February 15, 2014
The author has some of her best ideas in front of a room full of her peers.
You’re in good company
By Jacki Hart CLP
Prosperity Partners program manager
Last month I had a crystal clear revelation. It was one of those lovely moments when my subconscious mind prods my train of thought. This usually occurs in mid-sentence and in front of a room full of people (like it did this time). Some pretty cool dots get connected in real time.
There I was, working with a keen group of business owners in the Effective Management Short Course, listening to my co-presenter Tim Kearney CLP, when I finally figured out why I’ve always known that Prosperity Partners is relevant to all of our members, regardless of business, size, sector, service or product.
I realize that no matter which business author, consultant or program you follow and trust, none of us are re-inventing the wheel. We simply put different spins on similar basic business premises, which most commonly include a defined foundation, clear vision, clear communication, authentic culture, positive accountability, team inclusivity, fiscal management, salesmanship, self- reflection and leadership.
Here’s my revelation hot off the press. Relative to small business owner challenges, we have far more in common across this association than we have differences. Specifically, we all have most of the following business elements regardless of our sector. These include customers; suppliers; employees (or hired services we sub out); cash flow management; marketing/advertising/social media/ website management, best practices for leadership, human resources, client experience management; certification/systemization, digital, electronic and/or physical inventory to manage; financial statements to interpret; accurate reporting to various government agencies; tools of our trade to invest in and manage and liability exposure and protection.
Think about it for a moment: We all have these things in common regardless of our sector.
Most, if not all of us, have heard our executive director Tony DiGiovanni say that we are an association whose purpose is to grow a prosperous, professional and ethical industry that is respected and recognized by all stakeholders for the contribution that the industry makes in enhancing quality of life. Within that concept, lies a commonality of purpose between members and across all sectors.
What I’m suggesting here, is that you expand your thinking to include your cross-sector peers in a common purpose to support and mentor each other. The power of mentorship, networking and sharing is immeasurable, regardless of in which sector you focus your business delivery. Consider for a moment the mutual benefit if we all embrace the broadly common threads which weave together the challenges of our businesses as peers.
Our new president, David Braun, announced a theme at our recent Annual General Meeting. Growing together is his presidential theme for the next two years. I commend David on his vision, and wholeheartedly embrace his theme. This overlays well onto the Prosperity Partners’ concept. Growing together offers an opportunity for renewed respect between each of us in the LO community. We have a great opportunity to embrace the commonality among us and leverage it to support each other in our business journey to improved prosperity.
By connecting these dots, a great segue is created to introduce the concept of a peer-to-peer network for our members. Later this month, Tim Kearney and I will present a proposal to our board of directors which supports the development of a facilitated peer network. It’s members helping members, growing together. It just doesn’t get any better.
I look forward to providing more details next month.
For more info on the Prosperity Partners Program offerings this year, go to www.horttrades.com/prosperity.
With so much interest shown in a future Build Your Prosperity seminar, one has been scheduled for Mar. 19 at the LO home office in Milton, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sign up at at www.horttrades.com/pp001.
Jacki Hart may be contacted at prosperity@landscapeontario.com
Prosperity Partners program manager
Last month I had a crystal clear revelation. It was one of those lovely moments when my subconscious mind prods my train of thought. This usually occurs in mid-sentence and in front of a room full of people (like it did this time). Some pretty cool dots get connected in real time.There I was, working with a keen group of business owners in the Effective Management Short Course, listening to my co-presenter Tim Kearney CLP, when I finally figured out why I’ve always known that Prosperity Partners is relevant to all of our members, regardless of business, size, sector, service or product.
I realize that no matter which business author, consultant or program you follow and trust, none of us are re-inventing the wheel. We simply put different spins on similar basic business premises, which most commonly include a defined foundation, clear vision, clear communication, authentic culture, positive accountability, team inclusivity, fiscal management, salesmanship, self- reflection and leadership.
Here’s my revelation hot off the press. Relative to small business owner challenges, we have far more in common across this association than we have differences. Specifically, we all have most of the following business elements regardless of our sector. These include customers; suppliers; employees (or hired services we sub out); cash flow management; marketing/advertising/social media/ website management, best practices for leadership, human resources, client experience management; certification/systemization, digital, electronic and/or physical inventory to manage; financial statements to interpret; accurate reporting to various government agencies; tools of our trade to invest in and manage and liability exposure and protection.
Think about it for a moment: We all have these things in common regardless of our sector.
Most, if not all of us, have heard our executive director Tony DiGiovanni say that we are an association whose purpose is to grow a prosperous, professional and ethical industry that is respected and recognized by all stakeholders for the contribution that the industry makes in enhancing quality of life. Within that concept, lies a commonality of purpose between members and across all sectors.
What I’m suggesting here, is that you expand your thinking to include your cross-sector peers in a common purpose to support and mentor each other. The power of mentorship, networking and sharing is immeasurable, regardless of in which sector you focus your business delivery. Consider for a moment the mutual benefit if we all embrace the broadly common threads which weave together the challenges of our businesses as peers.
Our new president, David Braun, announced a theme at our recent Annual General Meeting. Growing together is his presidential theme for the next two years. I commend David on his vision, and wholeheartedly embrace his theme. This overlays well onto the Prosperity Partners’ concept. Growing together offers an opportunity for renewed respect between each of us in the LO community. We have a great opportunity to embrace the commonality among us and leverage it to support each other in our business journey to improved prosperity.
By connecting these dots, a great segue is created to introduce the concept of a peer-to-peer network for our members. Later this month, Tim Kearney and I will present a proposal to our board of directors which supports the development of a facilitated peer network. It’s members helping members, growing together. It just doesn’t get any better.
I look forward to providing more details next month.
For more info on the Prosperity Partners Program offerings this year, go to www.horttrades.com/prosperity.
With so much interest shown in a future Build Your Prosperity seminar, one has been scheduled for Mar. 19 at the LO home office in Milton, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sign up at at www.horttrades.com/pp001.
Jacki Hart may be contacted at prosperity@landscapeontario.com