always ensured
that my team and I emerge the following spring with a bit more gas in our tank,
and a few more tools in the company tool box to lever and make improvements to
service, scope and the behind the scenes stuff.
The 2010 season has been interesting
with many sectors seemingly split down the middle, as to whether or not this
year has provided a more confident consumer base, or a more conservative one.
There is definitely change all around us – to name a few, change in attitudes,
spending patterns, the way we communicate with customers, and in the way they
make decisions. Every business, regardless of the sector, needs to be
proactive, creative, collaborative and prepared for change. The stronger the
skill sets at all levels in your business, the better your road to success and
prosperity.
Business awards
Prosperity Partners Business Engagement
Award submission deadline is Oct. 31. The 2nd annual event will take place at
the Landscape Ontario Awards Gala during Congress 2011, on Tues., Jan. 11. This award pays tribute and acknowledges business owners in LO who
are actively engaged in working to improve their business from the inside out.
It honours participants in the program who follow the principles of growing a
prosperous business within the Prosperity Partners framework. This program requires the submission to
seven questions. All the winners will be notified in advance of the awards
ceremony. Prosperity Partners participants should have received their ballot
questions by email. To request a copy, email prosperity@landscapeontario.com
and place Prosperity Awards Submission in the subject line.
