Jeff McManus's Blog, page 7

Bringing the Energy to Your Team

Ever wonder why some organizations seem to excel, no matter what challenges they face? What gives them that extra edge? In my experience, it’s not about luck or good fortune. It’s about having a clear vision and consistently working toward it. When you wake up every day with a purpose, your effort generates momentum. The energy you invest comes back to you even stronger.

Jim Rohn said it best: “Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day.”

This idea applies t...

Better with Regret

In my book Cultivate, I tell the story of Pete. Pete was not always a model employee. To quote Pete: “The first time I worked here three years ago, I acted like a spoiled brat. I complained, I moaned, I criticized and grumbled almost every day. I kept thinking everybody owed me something. So, I quit here and went to work across town pouring concrete, making really good money.”  The next job did not work out any better, and he was let go because he had an attitude problem that he did not see as a...

Dealing with Drama in the Workplace

Why don’t you ever see top organizations talking about their in-house drama? Perhaps they hire people who don’t have the temperament for drama and therefore they have employees who don’t “do” drama. Or perhaps these organizations are intentionally developing a work culture that is strong and focuses on the vision, mission, and values of the organization.

But what happens when you do have it for whatever reason? Maybe you inherited it. Any way you get it, you can’t ignore it. You must address ...

THE 5 F’s of Frontline Leadership

Frontline leaders manage over 80% of the overall workforce. Finding yourself promoted to a frontline leadership role means you are now managing the people who deliver for the company. How you lead your team will determine, to a significant extent, the success of the organization.

When managing the frontline, it is handy to have these 5 F’s as your framework for leadership:

Fair: Be fair and don’t play favorites. Lead with clear expectations. Let each employee prove themselves capable in do...

Growing a Successful Front-Line

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.”

~Benjamin Franklin

What do you want your front-line leaders to know? Have you told them? Have you taught them? More importantly, have you worked with them?

Recently, I spoke to a group of leaders about the role of the Foreman in our work and what working as a Foreman in the field involves. I did some research with current Landscape Branch Managers and Operations Managers on what they needed from a Foreman.

T...

Momentum

The word momentum isn’t used very often by the service industry. But this week I was a small part of an exciting Leader 2 Leader session with two separate groups of landscape employees. The meat of the class was watching a video on Momentum, and we discussed what momentum is, why it is important, and how to make it or lose it in the workplace.

For a group of landscapers, momentum, or the strength of force, is a result of motivation, excitement, and engagement, resulting in high productivity. ...

Courage to Lead

A young mom, Sheila, took her only little girl to her first day of school. Her young daughter, naturally nervous, became scared and frightened at the thought of her mom leaving her. She cried and clung tightly to her mom’s leg. Leaving her daughter at school that first day took courage from them both. But Sheila remembered the things she had done in her own life that were scary … that she didn’t want to do … but in the end, were worth it. Things like going off to college and being on her own for...

The Power of Observation

I asked a group of landscape leaders how observation had played a role in their success today. Here is what they said:

Intentional and deliberate communication: “I learned to slow down when I spoke to my bosses and team. I observed how my bosses took time to communicate deliberately and intentionally each time they spoke to me. That is powerful.” Leaders lose the opportunity to instruct others when they fail to thoughtfully and exactly communicate – be it goals, instructions, praise or corre...

Find What You’re Looking For

A few weeks ago, I was speaking to an audience of high-end landscape owners and leaders focusing on leadership growth and personal development. I discussed how each of us define our world by what we look for and expect to see. We can all learn something new and valuable, simply by watching/listening to someone other than ourselves.

As an example, I used Chick-fil-A. They do not compare themselves with other quick service companies. The CFA experience is different, so the founder, Truett Cathy...

Mentoring = Growing

I have been working on a course about mentoring for our team. I am designing the course to assist our current team members in developing new employees and student workers, while increasing growth and engagement for our existing front-line employees and supervisors.

One staff member told me that he sees his mentoring role as his main contribution to our team. When asked “Why?” he said, “I may be training someone who goes on to change the world. You never know who you are training and where the...