Leadership lessons I learned from my landscaper

Today was the day I realized I am married to my hero.

My husband is a landscape architect and part owner of a family business, Hoerr Nursery. I stopped in on one of his jobs today and watched him with his crew. I stepped back from the work for a moment to pause and reflect. I was inspired. I saw three key attributes of a leader. 

1)     Clarity: Jeff and the crew were installing a fire pit in a back yard. It was a simple project. And while it was simple, I watched Jeff explain every element of the work. He ensured the crew knew each detail of the project from the desired size to the best technique for installation. He solicited questions and feedback from the crew and encouraged them to engage in the process. There were aspects of the job that needed attention to detail and he explained why. No one on the job was left wondering, “why do we do it this way?” or “does this matter?”

2)     Recognition: More than a foreman, Jeff was a cheerleader. He gave ample encouragement. He took pictures. He patted the crew on the back. He gave them feedback on how to improve. He personalized his comments. When he wasn’t coaching, he was cheering.  The crew knew he was proud of them.

3)     Commitment: Today was a beautiful spring Saturday. It is the type of Midwest day that you long for all throughout the dreary days of February. Jeff and the crew surely had other places they wanted to be. On a hike, playing basketball, at a picnic, simply sitting outside talking to a friend. But Jeff made a commitment to the job and he led the team to completion. The work took longer than planned, but they realized the goal.

These are simple examples of leadership . . . nothing too new or revolutionary. So why am I taking the time to write about these points? My motivation is two-fold:

1)     Relevancy: I work in an organization that needs leaders to provide clarity in the chaos, spur employees on with well-deserved recognition and goodness knows it takes commitment to see it through this season. No excuses. I can’t blame the executives. I can’t blame the economy. I can’t blame myself. I’m a leader, and I need to provide these three leadership traits for my team. Today’s short visit to the job-site has me jazzed to go back to work on Monday.

2)     Purpose: Today’s job had a purpose much larger than a fire pit! Let me explain - Jeff has a heart for the kids in Peoria growing up in poverty. He reached out to friend, Matt Waibel (owner of Gethsemane Lawn & Landscape Co), to brainstorm ways they could partner to provide job skills for kids in need. Could these two local business owners, competitors, come together to invest in the next generation? Could they plant a seed of hope?  Matt was on board.  The two men shared big dreams and a willingness to simply jump in and get started. Today was the day. Two men, a handful of kids, a project.  These kids were Jeff’s crew today. 

As for the future of the partnership with Jeff and Matt, what are the next steps? What is the measure of success? Which kids will engage? These are details that will evolve over time. Or maybe not. Jeff and Matt are still dreaming and praying for the future. But more importantly, today was a day for two local Peoria competitors to come together with a shared purpose. Again, today was the day I realized I am married to my hero. Serve on, my husband. Serve on . .