The Foundation of Winning Culture and Team Empowerment

"Delegate, delegate, delegate. I cannot say enough," emphasizes Mindy Jacobs, Implementation Manager at Aspire. Her message reflects a critical challenge facing landscape business owners: the trap of trying to handle everything personally.

The consequences of poor delegation are severe. As one attendee shared, when their general manager left unexpectedly, "there was nobody else in that company" who could handle essential functions like estimating. The manager had fallen into the classic pattern: "I'll just do it, it's easier, I'll get it done, I know how to estimate."

The wake-up call moment: One business owner described creating a list of everything only they could do, then asking themselves, "What if I got hit by a bus?" That morbid but practical question led to systematic delegation and cross-training initiatives that transformed their operation.

Cross-Training as Cultural Foundation

Successful landscape companies embed cross-training into their organizational DNA from day one. "One of the main things that is embedded into the job description is cross-training. You must cross-train within your department," notes a people and culture specialist.

This approach serves multiple purposes:

• Operational continuity when key personnel are unavailable

• Employee development and career advancement opportunities

• Reduced single points of failure in critical business processes

• Enhanced team collaboration and mutual understanding

The goal isn't to create experts in every role, but to ensure that team members understand how their work impacts others and can provide coverage when needed.

Communication: The Language of Leadership

"The art of communication is the language of leadership," but what does this mean in practice? It starts with basic human recognition.

Too many managers miss fundamental opportunities: employees arrive, change clothes, and start work without any acknowledgment. "How hard is it to just raise your head and say hello to your people in the morning? At the end of the day, how hard is it to say, hey, great day today, thanks for your work, have a great evening?"

Personal connection drives performance. The best leaders know their employees' children's names, ask about important events, and remember family situations. "People want to be seen, and they want to be people. They want to be respected, and the best leaders are people leaders."

Managers vs. Leaders: Understanding the Distinction

The session highlighted a crucial distinction: "There are managers, and there are leaders." While management skills can be taught, leadership must be found and developed within individuals.

Management focuses on:

• Strategic decision-making

• Process optimization

• Resource allocation

• Systems and procedures

Leadership centers on:

• People development

• Vision communication

• Cultural building

• Inspiration and motivation

The most effective leaders combine both capabilities: "Great leaders make things happen. Great managers make things work. You need things to work to have them happen."

Setting Clear Expectations

Successful organizations establish clear expectations at every level. During Aspire's implementation process, Stephanie Ryder explains: "I have a welcome call with every client. One of the things we talk about are expectations. I want them to know what they can expect from my team, and I want them to understand what I expect from them as well."

This principle applies throughout business operations:

• Daily expectations for field crews

• Weekly and monthly targets for all team members

• Role clarity in achieving company mission

• Understanding of consequences for meeting or missing expectations

Transparency in Forecasting and Results

Companies that share financial forecasts and performance results create stronger team engagement. "You should share your forecast weekly, monthly, and yearly, and you need to do it openly."

When everyone understands company targets:

• Collaboration improves across departments

• Decision-making becomes smarter at all levels

• Team members feel ownership of results

• Individual contributions gain meaning

Instead of simply telling technicians to complete 12 treatments per day, explain: "We need to get 120 treatments a day so that we can make this profit, and this is why." Context transforms tasks into meaningful contributions toward shared goals.

The Power of Full Transparency

Share "the good, the bad, and the ugly" with complete transparency. While it's tempting to highlight only top performers, teams respect leaders who acknowledge areas needing improvement.

This openness:

• Builds trust through honest communication

• Identifies improvement opportunities collectively

• Prevents surprises during performance reviews

• Creates accountability at all levels

However, prioritize quality over quantity in communications. Frequent, meaningful updates work better than overwhelming teams with excessive information.

Technology Adoption Through Cultural Change

Successful Aspire implementations require intentional cultural development. "My implementation was extremely intentional, and I thought about my team members," shares Amanda Rose, owner of Greenhouse.org.

Key considerations include:

• Role-specific training rather than one-size-fits-all approaches

• Understanding individual learning styles and preferences

• Anticipating resistance and addressing concerns proactively

• Connecting technology benefits to personal and professional growth

Field crews often resist new technology, viewing it as "big brother watching." Successful leaders reframe the narrative: "This isn't about figuring out where you are. I'm trying to find out if we have the right estimated hours on this job. I'm trying to figure out how much time you really do have in a day so we're not scheduling you to work overtime."

The Teamwork Multiplier Effect

High-performing teams understand that individual success depends on collective achievement. When technicians know team targets, stronger performers naturally help struggling teammates.

This creates positive dynamics:

• Peer mentoring develops organically

• Resource sharing improves overall efficiency

• Cross-location support becomes possible during busy periods

• Skill development accelerates through collaboration

Proven Results from Cultural Investment

Aspire's 2024 survey of 1,200 customers revealed that companies with strong adoption cultures consistently outperformed others. Organizations that fully adopted Aspire and mobile modules showed:

• Better decision-making capabilities

• Improved cash flow management

• Increased productivity and efficiency

• Higher profitability margins

These results stem from cultural foundations rather than technology alone. The competitive advantage comes from "working efficiently and intelligently and responsibly" while maintaining customer relationships and team satisfaction.

Implementation Strategy

Building winning cultures requires systematic approaches:

• Start with clear role definitions that include cross-training expectations

• Establish communication rhythms with regular check-ins and updates

• Share context and meaning behind tasks and targets

• Invest in continuous training rather than one-time events

• Celebrate both successes and learning opportunities from setbacks

• Empower employees through knowledge sharing and responsibility delegation

The labor challenges in the landscape industry make cultural strength even more critical. Companies that create environments where employees feel valued, empowered, and equipped to succeed will continue attracting and retaining top talent while delivering exceptional customer experiences.

Culture isn't something that happens accidentally—it requires intentional development, consistent reinforcement, and leadership commitment to putting people first while achieving business objectives.

-Missy England

Creating Access and Opportunity in the Trades

You can’t grow your business without finding the right people to join your team. In this breakout session, industry innovators shared insights into finding the best hires to fill those gaps and retain talent while facing the talent shortage impacting everyone.

It’s a challenge but also an opportunity to innovate, open doors, and engage new talent for the future of the trades.

Building talent brands to attract the next generation of leaders

Greg Cole, Founder of Cole Landscaping outside Boston, said culture is key. “Culture is number one. Culture beats cash at any given point. If I’m $2 an hour lower but I’ve got a great culture, I’m winning that employee hands down.”

Cole also suggested interviewing at trade schools and inviting other companies to tour your facilities, like his company does. “We learn a ton from that, and they learn a ton from that, and people hear about it, and they want to work with great companies that are doing things like that.”

Becoming more than an employer by being a mentor

Taylor Anderson, Systems Manager at Sunline Landscapes in Utah, suggested creating mentorship opportunities with local colleges and maintaining that network even after students leave to pursue other opportunities. “I try really hard not to go to career fairs for recruiting but for mentoring, and a lot of students that I’ve made connections with I still talk to today, so when they are looking, I want to help them find the right fit.”

Using social media to connect with future candidates

Javier Gomez, CEO of Texas Ecogrow, based in Austin, TX, will be adding employee spotlights to its website to tell their stories and is leaning into social media more.

“We’ve encouraged them to go on LinkedIn and talk about things they’re proud of, like the community, the jobs, the projects, difficult things that they never thought that they would do, and they’re really into that, Gomez said. “We gave them the authority just to post, and they’ve been doing that a lot, and I’m really proud of what they’ve been posting.”

He hopes this will spark curiosity about the company and encourage others to apply.

Hiring for the hard-to-train skills first—and finding them in unlikely places

Pam Dooley, Owner of Plants Creative Landscapes, based in the Atlanta area, tells her team, “People are people first, so let’s hire human skills — the listening, the adaptability, the flexibility, the curiosity, and then there are resources out there to grow the job skills.”

She also shared another outside-the-box idea.  Dooley said, “Some of the people doing the best work in this industry have tapped into teachers. If you think about the skills that teachers need to succeed and the burnout rates of teachers, it translates really well to account managers. The people moving the needle the most on this have initiatives like that— very intentional efforts for training, development, and leadership development.”

—   Deborah Goldman