{"id":3937,"date":"2019-12-09T06:00:18","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T11:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/?post_type=features&p=3937"},"modified":"2021-12-29T15:16:22","modified_gmt":"2021-12-29T20:16:22","slug":"get-the-message","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/features\/get-the-message\/","title":{"rendered":"Get the message"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Scott Needham noticed inconsistencies in the way his landscape crews were pruning shrubs in the common areas of the dozens of homeowners associations his company, ProQual Landscaping, maintains in Tempe, Arizona, he knew he had to find a way to show his crews how to do it correctly. But demonstrating one-on-one how he wanted the pruning performed for each of his 150 crew members across 30 different maintenance crews was not practical.<\/p>\n

Instead, he hired a production company to shoot a video of one of his crews pruning correctly. The video was shown to crew members at early morning meetings. And now, shrubs at every job site are pruned in exactly the same way.<\/p>\n

How do you communicate with your employees? Whether you\u2019ve got one small crew or an army of hundreds, the challenge remains the same. How can landscape managers and irrigation installers effectively communicate tasks, express company culture and get employees to buy into company objectives in a way that will not only be well received, but implemented? Needham devised a creative way to get the message out to his staff, and you can too.<\/p>\n

Judith Guido is a business consultant and founder of Guido and Associates, Moorpark, California. She specializes in helping green industry companies grow their businesses. Internal communications is a frequent focus of her work with new clients.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I ask what some of the biggest problems are in their company, 99% of the time, the word \u2018communication\u2019 is one of the top three responses,\u201d Guido says. \u201cI ask the question, \u2018Could you share with me what your communications strategy is?\u2019 And quite frequently you get a pregnant pause followed by, \u2018What do you mean, communications strategy?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Guido, an internal communications strategy is organizing the flow of information that\u2019s necessary to run your company in a predictable, efficient and time-sensitive manner. And that information has got to go out to the right people.<\/p>\n

Effective internal communication dictates how information is shared within an organization. Guido recommends that organizations break down the functions of an organization and map out workflows. Once the way the company works is understood, the messaging necessary to assist in keeping those workflows moving is what should be communicated to staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think communication is one of the most important aspects of our business because we\u2019re in the service business. Our reputation is upheld with follow-through on commitments,\u201d says Chris Angelo, president and CEO of Stay Green Inc., Santa Clarita, California, a commercial landscaping and irrigation services company. \u201cSo if we make a commitment, we\u2019ve got to honor that commitment. And that\u2019s why communication is number one \u2014 so that we retain clients and retain team members.\u201d<\/p>\n

Founded in 1970 by Angelo\u2019s parents, Richard and Charlene, the company has grown to 10 locations and 400 employees. With so many employees spread from San Diego to Santa Barbara, Angelo says getting everyone on the same page is critical. To do so, he and his company leadership devised a strategy that they implement on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

\"employee
Chris Angelo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Chris Angelo uses printed cards to make certain employees always remember the company\u2019s core values while out on the job.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have, as an organization, identified the core values that are important to us. And honestly, those core values really are aligned with me and my father\u2019s personal and traditional values,\u201d Angelo says. \u201cA way to really illustrate the idea or the values is to align it with a behavior or a type of action or outcome you would like to have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stay Green\u2019s four core values<\/h2>\n