The Raingarden: A CIC’s contribution to cleaner water
By Steve Hoogenakker, Taylor Made Landscape and Jenn Morrow, Top Notch Tree Care
Many folks are not aware that the rain that runs to our storm sewers does not go to the municipal plant for treatment. It used to, but as growing communities increased pressure on treatment plants, cities nationwide disconnected storm sewers and routed them directly to the nearest lake or stream. In Minnesota, pride in our natural resources is strong, and residents are willing and eager to do their part to protect water quality.
Raingardens are a fabulous way for CIC’s to protect water quality. It is a garden or landscaped area with a very slight depression (usually 6-8 inches). A raingarden is designed to capture stormwater from rooftops, driveways and even streets, allowing it to soak into the ground along the deep root channels of beautiful plants (some native and some conventional).
Some of the benefits to CICs include an aesthetically appealing landscape feature, increased bird and butterfly activity, and credit for reduction of stormwater -which some cities are beginning to charge fees for! The list of benefits to the environment is long.
The current system of storm sewer pipes contributes largely to flooding and poor water quality in all water bodies. The water runs off so fast, our natural systems cannot absorb it. Prior to urbanization, stormwater soaked into the ground. Some of it made it all the way down to aquifers and some of it flowed slowly and laterally through the ground to lakes and streams. By the time rainwater reached a surface water, it was scrubbed clean by soil and microbes and cooled to the temperature that fish and other aquatic critters enjoy. Gutters and pipes allow over-heated stormwater to flush all the pollutants that collect on impervious surfaces to water bodies that are not able to treat or absorb the impurities nor are they able to accept the sheer volume – leading to serious flooding. Raingardens begin to repair the natural mechanism that slows, cleans and cools stormwater.
What about all the stormwater ponds that CICs have, aren’t those meant to protect water quality? The quick answer is, yes, they were originally intended as an answer to the Clean water Act mandate that stormwater be treated on site in new construction over five acres. They do keep stormwater and pollutants out of local lakes and streams, unfortunately they merely collect and concentrate those pollutants. They, just like natural ponds, do not have the capacity to treat stormwater. In addition they often become eyesores.
To intercept the stormwater that is piped directly into storm ponds (and would not be served by a buffer), raingardens can be installed in the path of down spouts and near the curb with curb cuts. These curbside raingardens allow water from streets to flow into the garden. They are designed to over flow back into the street if their capacity is exceeded, not into the lawn. All raingardens are designed to be dry within 24-36 hours after a storm to keep mosquitoes from breeding in them. Mosquito larvae need seven to twelve days of standing, stagnant water to mature. Raingardens actually act as ‘traps’ when mosquitoes lay eggs in them and the water drops since they cannot mature! In contrast, raingardens provide vital habitat for many desirable critters like birds and butterflies.
The city of Burnsville recently studied the effectiveness of raingardens. They installed 17 residential raingardens to capture street and roof runoff and measured an 82% reduction in runoff in 2004! They measured a 90% reduction in 2005 and a 93% reduction in 2006- illustrating that as the plants mature (and the root structures create more channels) the infiltration rate increases! The city of Maplewood has actively employed raingardens in city street reconstruction projects for over 10 years! Cities across the country are embracing simple raingardens to address serious stormwater problems including Kansas City, MO (with its 10,000 raingarden program launched in 20060, Portland OR and Chicago IL. The ‘ground work’ has been laid and practitioners have learned how to make raingardens work and look beautiful!
With both raingardens and shoreline plantings, proper plant selection and installation and maintenance are critical to their success. There is a wide pallet of colors and textures that will tolerate the water fluctuations common to these landscapes. Raingardens can be designed to be virtually indistinguishable from conventional gardens and landscapes while performing an important community service! Be sure to consult a contractor that is familiar with native plants and shorelines when pursuing projects like these.
Even if raingardens and ponds are not part of your landscape, a native garden can achieve environmental goals and can be incorporated into any plan. A simple butterfly garden can bring bright bold colors and delightful wildlife to an outdoor living space. They require less water and no fertilizers or weekly mowing and in that way, conserve water and other resources as well as protect water quality!
If your CIC is searching for ways to help the environment, they need not look far. Take a close look at how stormwater is ‘treated’ in your community as ask, ’is there a better way?’.
Jenn Morrow is currently is an Ecologist with Urban Ecosystems, a division of Top Notch Treecare. Jenn feels that a properly designed and installed raingarden is an inexpensive investment in our future. Jenn can be reached at 763-253-8733, or at Jmorrow@topnotchtree.com
Steve Hoogenakker is landscape consultant/contractor with 20 years experience working with cic properties and can be reached at 763-213-2410 or Steve@Landscape.Pro
Steve Hoogenakker
Showcase Landscape
Steve Hoogenakker has 20 years in the landscaping and leadership field. He can be reached by email at Steve@Landscape.Pro. Much of this information can be found in the excellent book, Crucial Conversations.
Steve Hoogenakker, MHA, CAI, CIC Midwest, MNLA, PLANET, MTFG, Showcase Landscape
This article can be reprinted if all of the authors information is left unaltered.
Showing posts with label Minnesota. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Minnesota. Show all posts
Monday, June 16, 2008
How to put a value on your landscape business Part I
HOW TO BUILD, BUY OR SELL a LANDSCAPE MGMT COMPANY:
In the past 6 months, I’ve had a number of people ask me to advise them in valuing their business, or evaluate a business they’re considering purchasing. There’s a lot of interest and a lot of activity this year.
So, what’s a business worth?
To help you find out, you should follow three general rules.
1. Start planning TODAY! You never know when an opportunity presents itself, or when disaster strikes. Ideally, you’ll want at least 2-3 years planning before selling a business.
2. Hire a professional or ask an industry expert to help you
3. Maximize the guidelines listed below to bring the highest price.
The first place to look is your own business. This is a complex process, but here are the basics.
As a business owner, you should always be thinking of your company’s intrinsic value, and how you’ve achieved it. Most contractors look at the income statement (if they have one) at the end of the year and say “I made $100,000 net!” But, using the same financials, you might have actually increased the value of your company by $350,000, or reduced the value by $50,000. So, having the right information might mean a $400,000 swing in real value instead of $100,000 profit! Do you see how your daily decisions will be profoundly affected by this new knowledge?
You have assets that you can sell, but I’m here to tell you that you aren’t selling or buying “hard assets”. Heck, you can buy equipment anywhere, anytime. You’re really selling or buying “soft assets”; your ability to build a team, sell, market, satisfy, create relationships, forge loyalties, make a profit and grow the business.
In the Minnesota market, I would say that most businesses I’ve seen for sale are overpriced because somewhere, someone is saying “my company is worth one year’s gross sales” Some of this is encouraged by business brokers who don’t understand the green industry. They make a percentage off of the price of the sale, therefore, they encourage high pricing. If you’re going to use outside help, stay away from the brokers, at least at first.
Gross sales have little to do with the value, therefore, if your goal for 2008 is to grow the biz by 40%, then you could still decrease the value of the business, or even reduce it’s profits. Most companies who make the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies lose money! In the two years my companies would have made the Inc 500 list, we lost money.
Realize that businesses generally sell on multiples of earnings, which is much more complex than just profit!
In the past 6 months, I’ve had a number of people ask me to advise them in valuing their business, or evaluate a business they’re considering purchasing. There’s a lot of interest and a lot of activity this year.
So, what’s a business worth?
To help you find out, you should follow three general rules.
1. Start planning TODAY! You never know when an opportunity presents itself, or when disaster strikes. Ideally, you’ll want at least 2-3 years planning before selling a business.
2. Hire a professional or ask an industry expert to help you
3. Maximize the guidelines listed below to bring the highest price.
The first place to look is your own business. This is a complex process, but here are the basics.
As a business owner, you should always be thinking of your company’s intrinsic value, and how you’ve achieved it. Most contractors look at the income statement (if they have one) at the end of the year and say “I made $100,000 net!” But, using the same financials, you might have actually increased the value of your company by $350,000, or reduced the value by $50,000. So, having the right information might mean a $400,000 swing in real value instead of $100,000 profit! Do you see how your daily decisions will be profoundly affected by this new knowledge?
You have assets that you can sell, but I’m here to tell you that you aren’t selling or buying “hard assets”. Heck, you can buy equipment anywhere, anytime. You’re really selling or buying “soft assets”; your ability to build a team, sell, market, satisfy, create relationships, forge loyalties, make a profit and grow the business.
In the Minnesota market, I would say that most businesses I’ve seen for sale are overpriced because somewhere, someone is saying “my company is worth one year’s gross sales” Some of this is encouraged by business brokers who don’t understand the green industry. They make a percentage off of the price of the sale, therefore, they encourage high pricing. If you’re going to use outside help, stay away from the brokers, at least at first.
Gross sales have little to do with the value, therefore, if your goal for 2008 is to grow the biz by 40%, then you could still decrease the value of the business, or even reduce it’s profits. Most companies who make the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies lose money! In the two years my companies would have made the Inc 500 list, we lost money.
Realize that businesses generally sell on multiples of earnings, which is much more complex than just profit!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Preparing Your Lawn for Spring Part I
YOUR LANDSCAPE – WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW COULD KILL MILLIONS
That’s right. As a homeowner, you’re responsible for millions of living organisms. You’re the “Jack Bauer” of the show “24” protecting millions of innocent lives!Grass plants, ornamentals, trees, annual flowers and shrubs. Your decisions also affect insect and biotic populations. Most importantly, you’re in control of how your landscape affects you and your family personally. The best way to make the most of your living investment is knowledge and of course, action!
At the end of this article, I’ve included a link to www.Townhome.Pro, where I’ve added links for your lawn, landscape, trees and garden. This website is dedicated exclusively for MHA members at this time.
Let’s get started!
“Da Lawn”
We’ll start with the lawn. It’s very important to have a thick, healthy lawn. Why? My daughter plays soccer and I shudder everytime she gets knocked down. (I never cheer when she knocks someone else down.) When kids play on your lawn, or when elderly residents walk in it, a thick lawn protects their skin and joints. A thick lawn also prevents weeds from coming up, reducing the need for pesticides. So, what can we do in the spring to get there?
First, write down your thoughts about last years’ turf. What improvements would you like to have seen? Then “spring” into action. If you have a lawn contractor, discuss fertilization options with him/her. Are they applying 2-3 pounds of Nitrogen per year? Nitrogen has a direct relationship to the color of the lawn. If the lawn isn’t thick and green, ask them to do a soil test, or you can do one using the easy instuctions on the website. (Cost $15.00 plus postage) Do they use slow release or fast release fertilizer? Quick release fertilizers give the lawn a quick greenup and are cheaper, but they lose their color after 2-4 weeks. If you’re getting 3 applications per year, with normal release fert, you get 4 weeks of food and rapid growth followed by 4 weeks of partial starvation. Using slow release feeds gradually, and keeps the lawn growing at a more regular pace. Ask your contractor if he likes double cutting and bagging grass clippings, if he says yes, I owe you a $5.00 gift certificate to Caribou Coffee. When he says no, tell him that using slow release will cut down on rapid flush growth, and cut down the need for a lot of extra labor. Everybody wins!
There is bound to be some winter salt or plow damage too. These areas need to be seeded or sodded right away. I recommend bringing black dirt in if needed and if using seed, use blends, such as kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye for sunny areas, and fine fescue, perennial rye and bluegrass for shady areas. If seeding, expect weeds. Crabgrass control can’t be applied to these areas unless you use Siduron (Tupersan), but broadleaf controls can be used after the seeded area is mowed twice. Seed or Sod, water a couple of times per day for short periods of time.
Steve Hoogenakker provides a solid, common sense approach to solving problems and answering questions relating to business management, leadership, consumer loan products and landscape and lawn problems and solutions. Steve has 20 years in the landscaping and leadership field. He can be reached by email at Steve@Landscape.Pro. Steve Hoogenakker, MHA, CAI, CIC Midwest, MNLA, PLANET, MTGF, Showcase Landscape, Minnesota, Delano Steve loves his wife Teri Hoogenakker and their kids, Paul Hoogenakker, Kirsten Hoogenakker and Gerrit Hoogenakker very much.
Publisher’s Directions: This article may be freely distributed so long as the copyright, author’s information, disclaimer, and an active link (where possible) are included. Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed in the articles, reviews and other materials herein are those of the authors. While every care has been taken in the compilation of this information and every attempt made to present up-to-date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. Steve Hoogenakker will not be held responsible for any claim, loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any information within these pages or any information accessed through this site.
That’s right. As a homeowner, you’re responsible for millions of living organisms. You’re the “Jack Bauer” of the show “24” protecting millions of innocent lives!Grass plants, ornamentals, trees, annual flowers and shrubs. Your decisions also affect insect and biotic populations. Most importantly, you’re in control of how your landscape affects you and your family personally. The best way to make the most of your living investment is knowledge and of course, action!
At the end of this article, I’ve included a link to www.Townhome.Pro, where I’ve added links for your lawn, landscape, trees and garden. This website is dedicated exclusively for MHA members at this time.
Let’s get started!
“Da Lawn”
We’ll start with the lawn. It’s very important to have a thick, healthy lawn. Why? My daughter plays soccer and I shudder everytime she gets knocked down. (I never cheer when she knocks someone else down.) When kids play on your lawn, or when elderly residents walk in it, a thick lawn protects their skin and joints. A thick lawn also prevents weeds from coming up, reducing the need for pesticides. So, what can we do in the spring to get there?
First, write down your thoughts about last years’ turf. What improvements would you like to have seen? Then “spring” into action. If you have a lawn contractor, discuss fertilization options with him/her. Are they applying 2-3 pounds of Nitrogen per year? Nitrogen has a direct relationship to the color of the lawn. If the lawn isn’t thick and green, ask them to do a soil test, or you can do one using the easy instuctions on the website. (Cost $15.00 plus postage) Do they use slow release or fast release fertilizer? Quick release fertilizers give the lawn a quick greenup and are cheaper, but they lose their color after 2-4 weeks. If you’re getting 3 applications per year, with normal release fert, you get 4 weeks of food and rapid growth followed by 4 weeks of partial starvation. Using slow release feeds gradually, and keeps the lawn growing at a more regular pace. Ask your contractor if he likes double cutting and bagging grass clippings, if he says yes, I owe you a $5.00 gift certificate to Caribou Coffee. When he says no, tell him that using slow release will cut down on rapid flush growth, and cut down the need for a lot of extra labor. Everybody wins!
There is bound to be some winter salt or plow damage too. These areas need to be seeded or sodded right away. I recommend bringing black dirt in if needed and if using seed, use blends, such as kentucky bluegrass and perennial rye for sunny areas, and fine fescue, perennial rye and bluegrass for shady areas. If seeding, expect weeds. Crabgrass control can’t be applied to these areas unless you use Siduron (Tupersan), but broadleaf controls can be used after the seeded area is mowed twice. Seed or Sod, water a couple of times per day for short periods of time.
Steve Hoogenakker provides a solid, common sense approach to solving problems and answering questions relating to business management, leadership, consumer loan products and landscape and lawn problems and solutions. Steve has 20 years in the landscaping and leadership field. He can be reached by email at Steve@Landscape.Pro. Steve Hoogenakker, MHA, CAI, CIC Midwest, MNLA, PLANET, MTGF, Showcase Landscape, Minnesota, Delano Steve loves his wife Teri Hoogenakker and their kids, Paul Hoogenakker, Kirsten Hoogenakker and Gerrit Hoogenakker very much.
Publisher’s Directions: This article may be freely distributed so long as the copyright, author’s information, disclaimer, and an active link (where possible) are included. Disclaimer: Statements and opinions expressed in the articles, reviews and other materials herein are those of the authors. While every care has been taken in the compilation of this information and every attempt made to present up-to-date and accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. Steve Hoogenakker will not be held responsible for any claim, loss, damage or inconvenience caused as a result of any information within these pages or any information accessed through this site.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Primitive Instincts of Landscape management
The Primal Instincts of Landscape Management
Mastering Skills in Personal Relationships
98% of conversations are positive & can provide for a sharing of ideas that are neutral or that improve our lives. The few conversations that are emotionally charged or serious will have the biggest impact on our lives. In this article, I hope to give you the understanding to change your life by being your best at these critical moments.
Honing & perfecting your relationship skills is probably the most important skill you’ll ever learn and one you can use every day of the rest of your life.
Let’s discuss Primal Instincts and what happens when we get into a critical conversation with others.
Let’s take the example of deciding on a new irrigation division inside our company.
A critical conversation happens when 3 things are present:
1) Stakes are High – The division can generate millions of dollars over it’s lifetime
2) Emotions run strong – Your operations people are strongly against it, your salespeople for it.
3) There are differences in opinions Sales dept. says the customers are demanding it, we might lose clients to competitors plus loss of revenue (and commission). Ops dept. says we are barely keeping up with present needs.
A critical conversation can occur spontaneously and catch us off guard. When we’re under pressure, such as from an argument, our body pumps adrenaline. We didn’t ask our body to do this, but it’s hard wired into our system. Blood is sent coursing to arms and legs to fight or flee, and our higher reasoning centers are starved. We are then forced to think on our feet with the brain equivalent of a potentilla and we’re stuck with the consequences. In our doped up, dumbed down state, when we need our intelligence most, we’re at our worst. Add to that our learned response from watching just a few Jerry Springer shows and we can be in trouble.
OK, it’s important to understand what is happening to us during this critical conversation. but even more importantly; we’re learning the skills to know what’s happening with the other people in the conversation.
We have 3 choices when faced with an important conversation.
Ignore the problem, go silent and hope it goes away
Deal with the problem poorly
Deal with the problem well.
HOW DO WE HANDLE THIS PRIMAL RESPONSE?
We apply the most basic of primal reactions: WE CREATE SAFETY!
Safety short circuits the primal response. Make people feel safe in the conversation. This means safe in expressing their true feelings or thoughts, even if they are angry. You might have to work hard to draw the thoughts out. This allows people to contribute to the conversation, and keeps their adrenal glands in check.
If we don’t provide safety, then an individual WILL provide their own safety by clamming up and going to silence, or they’ll resort to verbal violence as another defense for personal safety. This ONE skill will improve your personal and professional life and pay for your membership to MNLA.
We create safety by following a few simple principles.
1. Check your motives at the door. Ideally, you should already know what you want out of the relationship or conversation. So start with heart. Stick with what’s important. In a heated conversation, you might subconsciously want to be sarcastic, humiliate them or put them in their place, especially if they attack you first. If you start to feel this way, take a breath and remember what’s most important.
2. Stay Focused. Crucial conversations have a way of taking us off of our game. “Once we name the game, we can stop playing it.” If our goal is to “Keep clients happy, provide services that can meet our high standards and make a profit”, then that’s the name of the game. It isn’t “promote me to Jerry’s job”, or “the rainy weather prevents me from doing that” While those might apply, they are NOT the name of the game. They are primal instinctive defenses, suckers choices and somewhat off topic.
3. Most importantly, Create safety for the other individual, even if they don’t “deserve” it.
A master landscaper starts a critical conversation by creating a dialogue with
1. A clear goal
2. Honest motives.
Then, he/she:
Watches the conversation
Thinks about their own style of conversation and what their own body is doing
Remember what’s important
Stays Focused
Stops problems BEFORE they become BIG problems.
If we find we’re starting to slip out of dialogue, we can get back in the game by asking 4 questions:
What do I want for myself
What do I want for others,
What do I want for the relationship, and my favorite question;
How would I behave if I really wanted these results?
THE SHARED POOL OF MEANING
A skilled professional will find a way to get the free flow of relevant information out into the open, It’s the principle of the “Shared Pool of Meaning”. This is the synergistic pool of ideas and feelings of the entire group Getting ideas into the “pool” have 3 major benefits:
The larger the Pool, the better the decisions.
The time you spend up front is more than made up by faster, more committed action later on.
People who don’t get their ideas into the pool are rarely committed to the solution & silently criticize the decisions. People that have at least a small part of the decision will work to make it succeed.
We aren’t saying we want a consensus opinion, or that the landscape company owner doesn’t make the final decision. Whoever makes the decision will benefit by having the most information available.
As a matter of fact, a good idea is to state up front that there will be 2 phases to the conversation. First, a Discussion or Dialogue phase where all of the ideas are added to the pool of meaning. Second, after all ideas are shared, discussion is shut off and the Decision phase begins with decisions made by whoever is in charge.
Using these skills will make you a better communicator and leader in the Green industry. It will give you insights into others that you never would have received any other way. It will help you to listen and respect others in ways that 99% of the rest of the population will never truly understand
Steve Hoogenakker
Showcase Landscape
Steve Hoogenakker has 20 years in the landscaping and leadership field. He can be reached by email at Steve@Landscape.Pro. Much of this information can be found in the excellent book, Crucial Conversations.
Steve Hoogenakker, MHA, CAI, CIC Midwest, MNLA, PLANET, MTFG, Showcase Landscape
Mastering Skills in Personal Relationships
98% of conversations are positive & can provide for a sharing of ideas that are neutral or that improve our lives. The few conversations that are emotionally charged or serious will have the biggest impact on our lives. In this article, I hope to give you the understanding to change your life by being your best at these critical moments.
Honing & perfecting your relationship skills is probably the most important skill you’ll ever learn and one you can use every day of the rest of your life.
Let’s discuss Primal Instincts and what happens when we get into a critical conversation with others.
Let’s take the example of deciding on a new irrigation division inside our company.
A critical conversation happens when 3 things are present:
1) Stakes are High – The division can generate millions of dollars over it’s lifetime
2) Emotions run strong – Your operations people are strongly against it, your salespeople for it.
3) There are differences in opinions Sales dept. says the customers are demanding it, we might lose clients to competitors plus loss of revenue (and commission). Ops dept. says we are barely keeping up with present needs.
A critical conversation can occur spontaneously and catch us off guard. When we’re under pressure, such as from an argument, our body pumps adrenaline. We didn’t ask our body to do this, but it’s hard wired into our system. Blood is sent coursing to arms and legs to fight or flee, and our higher reasoning centers are starved. We are then forced to think on our feet with the brain equivalent of a potentilla and we’re stuck with the consequences. In our doped up, dumbed down state, when we need our intelligence most, we’re at our worst. Add to that our learned response from watching just a few Jerry Springer shows and we can be in trouble.
OK, it’s important to understand what is happening to us during this critical conversation. but even more importantly; we’re learning the skills to know what’s happening with the other people in the conversation.
We have 3 choices when faced with an important conversation.
Ignore the problem, go silent and hope it goes away
Deal with the problem poorly
Deal with the problem well.
HOW DO WE HANDLE THIS PRIMAL RESPONSE?
We apply the most basic of primal reactions: WE CREATE SAFETY!
Safety short circuits the primal response. Make people feel safe in the conversation. This means safe in expressing their true feelings or thoughts, even if they are angry. You might have to work hard to draw the thoughts out. This allows people to contribute to the conversation, and keeps their adrenal glands in check.
If we don’t provide safety, then an individual WILL provide their own safety by clamming up and going to silence, or they’ll resort to verbal violence as another defense for personal safety. This ONE skill will improve your personal and professional life and pay for your membership to MNLA.
We create safety by following a few simple principles.
1. Check your motives at the door. Ideally, you should already know what you want out of the relationship or conversation. So start with heart. Stick with what’s important. In a heated conversation, you might subconsciously want to be sarcastic, humiliate them or put them in their place, especially if they attack you first. If you start to feel this way, take a breath and remember what’s most important.
2. Stay Focused. Crucial conversations have a way of taking us off of our game. “Once we name the game, we can stop playing it.” If our goal is to “Keep clients happy, provide services that can meet our high standards and make a profit”, then that’s the name of the game. It isn’t “promote me to Jerry’s job”, or “the rainy weather prevents me from doing that” While those might apply, they are NOT the name of the game. They are primal instinctive defenses, suckers choices and somewhat off topic.
3. Most importantly, Create safety for the other individual, even if they don’t “deserve” it.
A master landscaper starts a critical conversation by creating a dialogue with
1. A clear goal
2. Honest motives.
Then, he/she:
Watches the conversation
Thinks about their own style of conversation and what their own body is doing
Remember what’s important
Stays Focused
Stops problems BEFORE they become BIG problems.
If we find we’re starting to slip out of dialogue, we can get back in the game by asking 4 questions:
What do I want for myself
What do I want for others,
What do I want for the relationship, and my favorite question;
How would I behave if I really wanted these results?
THE SHARED POOL OF MEANING
A skilled professional will find a way to get the free flow of relevant information out into the open, It’s the principle of the “Shared Pool of Meaning”. This is the synergistic pool of ideas and feelings of the entire group Getting ideas into the “pool” have 3 major benefits:
The larger the Pool, the better the decisions.
The time you spend up front is more than made up by faster, more committed action later on.
People who don’t get their ideas into the pool are rarely committed to the solution & silently criticize the decisions. People that have at least a small part of the decision will work to make it succeed.
We aren’t saying we want a consensus opinion, or that the landscape company owner doesn’t make the final decision. Whoever makes the decision will benefit by having the most information available.
As a matter of fact, a good idea is to state up front that there will be 2 phases to the conversation. First, a Discussion or Dialogue phase where all of the ideas are added to the pool of meaning. Second, after all ideas are shared, discussion is shut off and the Decision phase begins with decisions made by whoever is in charge.
Using these skills will make you a better communicator and leader in the Green industry. It will give you insights into others that you never would have received any other way. It will help you to listen and respect others in ways that 99% of the rest of the population will never truly understand
Steve Hoogenakker
Showcase Landscape
Steve Hoogenakker has 20 years in the landscaping and leadership field. He can be reached by email at Steve@Landscape.Pro. Much of this information can be found in the excellent book, Crucial Conversations.
Steve Hoogenakker, MHA, CAI, CIC Midwest, MNLA, PLANET, MTFG, Showcase Landscape
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