August 15, 2014
Professional development: ‘Tis the season to start your plan
By Jacki Hart CLP
Prosperity Partners Program Manager
As August is upon us and you look forward to a break (maybe a weekend off, or a Sunday off), I encourage you to spend a couple of quiet hours reflecting on your year-to-date.
It is always best to write it down (accountability is a powerful thing). So list some things that went really well: A great new employee, an awesome new customer, a hot new product line, or a great installation.
Now list the things that are still driving you nuts: wrong-fit employee, wrong-fit customer, the job from hell. At this time of year, we are in the home stretch. In August, we notice that it is a little cooler at night and in the morning. It’s getting a little darker earlier each day. Gardens look...well like August gardens do.
It is also the start of planning season. Yep. You’re the boss and you are driving the bus, so you better decide how your company is going to respond to some of the problems. Winter comes fast, and it flies by too. It’s the time to analyze and improve. In Prosperity Partners fashion, let me remind you that if you’re aiming at nothing, you will hit it with huge accuracy! So what are you going to aim at improving for next year?
We are so fortunate as an industry to have an association that offers such incredible courses on business development for all levels. Start to set goals on how you are going to increase your knowledge, and start to solve some of the problems that don’t seem to go away.
A Prosperity Partners seminar is a great first step to drilling down to the core problem. It will very quickly identify where your strengths are, and also where your weaknesses lie.
Great articles (like this one) appear monthly in this magazine and Landscape Trades. Take the time to browse and find that article that relates to some of your identified problems.
For the first time ever, starting this winter, a Peer to Peer Network is going to be offered to all our members. I don’t know about you, but whenever I sit at a table with fellow colleagues, I learn all kinds of new information. In true Landscape Ontario fashion, we all freely share our experience.
Your problems won’t go away unless you try to fix them. You’re not alone. You are in good company, and in fact, you’re not the only one with this problem. There may be a dozen companies who have already gone through the very same issue. Based on my experience watching our LinkedIn group discussions, sage advice, what not to do and what to do information is exchanged regularly.
We are in the social media world and the new LO Peer to Peer Network recognizes that. Nothing, however, replaces a face-to-face chat with your colleagues. All you do is ask, exchange ideas, and recognize that the first step to fixing something is admitting there is problem. The rest will work itself out. Prosperity Partners programming helps to connect you with solutions, peers and ideas.
Our goal is to see our peers use the Peer to Peer Network to draw from and create their own informal peer advisory board.
This peer to peer journey will be ongoing and punctuated with timely, relevant solid business opinions, advice and critical thinking. It’s peers helping peers, with face-to-face facilitation when requested.
We want this network to be uncomplicated, somewhat organic, and set up to respond with maximum flexibility to the collective needs of the members who engage. Members will drive content. The facilitators will drive context and skill improvement resources. The facilitators’ role will be to encourage next level management and operational best practices, plus the introduction of provocative critical thinking and business assessment techniques. The facilitators are Tim Kearney CLP and Jacki Hart CLP.
The Prosperity Partners pillars and language will serve as the core philosophy for the Peer to Peer Network meetings, discussions and seminars. Additional content will be provided as needed and will build on the Prosperity Partners Effective Management Short Course concept. The Peer to Peer Network will also embrace and celebrate shared member successes.
Watch this space in coming months for the You’re In Good Company Peer Network launch.
Jacki Hart may be reached at info.peertopeer@landscapeontario.com.
Prosperity Partners Program Manager
As August is upon us and you look forward to a break (maybe a weekend off, or a Sunday off), I encourage you to spend a couple of quiet hours reflecting on your year-to-date.It is always best to write it down (accountability is a powerful thing). So list some things that went really well: A great new employee, an awesome new customer, a hot new product line, or a great installation.
Now list the things that are still driving you nuts: wrong-fit employee, wrong-fit customer, the job from hell. At this time of year, we are in the home stretch. In August, we notice that it is a little cooler at night and in the morning. It’s getting a little darker earlier each day. Gardens look...well like August gardens do.
It is also the start of planning season. Yep. You’re the boss and you are driving the bus, so you better decide how your company is going to respond to some of the problems. Winter comes fast, and it flies by too. It’s the time to analyze and improve. In Prosperity Partners fashion, let me remind you that if you’re aiming at nothing, you will hit it with huge accuracy! So what are you going to aim at improving for next year?
We are so fortunate as an industry to have an association that offers such incredible courses on business development for all levels. Start to set goals on how you are going to increase your knowledge, and start to solve some of the problems that don’t seem to go away.
A Prosperity Partners seminar is a great first step to drilling down to the core problem. It will very quickly identify where your strengths are, and also where your weaknesses lie.
Great articles (like this one) appear monthly in this magazine and Landscape Trades. Take the time to browse and find that article that relates to some of your identified problems.
For the first time ever, starting this winter, a Peer to Peer Network is going to be offered to all our members. I don’t know about you, but whenever I sit at a table with fellow colleagues, I learn all kinds of new information. In true Landscape Ontario fashion, we all freely share our experience.
Your problems won’t go away unless you try to fix them. You’re not alone. You are in good company, and in fact, you’re not the only one with this problem. There may be a dozen companies who have already gone through the very same issue. Based on my experience watching our LinkedIn group discussions, sage advice, what not to do and what to do information is exchanged regularly.
We are in the social media world and the new LO Peer to Peer Network recognizes that. Nothing, however, replaces a face-to-face chat with your colleagues. All you do is ask, exchange ideas, and recognize that the first step to fixing something is admitting there is problem. The rest will work itself out. Prosperity Partners programming helps to connect you with solutions, peers and ideas.
Concept of Peer to Peer Network
LO’s You’re In Good Company Network will provide member engagement with any one of several group-generated discussion topics relevant to day-to-day frustrations and challenges.Our goal is to see our peers use the Peer to Peer Network to draw from and create their own informal peer advisory board.
This peer to peer journey will be ongoing and punctuated with timely, relevant solid business opinions, advice and critical thinking. It’s peers helping peers, with face-to-face facilitation when requested.
We want this network to be uncomplicated, somewhat organic, and set up to respond with maximum flexibility to the collective needs of the members who engage. Members will drive content. The facilitators will drive context and skill improvement resources. The facilitators’ role will be to encourage next level management and operational best practices, plus the introduction of provocative critical thinking and business assessment techniques. The facilitators are Tim Kearney CLP and Jacki Hart CLP.
The Prosperity Partners pillars and language will serve as the core philosophy for the Peer to Peer Network meetings, discussions and seminars. Additional content will be provided as needed and will build on the Prosperity Partners Effective Management Short Course concept. The Peer to Peer Network will also embrace and celebrate shared member successes.
Watch this space in coming months for the You’re In Good Company Peer Network launch.
Jacki Hart may be reached at info.peertopeer@landscapeontario.com.