Report Card Grade - Not Yet

Report Card Grade: Not Yet!

by Danny Summers

At first glance, you might think I am referring to Spring 2022 performance numbers and this title very well could be used to describe the late spring arrival and the numbers we are seeing in the Weekly Department Review (WDR). But I want to first ask the question... Have you ever heard of a Report Card Grade of "Not Yet"? I hadn't until a few weeks ago when I found a quote by Dr. Carol Dweck to use in the April 25th edition of GROUPtalk for the Quote of the Week. The quote is:

“The hallmark of successful people is that they are always stretching themselves to learn new things."  ~ Dr. Carol S. Dweck

Dr. Dweck is a renowned psychologist who introduced the world to the term “growth mindset”. She is the author of Mindset, a book that introduced the differences between a Fixed Mindset and a Growth Mindset. As I read more and even watched several presentations of Dr. Dweck's work and her research on having a growth mindset, I realized this is not just for children and their development. It applies to all of us.

To give you a better idea of Dr. Dweck's work, I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch a short presentation she gave on the concept of "Not Yet." You can watch it here:

 

OK, now that you have the basic idea of "Not Yet" and the Growth Mindset by Dr. Dweck, why can't we apply this to each Garden Center and all the staff?  Here are a few things to consider...

Create an environment that encourages and nurtures learning. Learning about plants, new plants and plant needs, right plant-right place, how to be successful "Plant Parents" (aka gardeners for those who are more seasoned in the practice), and where and how plants can best thrive. Encourage the team to share the knowledge with others so each team member can be part of the learning and training experience. This also can feed the knowledge-sharing experience of helping Guests to be successful... the ultimate benefit of this learning experience.

Develop a parallel path to continually improve the Guest Experience in your Center. Create the environment and thirst for building upon what each Guest sees (and feels) as they visit your Center and capture as much as you can about their reactions and related shopping decisions.

A Life-Long Learning Passion... This whole subject of Growth Mindset by Dr. Dweck brought to mind someone who was always this way. Ernest Wertheim. Even when Ernest was in his 90's and attending industry events, he was always looking for new ideas and challenging others to think differently and learn new things. It was his character to be learning and he loved sharing that passion with others. Ernest was the epitome of a Growth Mindset.

There is a lot of available content on the Growth Mindset (and Not Yet) from Dr. Dweck and I will list several links below for you to explore... not only for parents for the development of children but also for our individual development and of course, applications that can transform your Center's approach to learning.

The Report Card Grade of "Not Yet" is also certainly the way we should be thinking of Spring 2022. If your Team can stay focused on the Guest Experience, Spring 2022's report card will work out just fine... just not on the schedule we may have had in mind.

Because who will ultimately give you the report card grade?

You got it... The Guest (aka the Customer)!

Mark Your Calendar - September 19-22, 2022 - You'll be busy and out of town!

Sharing is at the heart of The Group and your ideas are very important. If you have any trouble logging into The Group WebSystem, please let me know. Are you and your staff all subscribed to our eLists such as GroupEs, Retail-Grower, Retail-Landscape, Owners-Only, and a number of others? Need help subscribing? Let me know so I can show you how you can sign up.
Thanks for sharing!

Danny Summers
[email protected]
Tel: 678-909-7770
Cell: 678-761-7145

REMEMBER: Your interaction (by phone and email) with Group Service Providers such as Tim Quebedeaux, Sid Raisch, John Kennedy, Jean Seawright, and of course Danny Summers are included in your retainer!

Here's some additional details from Dr. Carol Dweck:
Mindset Works - Our mission is to foster lifelong learning. Mindset Works is the global leader in growth mindset development leveraging the pioneering research of Carol Dweck and Lisa Blackwell. The company's mission is to enable a world in which all people realize continual learning and growth. The diverse Mindset Works team includes practitioners, coaches, leaders, and researchers who collaborate to translate academic research into products and services that nurture positive learning beliefs, habits, and cultures.
Dr. Carol S. Dweck - On TedTalks
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