Landscape Management, October 2013

28 ILLUSTRATION ISTOCK INTERNATIONAL INC BUSINESS PLANNER 2014 nurtures talent and promotes people based on merit Your employees must know opportunities are there for them If they gain new skills and take on more responsibility they can get promoted Your employees need to know training their replacement is what will make them eligible to move up If your employees know youre committed theyll be your most effective cheerleaders and help you promote it Teach them how to coach and mentor their subordinates especially high potential and high performing employees Put your senior managers in charge of this initiative and make sure promoting from within is reinforced regularly Q How do I build a mentoring culture A coaching and mentoring culture will better meet the demands for improved employee performance But it takes time to grow and evolve Tie coaching outcomes to your strategy for success and make it a priority Include measurements for accountability and a broad range of intangible benefits such as increased employee engagement job satisfaction morale teamwork and professional growth Assign a coach to promotable employees to see they get the right exposure of training and experience to ensure they are prepared when promotional opportunities arise For example field supervisors in collaboration with crew leaders could identify crew personnel who show potential as crew leaders Set up a plan for these potential crew leaders to ensure they get the experience they need to move up Ultimately this approach could work for all positions Also remember to coach during the game Dont fall into the trap of waiting to coach employees until review time Q Im considering recruiting at our local schools Whats the best way to get started Companies that have the most success in college recruiting brand their organization on campus through existing connections They establish a relationship with key faculty members who are influential in guiding students on their careers after college and utilize employees who are alumni of the targeted schools to help recruit other students They also seek opportunities to speak or lecture to classes in support of the curriculum While cultivating your relationship with the schools dont forget to reach out within your company Develop internal plans to fast track graduates to positions of incremental responsibility Lead È V È K For interns you cannot put them out in the field pulling weeds and mowing grass without a plan that gets them some varied experience Most companies that do this well set up an eight to 12 week plan to rotate interns through different jobs in the company including sales and some exposure to account management so they can see what they can aspire to do as a graduate Q How do I integrate newly hired external talent with my companys existing leadership Going outside to find and hire talent is an opportunity to balance the strength of your current managerial team and upgrade your companys leadership pool Companies with a talent mindset focus their attention on the individuals leadership capability and potential for professional growth They hire from the outside using the same criteria for competencies they use internally Managers in a talent mindset company are expected to participate in identifying attracting developing and retaining future talent Its also an important factor in the managers own advancement Encourage your managers to meet competitors employees at bid walks homeowners association board meetings supplier events and seminars They should look for people who are results oriented and who are capable of stretch assignments or fast tracking This may sound contrary to having a culture that promotes from within and there is a fine balance here First its unlikely you will end up with a flood of talent through your employees but over time you will have them develop relationships and networks so when theres a need they can reach out to someone who they think might be a strategic hire If you develop a culture where your employees see opportunities and are treated well they will want to bring on other talented people they know to benefit the pipeline In a perfect world they might even find their own replacement when they get promoted LM Wilson a consultant with the Wilson Oyler Group is a 30 year industry veteran and a Landscape Management columnist Reach im at bwilson@ wilson oyler com continued from page 26 LANDSCAPEMANAGEMENT NET OCTOBER 2013 Planning pointer Assign a coach to promotable employees to see they get the right exposure of training and experience and to ensure they are prepared when promotional opportunities arise