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Ask Tom Fochtman, CLP, president of Denver-based CoCal Landscape, what the reason has been for the company’s incredible growth, and he says categorically “a good management team.” To be sure, you do not grow a $21 million operation with four offices and 400 plus people in 11 years without good managers, and leaders.

As Fochtman points out, companies can go two ways when looking for leaders. They can look outside and bring in “new blood,” or they can look within and work to build on talent they already have.

“I learned a good lesson early on when a person we rehired mentioned that he wished he had been considered for a particular position his first time around,” says Fochtman. “I remembered the occasion and recall at the time never even giving him consideration. Now, when we look for managers and leaders, we remove the blinders and thoroughly look throughout our company for candidates before searching elsewhere.

According to Fochtman, growing leaders is a three-step process. The first step is to identify individuals with leadership ability and desire. “We look for people with plenty of drive and ambition who ask for more responsibility,” he emphasizes, adding that finding an experienced person is less important than identifying an individual with leadership qualities.

Once identified and recruited, step two requires potential leaders to go through an extensive training period. They are asked to take personality profile tests, to participate in team building, and to attend a variety of seminars. Field supervisors, for example, may receive customer service training from the Wilson-Oyler Group consultant team, whereas their sales counterparts will likely spend time in a Jim Paluch sales training session.

The training is an ongoing element for all managers and leaders, relates Fochtman. “We take our people to ALCA events and send them to regional trade shows. In all cases, we ask them to report back on what they have learned. The company also has a tuition reimbursement program, and we pay for certification testing.”

Step three is the hard part for most company owners, Fochtman adds. “Delegate! We want managers to make decisions, and we stand behind those decisions. That is our philosophy. You cannot lead without making a decision; you cannot lead without having an opportunity to fail. We also encourage managers to never present a problem without also bringing in a solution. This forces them to rely less on upper management for advice and to learn to think through issues on their own.”

Fochtman emphasizes that leaders do not grow in a vacuum. They have to be nurtured in the right kind of environment. “CoCal is a very democratic company with an open book management style,” he adds. “This keeps managers in the loop and helps them to make informed decisions. Sure, people make wrong decisions, and from time to time they may fail with a particular project. Giving them the knowledge and the tools to get the job done, though, increases their chances of making the good decisions.”

He continues, “This is a fast-paced industry. Companies like ours do the formal training in the winter months. When spring hits, we expect our managers and other leaders to be aggressive and to make the right decisions. This, of course, will not happen if a company is timid or otherwise reticent about developing leaders.”

In conclusion, Fochtman adds, “My advice to any landscape contracting company looking for more growth is simply this — be aggressive! Be aggressive about finding potential leaders within your own company, train them, and then give them the knowledge and authority to make decisions.”

4/04

By Rod Dickens, ALCA Contributing Writer