As the road in this new year is currently being paved, and 2022 slowly appears on the horizon of your garden center’s windshield, it’s always a good idea to reflect on the past year that is disappearing in the rear-view mirror quickly before the lessons and blessings are forgotten.
Very few activities exemplifies TEAMWORK like being part of a competitive rowing crew. Though I have never participated in this sport, I think everyone being so in-sync to produce the best (in this case... fastest) results is a great way for us visualize TEAMWORK.
What about TEAMWORK in your Garden Center? The goal of every Garden Center should be to create a fun and rewarding environment for each team member to be excited, motivated and inspired to be an important part of your team with the purpose to ultimately serve the customer.
As we round out the year with the holidays, it’s always important to begin to think about what 2022 will shape up to be…will it be like 2021? 2020? 2019? Or will it have a personality all of its own?
Whatever the story is to be told, having a plan that will address it is always better than having no plan at all.
While the title for this message can be for you, I am really presenting this as an idea for our Centers to consider as a message to promote to prospective team members (new-hires) in the coming seasons.
Evidence is mounting that Garden Centers can be in a prime position to capture the attention of a large number of Millennials who have discovered over the last 18 months they really do not want to return to their typical work environment. I can see the job listing now... Find Your Work Zen at (insert your garden center name here)!
Relationships. It is the lifeblood of a successful career or business. It spans all aspects of your operation... Your customers. Your staff and management team. Your growers and hardline vendors. Other relationships you have are here within The Group. The relationships built with The Group's team of Service Providers and your peer Centers is something that is very unique today.
One day, I stopped by a job site of a landscape client of mine. The two crew members were sitting on the client’s patio furniture taking a break (Bad Start!). One was smoking (he quickly tried to hide his poor judgement). I sat at the table with them and asked to have some" fun with numbers" (a hint of sarcasm floated over the wrought iron table…)
As we move into the marketing magic of the year, driving focus and attention to our garden centers, which in turn drives foot traffic and the return of new found “fan-demics” (I just made that up) as well as our existing client-base, I thought it might be nice to take a good long look in the marketing mirror.
Each morning before coffee, I take seven steps to the WC to throw some water on my face, brush my teeth, and take a good long look at the drain and damage 56 years of being me has brought to my face--wrinkles from smiles and sun damage, baggy eyes from the six hours of sleep, and a blank stare into the possibilities the day will bring as I slowly kick the cobwebs to the curb, and embrace a deep and spiritual sense of gratitude that I am on the right side of the grass today.
Happy New Year and Happy New You. The previous year (formally known as 2020) has left an impact on all of us, and to not have been affected, changed or transformed would be both unrealistic as well as unfortunate.
We announced last week a new joint effort to co-sponsor and promote Green Profit magazine Young Retailer of the Year Award for 2021. The Garden Center Group, with support from our Partners for Success, will be official sponsors of the 16th annual award, along with AmericanHort.
After nine long months of living with a pandemic, employers and employees alike are exhausted and stressed. Thankfully, the end is now in sight, although it won’t be fully realized for several months. For now, the virus is surging again and, this time, in the midst of the holidays that even in the best of times can create anxiety for many people.
As we continue to adapt and accept the new landscape of the garden center industry and find peace, gratitude and joy in the cracks and crevices that appear, I feel a new “rebirth” approaching…a new outlook…a new view over the horizon.
Nearly 70% of employee turnover is a direct result of owners and managers falling short in feeding & growing our teams. Join John Kennedy in his latest “Insights” video series as he addresses the Three Top Motivators of employees in the workplace.
After the record growth this year in our garden centers, what efforts are being made to recognize & reward the outcomes your teams have delivered? John tackles the top three things employees look for from their leaders and provides insights into the retention and motivation of your top talent.
Enjoy.
There’s no question that employees are more effective when working in an environment that promotes regular communication about expectations and results. People want to know where they stand—even if it isn’t good. A performance review can address this need by answering the burning question every employee has: “How am I doing?”
Unfortunately, in many organizations, performance reviews have gone by the wayside, even though the younger generation of workers—the Millennials—are known for their need to receive regular feedback (and praise!) from management.
When I was growing up in rural Maryland in the late sixties and early seventies, there were only a few homes and farms that populated the countryside. When we youngsters were all out in the fields, woods and creeks, the time to come home was announced with the “sound of a bell.”
Overwhelmed yet?
The past week brought many IGC’s to a new realization of frustration and awareness that this Curbside Pickup and Delivery thing isn’t scalable to meet peak Spring demand.
What to do about it?
Take a step back so you can take two or more forward. Things are about to get ugly, or we’re going to figure out how to keep that from happening.
Step in, and watch or listen to the recorded GroupTalk LIVE! You’ll hear, or hear again, why it is important to come up with your own plan for taking care of your customers who have been paying your bills all these years. Focus on that and you’ll be better able to cope with all of this.
As I say often, God gave me two hands to make life easier and decisions simpler.
This is timeless information to consider as every season approaches every year – especially Spring.
Spring Fever infects 100% of people, at least to the point they’ll take a walk or open a window to breathe real, fresh air. Fortunately, almost all of them also buy plants. This is a GIFT, to be anticipated, appreciated, and taken seriously. Remember, it comes only once this year so it had better be a great one if you can make it so.
Welcome to March and what looks to be an early arrival to Spring!
You wouldn’t be reading this if it wasn’t for Ursula. There wouldn’t be a GROUPtalk, The Garden Center Group or my decades adventure in the garden center industry if Ursula hadn’t hired me to work at H.E. Nursery on a spring day in 1974.
