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Effective Delegation

by | Aug 27, 2018 | Employee Management | 0 comments

Effective Delegation

Delegation. A simple concept that is extremely difficult for some, especially for a business owner of a growing tree care company. Perhaps the definition of the word can help those out? Merriam-Webster defines delegation as; the act of empowering to act for another. True leaders do not merely pass off work that they do not want to. They inspire and empower their team to perform tasks that help achieve the overall mission of the organization. Below are my five tips to successful delegation.

 

Understand Your Value to Your Team – As the owner, you obviously have the ultimate responsibility to make sure the business stays afloat and remains profitable. Unfortunately, many times the pressure to keep the doors open makes you think you should be doing everything for the company because no one knows your business quite like you do. Naturally you push yourself into tasks that you are not qualified or passionate about and it has a ripple effect on your organization. The best leaders understand what their value is to the team. Where is your time best spent for the greatest benefit to the entire organization? Take account of your skills and passions. Pay attention to what really gets you excited and remind yourself why you wanted to be an owner. Are you great with numbers and setting goals or is the physical work more to your liking? What value do you add to the organization above and beyond others? I have seen many successful tree care companies where the owner is still in production because his or her passion lies in proper tree care versus the paperwork and management side of things. Define your role for your team so that you can delegate the rest of the tasks.

 

Utilize Your Team Member’s Strengths – Effective delegation occurs when duties are shifted to the appropriate team member. Build your team with people that have the strengths that you need in your organization. Confirm those strengths with each individual so you know that they are on the same page with you. There are plenty of production arborists who are natural sales people. If sales is an area of weakness for you, explore transferring that role to them instead of struggling along just because you are the owner. There will be some training necessary when delegating any task or responsibility so be open and willing to commit to teaching those skills and knowledge to your team.

 

Begin With the Why – Everyone wants to know what’s in it for them. If you are delegating more work to your team, give them the reasons why early and often. If your team members feel they are having work dumped on them without knowing why the morale of your team will suffer dramatically.

 

Inspire Your Team – When people understand why they have been assigned a new task they can accept that extra obligation. However, to truly be a top level delegator, you must inspire your team at the same time. Every one of your team members will find inspiration a little differently. Think about why the goals of the organization would be meaningful to every individual. What do they get excited about? Why did they join your company? Parlay that knowledge of your team members to motivate them not only to accept the task being delegated, but to get them to reach out for more responsibility.

 

Trust Your Team and They Will Trust You – This should go without saying, but when you delegate a task it is imperative that you trust your team to accomplish it. Checking in on the progress of the task, especially if it is new to them, is good to do, however, avoid the most common mistake with delegation; micro-managing. No one wants an assignment handed to them only to be told exactly how to do it. Learning to trust that your team will get the work done can be challenging for some owners. There will most likely be some small mistakes and the outcome of the task may not look exactly like it would have if you did it, however, if you stomp your feet and get upset you can guarantee that you will lose the trust of your employees. Once that is gone, it will take a long time to get it back.

 

Delegation is such a critical part of running a successful business and fortunately it is a skill that can be learned and developed. Use these five tips to begin to consciously think about delegation within your organization and how you can improve on it.

Written by: Eric Petersen

How Do I Get to The Next Level?

by | Aug 27, 2018 | Business Strategy | 0 comments

How Do I Get To The Next Level?

Written By Eric Petersen, CIC

 So you’ve done what everyone has told you to do to get your business to this point. You’re proud of what you’ve accomplished but you still find yourself looking for more. What’s the next step? How can I really take my business to the next level? Well, unfortunately, there isn’t a magic wand to help you elevate your business. Getting over the edge takes more discipline and team work than what you relied on to get to this point.

Below are my eight tips for taking your business to the next level!

1. Clarify Your Vision – Where do you want to be? What is the vision for the business? By now you know what is possible within the tree care industry. You’ve met successful owners and you know what works for your company, so now is the time to create the specific vision of your company. Be detailed in your description of what your company will look like in 3, 5 and 10 years. Write it down so you can look back on it at least every six months to check your progress. The next level will look different for every company, the fun part is you get to decide what it means for your organization.

2. Create the Plan with Stretch Goals – Once you know where you are heading, figure out the goals that will get you there. Make sure the majority of your goals are attainable yet push you to make them happen. For our agency, our primary goal for 2022 is to grow by 22% (22% in ’22 – get it?). It is a number that we have never hit before but since we’ve laid the foundation in the previous years it is attainable while making us stretch for it. Again, being specific on how you will achieve each goal is critical.

3. The Customer Experience is King – If you haven’t looked at what kind of customer experience you and your team are providing for your customers you must commit to fully engage in that process. Your current customers are the best source of referrals and repeat business so ensuring that they have the best possible experience with your team is a must. Check out our article on “Reviving the Customer Experience” for help on how to transform your customer service.

4. Commit to Continuous Learning – You probably already do this, but never stop learning. I’m not talking about just the formal seminars and continuing education classes required to keep up your credentials. Those are important, but more so are the conversations that you have with other business owners that have made it through the challenges that you are facing. Attending the TCIA’s Winter Management Conference and Executive Arborist Workshop will get you in the same room as those who you can learn from. When attending these events, make sure to ask direct questions to others so you can walk away with ideas for your business.

5. Teamwork – You must share your vision with your team and create a team first culture where everyone wants to win together. Proper delegation of responsibilities is key to allowing everyone to feel part of something larger than their job. When everyone knows their role in achieving greatness for the whole organization, the entire company will take off.

6. Evaluate and Adjust – Let’s face it, you won’t get everything right the first time. Expect to need to make adjustments to your process and slight variances from your goals. I suggest to at a minimum review your annual goals at the halfway point each year so there is still time to make changes so you can achieve the goals you set out at the start of the year.

7. Embrace and Live the Plan – This is probably the most challenging one on the list because it takes a lot of self discipline, but live each day with purpose to accomplish what you need to that day. Life happens and interruptions are part of it, but when you continually refocus yourself on the overall vision you will be amazed at what you can accomplish for your company.

8. Believe in Yourself and Your Team – All great leaders believe in themselves and their team. They are confident that together the right answer will pop up and solutions to challenges will be overcome. You have to provide that strength from the top as the owner so that everyone feels proud and excited to be part of a thriving company. If you are struggling with this, just look back over the past year and jot down all of the hurdles your organization has overcame. Share this with the team and everyone will quickly be reminded of how far your organization has come in a short bit of time. This should reinvigorate you and your team to push to that next level.

Of course, make sure you are applying your ‘Why’ to each of these steps. When you have a purpose deeply engrained within an organization, your need for the magic wand disappears and your company will take off to the next level.

Need more help taking your business and team to the next level? Contact ArboRisk to learn more about our Thrive New Heights Package! This package will give you one-on-one consulting to improve company culture and beliefs, role responsibilities and job descriptions, safety and training program creation or updates, and sales and marketing. 

What is Your Why?

by | Aug 27, 2018 | Business Strategy | 0 comments

What Is Your Why?

One of my favorite movie quotes of all time comes from Uncle Ben to a young impressionable Peter Parker (Spiderman) “With great power comes great responsibility”. It resonates with me because we all have something that can help make the world a little better. A special skill or certain knowledge, to Uncle Ben that was power, however, most of the time we don’t share that with others. I believe that when we realize our gift and how that can help others, we then have a responsibility to help improve the world around us. And when we begin to do this, the return in our own lives is staggering.

 Obviously as an arborist you are not catching bad guys and throwing them in prison, or taking drugs off the street or saving the world from a tragic ending, but you are helping the world improve. In fact another one of my favorite quotes is from Jim Skiera, former ISA Executive Director, “make the world a better place one tree at a time”. I know your company does that every day in various ways. Whether that is by proper pruning or chemical applications or through consulting with your customers on their trees, your team is making improvements in the landscape, but do they know why? For me, our insurance agency has the ability to help save lives, prevent injuries and protect businesses from financial hardship. Our why is simply to make sure we do whatever we can to ensure each employee gets home safe every night and has a job waiting for them to come back to the next day.

 So what is your why? Why do you do what you do?

 If you haven’t defined the why for yourself, use the questions below to jumpstart your thought process. Begin thinking about your personal life, then answer each question from your organization’s viewpoint. Lastly, challenge your team to find their own personal whys and how they fit into the company’s purpose.

 What gets you excited to wake up in the morning?

 What are your innate strengths?

 Where can you add the greatest value?

 How do you measure success in your life?

 Unfortunately, the why so often gets lost in the how. How are we going to grow our business? How are we going to get all of the work done? How will I find my next great employee? If you are able to focus on the why, the answers about the how come along naturally.

 You will attract better employees and customers, people that believe in the same values that you and your company believe in. It will elevate all aspects of your organization and set you apart from your competition. You will see greater results and subsequently you will be much more fulfilled along the way.

Just like Uncle Ben said, you, as the owner, have the power and responsibility to lead your business to great things, positively influencing many people along the way.

 

Written by: Eric Petersen

Gain Customers Without Having to Sell: Content Marketing Part 2

by | Aug 27, 2018 | Business Strategy | 0 comments

Gain Customers Without having to sell: Content Marketing Part 2

In my last tip, I introduced the concept of Content Marketing. In case you missed it, you can read it here. Today, I’m going to give you the framework to set up a successful Content Marketing campaign.

Target Audience – Define your target audience. Who are you trying to help with your content and how will you help them in a way that no one else is? Make sure that you get specific enough to know what your target audience values and where they get their information from. Brainstorming sessions with your team members are the easiest way to define your target audience. A word of caution with brainstorming sessions; appoint someone to facilitate the conversation and ensure that the group remains on task not veering off into a different direction.


Type of Content – After you know who you are targeting and where they learn about things. Determine what type of content your target audience consumes as well as what type of content your team can produce. Start with whatever is easiest for your team. It may be small videos from the field explaining situations or problems that you typically run into or it may be in a written blog format like this post. Whatever it is, don’t try to do too much at first. It is best to get good at one type of content before adding others to the mix. Which leads me to my next point.


Consistency – Content Marketing thrives on consistency. Whichever type of content you are delivering, make sure you are doing it on a regular basis. Your audience will come to expect the information that you are putting out there and will be disappointed if they don’t receive it. Not every piece of content will be relevant to everyone and that’s okay, it is more important to be consistent in your production of the information.


Champion – Lastly, who will be your Chief Content Officer? This does not have to be a formal position with a pay raise and all, but simply someone that is in charge of the content that gets sent out. This person shouldn’t be the only one that is creating all of the content, just the last person to review it so that the messaging is similar across all pieces of content.
Once you have your basic Content Marketing campaign strategy in place, it is time to actually start creating the content. I recently attended a seminar session from Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion. In his presentation he gave us the five areas that you need to address within your content.

Cost/price questions – Explain the range of costs for typical tree care services and what factors play a role in determining the final cost.


Problems/issue questions – What are the most frequently asked questions from your customers? Create content aimed at solving your target audience’s problems. Two examples may be: Why are the leaves on my trees turning yellow? Or how do I know my tree is safe?


Comparison questions – Help your audience determine what the best choice for their situation is by giving them the honest advice about the options to their issue. Example: How to minimize the impact of Emerald Ash Borer; give them information on treating the trees versus the cost to remove and replant.


“Best of” Lists – Many internet searches start with “what is the best…”. Create a list of topics that you can write on including; best trees for backyard shade, best practices for hiring a tree service, best tree services in my area, etc. Yes, you read that right, “what are the best tree services in my area” should be a content piece that you produce. By highlighting a few other professional tree care companies in your area you actually prove that you have the customer’s best interest at heart and more times than not, they’ll call you to do the work because of your openness.


By installing the principles of Content Marketing and committing to the process, you will gain new customers without having to sell them.

Written by: Eric Petersen

Your Employees are the Best Machines You Have

by | Aug 27, 2018 | Safety | 0 comments

Your Employees Are The Best Machines You Have

Every tree care business owner wants to prevent injuries, however, with so many variables that arborists face, how does one actually do so? I recently asked Dr. Amanda Carpenter of CORErgonomic Solutions out of Warrensburg, NY that question. Amanda, a doctor of physical therapy, a Certified Professional Trainer and frequent speaker at TCIA and ISA events, shared with me her insight on what an employer can do to help prevent injuries and promote a healthy workplace.

 

Q – What role does the employer play in preventing injuries and providing a healthy workplace?

 

I believe that injury prevention is a shared responsibility between the employer and employee. It is the employer’s responsibility to provide a safe work environment, while it is the employee’s responsibility to engage in safe work practices and to keep their body in working order. The employer can be a partner in improving the employee’s health, by encouraging healthy behaviors and practices, while allowing time for employees to engage in health practices such as taking hydration breaks, allowing adequate time for lunch, and encouraging job task rotation. Employers can create a culture of health, similar to that of creating a culture of safety, which can also increase morale and productivity.

 

Q – What are the top 3 ways that employers can do to eliminate injuries to their employees?

 

Create a culture of safety with an emphasis on safety over productivity. Ensuring the employee knows that the employer values their health and safety over productivity.
Provide education on how the employees can maintain their health to reduce their injury risk.
Encourage and reward healthy lifestyle practices such as proper hydration, a whole foods diet and adequate rest and sleep.

Q – How effective are pre-employment performance evaluations at identifying a potential work-related injury?

 

It depends on the quality of the performance evaluation. The majority of performance evaluations assess biomechanics and pre-existing injuries of the musculoskeletal system alone. However, poor health habits such as a high processed food diet, smoking, inadequate hydration, and the absence of adequate high-quality sleep can provide a higher injury risk than a pre-existing injury and faulty biomechanics. I believe we can get a good idea about health habits and risk through the interview process, by asking about hobbies, for example: “Here at ABC Tree Care, we value the health of our employees and encourage healthy habits on the job; do you have any health practices that you engage in?” “What do you like to do with your free time?”

 

Q – How does a company begin to institute an employee wellness program?

 

Begin by education from a credible, respected source. Then encourage healthy lifestyle practices. It only takes a few employees who take their health seriously and begin to feel better and have more energy to peak the interest of others. Energy is contagious.

 

Q – How should an employer manage an aging arborist to prevent injuries?

 

Injury risk is not necessarily associated with age. A 60 y/o that takes good care of themselves can be less of an injury risk than a 25 y/o who engages in poor health habits and risky behaviors.

 

Q – Are there injury trends that you see in the tree care industry?

 

The most common orthopedic injuries that I see are shoulder, knee and low back injuries. However, metabolic issues, such as pre-diabetes and diabetes are on the rise and contributing to work related musculoskeletal disorders because elevated blood sugars effect soft tissue viability. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 50% of diabetes cases have not yet been diagnosed. I believe this is creating a rise in work related musculoskeletal disorders.

 

Q – What advice would you give to a growing company to establish a healthy workforce?

 

Invest in the health of your employees, they are the best machinery you can buy.

 

Written by: Eric Petersen