May 15, 2010
Time to reflect to get respect
Tom Intven
LO President
Many of you will remember comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who was popular in the 1970s and ’80s for his jokes about his life-long quest for respect. His classic line, “I don’t get no respect,” preceded most of his one-liners.
For the younger crowd, here’s an example or two of his humour:
On occasion, I wonder if some of our members are feeling like ‘we don’t get no respect,’ or that we don’t get the respect that we deserve from their clients and from the general public.
Throughout my career in the green industry, there have been times when I feel that the general public either doesn’t understand what I do, or doesn’t pay me the same respect that they do to other professions.
What does the public think about us? If you were to poll 1,000 average Canadians, how would they rate the respect they hold for the green industry, compared to other professions like doctors, lawyers, engineers, bankers, politicians, plumbers, carpenters, etc.?
It is interesting that in Israel, the green industry is held in the highest regard, right up there with the most respected doctors and engineers. This stems from the fact that Israelis must carve their lives out of the desert. If Rodney was alive today, and he worked as a landscaper, I might tell him to go see Mike Holmes, the home renovation specialist. Tony DiGiovanni told me about an interview he heard with Mike Holmes. Mike was asked what home owners are looking for when they hire a contractor. Mike answered that it was simple: “Home owners are looking for someone good at what they do and someone who they can trust.”
These two simple key core values say it all: Do good work and be trusted. These core values should resonate with your own company’s vision. These values are also the main focus of our association’s priorities.
In our own businesses, we need to reflect the two core values that Mike Holmes referred to, professionalism and trustworthiness, in order to gain respect – Reflect to Get Respect. Professionalism is projected to our clients and the general public in several ways: our neatness and cleanliness, language, best practices, general demeanor, professional and pleasant conduct, providing top-notch work.
We gain trust by delivering what we promise on time, by going beyond customer expectations, and by building value into all our goods and services. We must communicate that value proposition effectively and honestly to our clients at every step along the way.
As an association of green industry professionals, we continually work on the respect issue from all angles. We encourage you, our members, to become fully engaged in all the educational offerings which LO provides to raise your own business acumen and ability to run your business and maintain profitability. Profitability is good for you and your employees. When you are better at running the business aspect of your operations, you will be more successful, more productive and better able to deal with the new economy. You will feel more professional. When you reflect this competently, you will immediately gain your customers’ respect.
Second, LO offers you hundreds of opportunities throughout the year to network with like-minded individuals. This network is your club of mutual self-improvement that will provide you with the insights into how to fine-tune your business to new levels of professionalism and profitability. You are missing out if you don’t tap into this network at every opportunity.
Third, in the big picture, LO is working extremely hard to gain the public’s respect. We are raising public awareness and appreciation for our goods and services in many ways. The focus of our promotion agenda is centred on Canada Blooms and Green for Life. As well, we are promoting our industry at every opportunity. The Awards of Excellence program is a major building block that is helping build respect for your business. LO staff members work hard to promote our industry to the public.
In summary, Landscape Ontario is creating a professional, ethical, recognized, trusted and valued industry. We are working on your behalf to reflect the core values that will gain you well-deserved respect. For your part, make sure that you and your company reflect these core values, and respect will follow. We’ve come a long way, but we still have more work to do in this area.
Tom Intven may be reached at 519-631-1008, or tintven@landscapeontario.com.
LO President
Many of you will remember comedian Rodney Dangerfield, who was popular in the 1970s and ’80s for his jokes about his life-long quest for respect. His classic line, “I don’t get no respect,” preceded most of his one-liners.For the younger crowd, here’s an example or two of his humour:
“When I was a kid, I got no respect. The time I was kidnapped, and the kidnappers sent my parents a note that said, ‘We want $5,000 or you’ll see your kid again.”
Or, “With my dog, I don’t get no respect. He keeps barking at the front door. He don’t want to go out. He wants me to leave.”
Or, “Last week I told my psychiatrist, ‘I keep thinking about suicide.’ He told me from now on I have to pay in advance.”
Or, “With my dog, I don’t get no respect. He keeps barking at the front door. He don’t want to go out. He wants me to leave.”
Or, “Last week I told my psychiatrist, ‘I keep thinking about suicide.’ He told me from now on I have to pay in advance.”
On occasion, I wonder if some of our members are feeling like ‘we don’t get no respect,’ or that we don’t get the respect that we deserve from their clients and from the general public.
Throughout my career in the green industry, there have been times when I feel that the general public either doesn’t understand what I do, or doesn’t pay me the same respect that they do to other professions.
What does the public think about us? If you were to poll 1,000 average Canadians, how would they rate the respect they hold for the green industry, compared to other professions like doctors, lawyers, engineers, bankers, politicians, plumbers, carpenters, etc.?
It is interesting that in Israel, the green industry is held in the highest regard, right up there with the most respected doctors and engineers. This stems from the fact that Israelis must carve their lives out of the desert. If Rodney was alive today, and he worked as a landscaper, I might tell him to go see Mike Holmes, the home renovation specialist. Tony DiGiovanni told me about an interview he heard with Mike Holmes. Mike was asked what home owners are looking for when they hire a contractor. Mike answered that it was simple: “Home owners are looking for someone good at what they do and someone who they can trust.”
These two simple key core values say it all: Do good work and be trusted. These core values should resonate with your own company’s vision. These values are also the main focus of our association’s priorities.
In our own businesses, we need to reflect the two core values that Mike Holmes referred to, professionalism and trustworthiness, in order to gain respect – Reflect to Get Respect. Professionalism is projected to our clients and the general public in several ways: our neatness and cleanliness, language, best practices, general demeanor, professional and pleasant conduct, providing top-notch work.
We gain trust by delivering what we promise on time, by going beyond customer expectations, and by building value into all our goods and services. We must communicate that value proposition effectively and honestly to our clients at every step along the way.
As an association of green industry professionals, we continually work on the respect issue from all angles. We encourage you, our members, to become fully engaged in all the educational offerings which LO provides to raise your own business acumen and ability to run your business and maintain profitability. Profitability is good for you and your employees. When you are better at running the business aspect of your operations, you will be more successful, more productive and better able to deal with the new economy. You will feel more professional. When you reflect this competently, you will immediately gain your customers’ respect.
Second, LO offers you hundreds of opportunities throughout the year to network with like-minded individuals. This network is your club of mutual self-improvement that will provide you with the insights into how to fine-tune your business to new levels of professionalism and profitability. You are missing out if you don’t tap into this network at every opportunity.
Third, in the big picture, LO is working extremely hard to gain the public’s respect. We are raising public awareness and appreciation for our goods and services in many ways. The focus of our promotion agenda is centred on Canada Blooms and Green for Life. As well, we are promoting our industry at every opportunity. The Awards of Excellence program is a major building block that is helping build respect for your business. LO staff members work hard to promote our industry to the public.
In summary, Landscape Ontario is creating a professional, ethical, recognized, trusted and valued industry. We are working on your behalf to reflect the core values that will gain you well-deserved respect. For your part, make sure that you and your company reflect these core values, and respect will follow. We’ve come a long way, but we still have more work to do in this area.
Tom Intven may be reached at 519-631-1008, or tintven@landscapeontario.com.