WEBVTT

00:00:22.699 --> 00:00:27.420
Welcome back to another episode of the lawn hustle.

00:00:30.089 --> 00:00:34.969
I have been doing a series of podcasts that I

00:00:34.969 --> 00:00:42.549
have titled the CEO Series. The first episode

00:00:42.549 --> 00:00:49.210
we did, we talked about hiring, hiring people

00:00:49.210 --> 00:00:56.969
that want to stay. The next episode we talked

00:00:56.969 --> 00:01:06.370
about pricing. get paid what you are worth. Then

00:01:06.370 --> 00:01:08.829
we talked about delegation because you can't

00:01:08.829 --> 00:01:13.590
do it all. If you're trying to scale your business.

00:01:15.670 --> 00:01:18.829
And then last week, we talked about systems that

00:01:18.829 --> 00:01:26.069
create consistency. In this final episode of

00:01:26.069 --> 00:01:32.269
the CEO series, we want to talk about leadership.

00:01:36.650 --> 00:01:42.790
So I welcome you back to the Lawn Hustle, the

00:01:42.790 --> 00:01:46.849
podcast where we talk about building better businesses,

00:01:48.709 --> 00:01:54.269
becoming better leaders, and taking the green

00:01:54.269 --> 00:02:07.310
industry to the next level. Leadership. Everything

00:02:07.310 --> 00:02:18.050
rises and falls on leadership. If you think you're

00:02:18.050 --> 00:02:23.530
a leader and nobody's following you, you're just

00:02:23.530 --> 00:02:29.509
taking a walk. So we want to talk about the importance

00:02:29.509 --> 00:02:40.849
of being a leader in your business. I'm not talking

00:02:40.849 --> 00:02:47.289
about being the boss. Not talking about having

00:02:47.289 --> 00:02:51.210
your name on the truck. Not being the person

00:02:51.210 --> 00:02:58.590
who makes every decision. I'm talking about real

00:02:58.590 --> 00:03:06.039
leadership. Because there is a difference between

00:03:06.039 --> 00:03:14.199
owning a business and leading a business. Anybody

00:03:14.199 --> 00:03:18.939
can buy a mower and a trailer and own a business.

00:03:20.719 --> 00:03:28.060
But not everyone is leading their business. And

00:03:28.060 --> 00:03:33.580
that makes the difference. If you want to build

00:03:33.580 --> 00:03:37.840
a company that lasts, not just a business that

00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:44.259
keeps you busy, you have to learn how to lead.

00:03:47.039 --> 00:03:49.639
Today we're going to talk about three things.

00:03:50.000 --> 00:04:03.689
Number one, lead with purpose. Number two, Number

00:04:03.689 --> 00:04:12.550
three, build a business that lasts. So let's

00:04:12.550 --> 00:04:19.730
get into it. Let's start with purpose. Because

00:04:19.730 --> 00:04:25.870
leadership starts with knowing where you're going

00:04:25.870 --> 00:04:34.589
and why you're going there. A lawn care business

00:04:34.589 --> 00:04:39.730
starts because people love working outdoors.

00:04:41.350 --> 00:04:48.750
Or they like mowing. They like landscaping. Building

00:04:48.750 --> 00:04:54.810
things. Maybe they wanted more freedom. Maybe

00:04:54.810 --> 00:04:59.870
they wanted to work for themselves. And there's

00:04:59.870 --> 00:05:04.220
nothing wrong with that. But eventually, your

00:05:04.220 --> 00:05:10.720
business gets bigger. You hire people. You add

00:05:10.720 --> 00:05:16.959
clients. You buy more equipment. You have more

00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:23.060
expenses. You have more problems. And suddenly

00:05:23.060 --> 00:05:28.019
you realize you can't be the person doing everything

00:05:28.019 --> 00:05:33.600
anymore. That's where leadership becomes critical.

00:05:35.319 --> 00:05:45.120
Your team needs you to know where you are going.

00:05:47.800 --> 00:05:54.939
What do we stand for? What does success look

00:05:54.939 --> 00:06:02.120
like? And most importantly, Why does what we

00:06:02.120 --> 00:06:08.560
do matter? Because your employees aren't just

00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:12.699
showing up to mow grass. They're representing

00:06:12.699 --> 00:06:19.600
your company. They're interacting with your clients.

00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:26.779
They're driving your equipment. They're making

00:06:26.779 --> 00:06:32.740
decisions when you're not around. And if you

00:06:32.740 --> 00:06:39.459
don't understand the mission, they're going to

00:06:39.459 --> 00:06:43.220
make decisions based on their own standards.

00:06:43.779 --> 00:06:51.459
And that's dangerous. Your job as a leader is

00:06:51.459 --> 00:07:02.069
to establish the standard. Your team will follow

00:07:02.069 --> 00:07:07.850
your example. Here's something every business

00:07:07.850 --> 00:07:12.870
owner needs to understand. Your team is watching

00:07:12.870 --> 00:07:18.889
you. They're watching how you talk to customers.

00:07:20.629 --> 00:07:25.709
They're watching how you handle problems. They're

00:07:25.709 --> 00:07:33.680
watching if you are honest. How you react when

00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:38.199
something goes wrong. Whether you show up on

00:07:38.199 --> 00:07:46.019
time. Whether you keep your word. They're watching

00:07:46.019 --> 00:07:53.060
whether you take responsibility. You cannot demand

00:07:53.060 --> 00:08:01.709
professionalism from your team. when you act

00:08:01.709 --> 00:08:07.949
unprofessional. You can't demand accountability

00:08:07.949 --> 00:08:14.870
while you make excuses. You can't demand a great

00:08:14.870 --> 00:08:20.269
attitude while you are constantly complaining.

00:08:21.910 --> 00:08:27.790
Leadership starts at the top. So if you want

00:08:27.790 --> 00:08:32.549
a team that communicates well, you communicate

00:08:32.549 --> 00:08:37.210
well. If you want a team that takes pride in

00:08:37.210 --> 00:08:44.549
their work, you take pride in your work. If you

00:08:44.549 --> 00:08:55.000
want a team that is dependable, Leadership isn't

00:08:55.000 --> 00:09:00.200
just telling people what to do. Leadership is

00:09:00.200 --> 00:09:08.860
showing people what good looks like. So you have

00:09:08.860 --> 00:09:17.659
to develop your team. Now let's talk about developing

00:09:17.659 --> 00:09:24.480
people. One of the biggest mistakes business

00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:29.759
owners make is hiring someone and expecting them

00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:37.960
to automatically know how to do the job. You

00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:43.120
hire somebody, you give them a mower, point them

00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:50.799
towards a property and say, go get it done. Then

00:09:50.799 --> 00:09:54.960
you're frustrated. when they don't meet your

00:09:54.960 --> 00:10:00.740
expectations. Here's the problem. You didn't

00:10:00.740 --> 00:10:07.720
train them. You didn't show them. You're not

00:10:07.720 --> 00:10:16.419
leading them. You gave them responsibility without

00:10:16.419 --> 00:10:23.649
them getting the tools they needed. to succeed.

00:10:25.590 --> 00:10:29.990
If you want a better team, you have to develop

00:10:29.990 --> 00:10:37.710
your people. Teach them. Coach them. Correct

00:10:37.710 --> 00:10:45.529
them. Encourage them. And then give them opportunities

00:10:45.529 --> 00:10:55.080
to grow. Don't just tell an employee, That's

00:10:55.080 --> 00:11:02.679
wrong. Explain to them why it's wrong. Show them

00:11:02.679 --> 00:11:10.899
the correct way and let them do it. And then

00:11:10.899 --> 00:11:18.379
give them feedback. That's how people improve.

00:11:21.940 --> 00:11:25.220
We've already done a whole podcast series on

00:11:25.220 --> 00:11:30.360
delegation. But I want to hit on it briefly again

00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:40.860
today. Delegation is leadership. This connects

00:11:40.860 --> 00:11:50.220
directly to delegation. Being a good leader connects

00:11:50.220 --> 00:11:57.370
directly to delegation. As your business grows,

00:11:58.529 --> 00:12:01.490
you have to stop asking, how can I get all of

00:12:01.490 --> 00:12:06.350
this done? And you have to start asking, who

00:12:06.350 --> 00:12:13.809
can I develop to help me get this done? That's

00:12:13.809 --> 00:12:18.690
a completely different mindset. The goal isn't

00:12:18.690 --> 00:12:23.529
to create employees who constantly need you.

00:12:24.909 --> 00:12:27.570
The goal is to create people who can make good

00:12:27.570 --> 00:12:31.769
decisions without you standing over their shoulder.

00:12:33.809 --> 00:12:41.330
That, my friends, is leadership. Maybe someone

00:12:41.330 --> 00:12:46.210
starts as a mower. They become a crew leader.

00:12:47.389 --> 00:12:52.769
Then a field supervisor. Maybe an operations

00:12:52.769 --> 00:12:59.720
manager. That is development And here's a beautiful

00:12:59.720 --> 00:13:04.580
bit the beautiful part When you develop people

00:13:04.580 --> 00:13:10.539
You're not just building employees You're building

00:13:10.539 --> 00:13:23.220
future leaders Don't be afraid to let people

00:13:26.519 --> 00:13:30.980
Sometimes owners hold back because they're afraid

00:13:30.980 --> 00:13:36.600
that if I teach someone everything they know,

00:13:37.600 --> 00:13:43.259
that person might leave. But here's the way I

00:13:43.259 --> 00:13:51.639
look at it. What if you don't develop your employees

00:13:51.639 --> 00:13:59.600
and they stay? Don't be afraid if I train them

00:13:59.600 --> 00:14:02.799
and I teach them and I give them everything they

00:14:02.799 --> 00:14:07.259
need to succeed that they're going to leave my

00:14:07.259 --> 00:14:14.720
business because there's more danger in not training

00:14:14.720 --> 00:14:19.340
them and they stay because they are comfortable

00:14:19.340 --> 00:14:30.580
with no responsibility, no accountability. You

00:14:30.580 --> 00:14:32.799
could end up with an employee who's been with

00:14:32.799 --> 00:14:38.519
you for five years, but hasn't grown any. That's

00:14:38.519 --> 00:14:45.360
not leadership. You should want people around

00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:52.779
you to become better. Better workers, better

00:14:52.779 --> 00:14:59.019
communicators, better problem solvers, better

00:14:59.200 --> 00:15:05.019
leaders. And yes, sometimes people will eventually

00:15:05.019 --> 00:15:12.700
move on. I've lost a few great employees. That's

00:15:12.700 --> 00:15:19.179
just part of business. But if you create an environment

00:15:19.179 --> 00:15:27.039
where people can grow, learn and succeed, you're

00:15:27.039 --> 00:15:32.289
going to attract. better people because people

00:15:32.289 --> 00:15:37.370
want to work for a company that will train them,

00:15:37.669 --> 00:15:41.789
that will teach them, that will release them

00:15:41.789 --> 00:15:51.809
to do the job that needs to be done. Build a

00:15:51.809 --> 00:16:01.820
business that doesn't depend Now that's a big

00:16:01.820 --> 00:16:11.059
one. Build a business that lasts. Ask yourself

00:16:11.059 --> 00:16:18.539
this question. If I disappeared from the business

00:16:18.539 --> 00:16:24.460
for 30 days, what would happen? Would everything

00:16:24.460 --> 00:16:30.710
fall apart? Would customers start calling? Would

00:16:30.710 --> 00:16:36.909
nobody know what to do? Would employees constantly

00:16:36.909 --> 00:16:43.490
need answers? Would scheduling stop? Would estimates

00:16:43.490 --> 00:16:49.549
stop? Would money stop coming in? If the answer

00:16:49.549 --> 00:16:55.529
is yes, congratulations, you've built yourself

00:16:55.529 --> 00:17:01.759
a good job, but not a business. And there's really

00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:07.059
no shame in that. But if your goal is to build

00:17:07.059 --> 00:17:11.079
something bigger, you've got to change that.

00:17:12.519 --> 00:17:17.279
You need systems because systems create consistency.

00:17:18.420 --> 00:17:22.839
You need processes. How do you do what needs

00:17:22.839 --> 00:17:27.299
to be done? You need training because if you

00:17:27.299 --> 00:17:31.480
don't train them, they don't know what's in your

00:17:31.480 --> 00:17:37.680
head. That's why I said last week you need systems

00:17:37.680 --> 00:17:44.680
that are documented so it holds the employee

00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:51.539
accountable to the system. If they sign off on

00:17:51.539 --> 00:17:55.279
it, that they watch the mowing video or they

00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:59.819
watch the hedge trimming video. And then there's

00:17:59.819 --> 00:18:05.079
an issue when you call them in and not blast

00:18:05.079 --> 00:18:09.420
them out of the water, but you talk to them about

00:18:09.420 --> 00:18:15.500
the situation. You can say you signed off, that

00:18:15.500 --> 00:18:20.859
you watched this video. Now, what is there that

00:18:20.859 --> 00:18:25.519
I can do to help you understand how to do this

00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:34.869
better? That's leadership. You need communication.

00:18:38.369 --> 00:18:43.509
Your business needs to operate without you touching

00:18:43.509 --> 00:18:51.309
every single thing. Because eventually, your

00:18:51.309 --> 00:18:55.490
job as the owner shouldn't be to do everything.

00:18:55.980 --> 00:19:02.619
Your job should be to build the machine and let

00:19:02.619 --> 00:19:13.259
the machine function. Culture matters. It isn't

00:19:13.259 --> 00:19:16.619
something that you put on a poster in the office.

00:19:17.819 --> 00:19:20.740
Culture is what happens when you're not there.

00:19:24.589 --> 00:19:33.670
It's how your employees teach each other. It's

00:19:33.670 --> 00:19:38.569
how they treat customers. It's how they handle

00:19:38.569 --> 00:19:47.630
mistakes. It's how well they clean up after themselves.

00:19:49.589 --> 00:19:56.509
Whether they care about the property. they take

00:19:56.509 --> 00:20:04.130
ownership and here's the important part you don't

00:20:04.130 --> 00:20:12.529
create culture with words you create it with

00:20:12.529 --> 00:20:19.390
action we reinforce the behavior that you want

00:20:19.390 --> 00:20:30.039
you address the behavior that you don't Reinforce

00:20:30.039 --> 00:20:38.980
what you want. Address what you don't want. And

00:20:38.980 --> 00:20:45.539
consistently communicate your expectations. Because

00:20:45.539 --> 00:20:53.359
what you allow becomes the standard. Well, I

00:20:53.359 --> 00:20:58.319
don't feel like dealing with that today. You

00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:03.559
just changed the standard. I'll deal with him

00:21:03.559 --> 00:21:10.400
next week or deal with her tomorrow. You just

00:21:10.400 --> 00:21:16.160
accepted whatever it is that they've done. And

00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:23.720
now it's the standard. Because while you allow,

00:21:25.259 --> 00:21:31.720
becomes a standard operating procedure. Leadership

00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:38.779
requires accountability. Can I say that again?

00:21:39.579 --> 00:21:50.500
Leadership requires accountability. A good leader

00:21:50.500 --> 00:21:56.210
isn't somebody who avoids difficult conversations.

00:21:58.390 --> 00:22:04.369
A good leader has them. Sometimes they're hard.

00:22:07.109 --> 00:22:13.069
But you have to endure the hard things in order

00:22:13.069 --> 00:22:20.549
to enjoy the rewards of a well functioning operation.

00:22:24.049 --> 00:22:28.390
Sometimes you have to tell someone this isn't

00:22:28.390 --> 00:22:38.950
good enough. But accountability means that you're

00:22:38.950 --> 00:22:43.730
not trying to tear them down. You're trying to

00:22:43.730 --> 00:22:48.309
show them. You're trying to train them. You're

00:22:48.309 --> 00:22:55.319
trying to teach them. Accountability means you're

00:22:55.319 --> 00:23:01.079
holding people to a standard while helping them

00:23:01.079 --> 00:23:07.420
understand how to reach it. You can be firm without

00:23:07.420 --> 00:23:14.519
being disrespectful. You can disagree without

00:23:14.519 --> 00:23:22.099
being disagreeable. You can hold people accountable

00:23:24.299 --> 00:23:30.119
and still care about them. In fact, that's part

00:23:30.119 --> 00:23:34.759
of leadership. Because if you don't hold people

00:23:34.759 --> 00:23:48.619
accountable, everything becomes accepted. And

00:23:48.619 --> 00:23:53.599
eventually your best employee will start asking,

00:23:53.839 --> 00:24:00.259
Why am I working so hard when nobody else cares?

00:24:04.359 --> 00:24:08.680
And that's when culture begins to fall apart.

00:24:14.200 --> 00:24:20.319
Here's what I want you to think about. Don't

00:24:20.319 --> 00:24:27.759
build your business just for next. build it for

00:24:27.759 --> 00:24:33.799
the next five years. Build it for the next 10

00:24:33.799 --> 00:24:42.740
years. Build something that has value beyond

00:24:42.740 --> 00:24:52.440
you. A business that has strong relationships,

00:24:54.099 --> 00:25:00.279
strong systems, strong people, strong financials,

00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:04.900
and a strong reputation. That's a business that

00:25:04.900 --> 00:25:10.859
can last. And maybe someday your kids will be

00:25:10.859 --> 00:25:18.099
involved. Maybe you'll sell it. That is what

00:25:18.099 --> 00:25:25.849
I am trying to do. Build it so I can sell it.

00:25:25.910 --> 00:25:33.549
Scale it so I can sell it. I want to build my

00:25:33.549 --> 00:25:39.750
business beyond me so that it is still operating

00:25:39.750 --> 00:25:43.789
and functioning when I'm not in the picture.

00:25:46.529 --> 00:25:57.700
I'm 61 years old. Sooner rather than later, I'm

00:25:57.700 --> 00:26:06.859
going to retire. But 10 years from now, I still

00:26:06.859 --> 00:26:10.420
want professional lawn maintenance to be operating

00:26:10.420 --> 00:26:16.019
and functioning in a professional manner. Because

00:26:16.019 --> 00:26:20.680
I took time to lead. I took time to train. I

00:26:20.680 --> 00:26:24.309
took time to teach. I took time to invest in

00:26:24.309 --> 00:26:29.670
people and all that I've done is trying to build

00:26:29.670 --> 00:26:37.170
a business that is beyond me. It's bigger than

00:26:37.170 --> 00:26:48.490
me. Maybe someday you can pass it on to your

00:26:48.490 --> 00:26:57.839
son. Sell it. Pass it on to another leader. Maybe

00:26:57.839 --> 00:27:02.599
it becomes a company that employs dozens of people.

00:27:04.400 --> 00:27:10.579
Whatever your vision is, start building for that

00:27:10.579 --> 00:27:18.259
vision right now. Don't wait until you have everything

00:27:18.259 --> 00:27:22.470
together. You start putting little pieces together.

00:27:24.690 --> 00:27:28.049
It's all those little pieces that you put together

00:27:28.049 --> 00:27:39.369
that finalizes the big puzzle. So start building

00:27:39.369 --> 00:27:48.509
it right now. So here's the challenge this week.

00:27:50.250 --> 00:27:55.029
I want you to sit down with me with a piece of

00:27:55.029 --> 00:28:04.490
paper and answer five questions. Number one,

00:28:06.130 --> 00:28:13.029
where's my business going? Because if you don't

00:28:13.029 --> 00:28:16.089
know where your business is going, how will you

00:28:16.089 --> 00:28:24.450
know when you get there? Number two, does my

00:28:24.450 --> 00:28:28.970
team know where we're going? Am I communicating?

00:28:31.170 --> 00:28:35.509
Am I explaining? Am I teaching? Am I training?

00:28:36.150 --> 00:28:45.049
Am I leading? Number three, who on my team am

00:28:45.049 --> 00:28:53.319
I intentionally developing? Number four, what

00:28:53.319 --> 00:28:56.900
am I still doing that someone else should be

00:28:56.900 --> 00:29:02.839
doing? And number five, if I stepped away for

00:29:02.839 --> 00:29:08.480
30 days, would my business continue to operate?

00:29:10.259 --> 00:29:15.900
Don't just answer these questions. Do something

00:29:15.900 --> 00:29:22.329
about the answers. That's where leadership begins.

00:29:24.849 --> 00:29:29.549
At the end of the day, leadership isn't about

00:29:29.549 --> 00:29:34.170
having people work for you. It's about helping

00:29:34.170 --> 00:29:41.470
people become better because they work for you.

00:29:43.049 --> 00:29:50.710
Lead with purpose. Develop people. systems that

00:29:50.710 --> 00:29:58.809
create consistency, create accountability, set

00:29:58.809 --> 00:30:07.410
the standard, build something that can outlast

00:30:07.410 --> 00:30:14.910
you. Because the goal isn't just to build a bigger

00:30:14.910 --> 00:30:21.940
lawn care company. The goal is to build a better

00:30:21.940 --> 00:30:27.960
company. One that provides opportunities. One

00:30:27.960 --> 00:30:32.400
that serves customers well. One that develops

00:30:32.400 --> 00:30:37.119
great people. One that can still be standing

00:30:37.119 --> 00:30:45.420
years from now. That is leadership. That's building

00:30:45.420 --> 00:30:53.170
a legacy. And that, my friends, is the hustle.

00:30:54.950 --> 00:30:59.329
Thank you for listening to the lawn hustle. If

00:30:59.329 --> 00:31:03.549
this episode has helped you, share it with another

00:31:03.549 --> 00:31:07.890
lawn care business owner who needs to hear it.

00:31:08.150 --> 00:31:17.670
And remember, you need to work on your business

00:31:18.089 --> 00:31:24.769
Not just in your business And I'll see you on

00:31:24.769 --> 00:31:31.890
the next episode keep hustling keep growing and

00:31:31.890 --> 00:31:32.069
keep