October 15, 2017
By Jacki Hart CLM
Prosperity Partners Program Manager

Jacki HartEvery now and then, business owners who combine passion with skill and professionalism, have very special (and memorable) moments. Some of those moments may include landing a great contract, hiring a right-fit dynamo, or creating their best-ever masterpiece. Some of those moments may happen when they come across a mentor, coach or even a chapter in a book that really connects to their core and just “feels right.”

When these great moments happen in our careers, they are magical. They affirm for each of us that we are doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing and when. Moments of greatness happen when you’ve really got your game on, and everything comes together smoothly.

Many times over the years while running my landscape contracting company in Muskoka, I would turn to a planting crew in the middle of laying out hundreds (or thousands) of plants, and inform them they were “standing in the presence of greatness.” In other words, they were witness to one of my more brilliant creations.

Some of them laughed. Some of them rolled their eyes. Others asked why. Unbeknownst to them, it’s the ones who asked “why” that had the greatest potential of making their own moments of greatness in my business: as a part of my future core team. I called these people the “keepers.”
 

Your own greatness

As our 2017 season comes to a close, I’m asking you to reflect back and consider your own moments of greatness. At what times in your business venture could you have turned to coworkers or staff to inform them they were standing in the presence of your greatness?

I encourage you to celebrate these wonderful moments. Pay attention to how they make you feel and how you could best share and nurture those moments with those around you. If you slow yourself down enough to notice, you’ll see that the wave of success, confidence and achievement will give you a free ride to your next successful moment. And, it’s contagious!

Through years of teaching countless business management workshops, I’ve shared, and learned about many moments of greatness in our profession. It’s encouraging to hear when peers share their greatest moments. It’s also inspiring to coach them through the not-so-great ones on a peer to peer basis.

Sharing our successes and looking to peers for solutions to challenges are in themselves moments of greatness. Offering your own advice to a peer who is struggling or facing a challenge is also a moment of greatness.
 

Join the LO Peer to Peer Network

There are lots of opportunities for peer mentoring and coaching in our profession. Few are Ontario-based, and only one is free for Landscape Ontario members. We are very lucky to have our very own Peer to Peer Network where business owners in the landscape and horticulture profession can connect and mentor one another. The LO Peer to Peer Network is a professionally-facilitated mentoring program that is free for you to join. To sign-up, email info.peertopeer@landscapeontario.com or visit horttrades.com/p2p.

Your very own moments of greatness are about to arrive!