I think legacy is very important working for a family owned business as well as working at an independent garden center. With just being 39 days away from the first day of spring as well as being twenty days before the March 1 deadline, things are going to come fast. New Jersey has been really lucky with winter weather and people are really aching to get back outside. Even though we are getting ready for our customers to welcome spring, we should be working on self development to make ourselves the best that we can be when the spring season hits and for us to have a successful year.
I have also been in a reflective and thinking mode as I move forward in this industry. Both my boss and my counterpart, who manages the movement of the store, have both taken me under their wings because they see my potential and that I am the next generation for the company to keep it going. This industry is hard and I am apart of a legacy where I will be sailing the ship where I am still learning the ropes. In the meantime, I am still managing my nursery department and being a leader in the industry where I get to coach and teach as well as make an impact on my customers. This is apart of my future legacy. Have you thought about your legacy in the industry? I think about this all the time. I think about how I am going to make an impact on my customers and my coworkers during that day of work and the years to come. I encourage you to think about it too. When I put on my company’s shirt and I get to work, I am representing all of my garden center’s three locations. I am representing the family who started this family owned and operated garden center. I am representing everyone who works for the company and who retired from the company. I represent the brands that I sell and I make sure I am knowledgeable with their product lines. I represent independent garden centers. I represent everyone who taught me to be apart of this industry. I represent my customers. This is my legacy, it’s who I represent and what I stand for in the industry striving to make an impact. When you put on your company shirt, what do you represent? Who do you represent? Are you making it a goal to continue to grow in the industry? Are you taking opportunities to attend trade shows or connect with your brand representatives? I’ve been given the opportunity to go to trade shows and to talk to brand representatives. I’ve been given the opportunity to go to the Mid Atlantic Nursery Trade Show, also known as MANTS, to explore my passion of plants to be able to get ideas, meet my growers, and explore new options because I have two people that I work with who believes in me and that wants me to get to a higher level in the industry. This is a message and a challenge to dedicated to independent garden centers, to the managers, to the teams who run garden centers, this is for the brands out there who support us, this is for the landscaping companies who are trying to boot up company morale. This is me helping you be the best that you can be. I have a feeling that this spring will be amazing for all - us and our customers but in order for us to make it the best, we need to take the time to think about our legacy, our company, and the ways we are enforcing our individual growth. Tell me what you’re doing to prepare for spring or what you’re excited about professional. What’s your reflection of where you have been and where you are going in the industry? What are your goals for the 2024 year? Before March 1 hits, we are going to refine these industry values and elevate what’s in front of us and where we want to go. Let’s talk, let’s discuss in the comments. The best is yet to come.
0 Comments
I’ve been with my garden center for going on ten years and I love what I do. I love being able to help customers to achieve their garden goals as well as educating my customers on different methods when it comes to garden management. I love making my garden center a destination spot and continue to be everyone’s favorite plant girl. One day, I will get to move up from nursery manger to store manager which is a huge honor to be able to carry on this legacy.
I want to open the door to be able to share what I do at my garden center and that is why I have created this section of my blog. I want to document every learning moment, experience, social interaction that impacted me, what happens behind the scenes to prepare for my customers, and my inner thoughts that come across day to day while I work. I hope sharing what I do may impact someone in the industry; they can be an industry professional or someone who works at an independent garden center but at the end of the day, I want them to feel like they can relate. If I’m thinking about it and feeling a certain way about it, they are too. We are supposed to help each other in this industry and lift each other up. I would love this portion of my blog to provide guidance and inspiration for years to come. All independent garden centers aim to be ready to go for March 1st. Before my garden center hits show time mode, we are going to start elevated thinking with leadership growth and the development of how we get here. This industry is not cut out for everyone and I thought it was not for me in the beginning when I was nineteen, but here I am fifteen years later going strong with the hopes of cultivating those in the field. Not only do I want to make one big impact, but I want my readers and supporters to walk with me from day to day life in the industry. There have been days where I felt so torn apart by tough moments at work - whether it’s customer interactions or just burn out that had caused me to hide when I got overwhelmed. I let this part of my life - horticultural communication to not be prevalent as I would want it to be. I want to be able to show the raw thoughts and emotions of working in the industry and by sharing my life at work, I am being open enough to show what goes on behind the scenes. I have one amazing work family and the most amazing customers ever that I want to share these moments of what I learn from them with you. Thank you for your support. Thank you for still being here. Share some of your thoughts in the comments about what your work day is like in your world or the best lesson you learned at work that made you a better leader. |