At this time of year, leaders in government and in the private sector are constituting new objectives and strategies for their followers in the coming year. Given the situation, the enterprise value specialists at Ceibass thought it would be a good time to review some of the fundamentals of leadership.

“Leadership is fundamentally an offer to help people fulfill their intentions in new situations or in situations that they don’t understand,” said Tom Fochtman, Ceibass CEO. “I think of Covid, and how leaders in the lawn and landscape industry helped people deal with the new threats of Covid, the new obligations like masks/vaccines/boosters/social distancing because of Covid. I think of how leaders produced the appropriate moods in their companies, how they centered and focused themselves and others in their objectives, how they invented new practices and took on new technology and developed new capabilities. Fundamentally, people follow a leader because they think that the leader’s interpretations about a situation and what to do will help them take care of their own concerns such as taking care of their family.

“When I think of the leaders in our industry I think about how thoughtful and serious they are about taking care of their customers, employees and vendors. For the most part they are a humble sort, who don’t run from reality but face it head on. They are open to new interpretations, they seek help, they have a sense of urgency, and they engage with their employees and management teams. They don’t have to be charismatic, entertaining, jerky or loud. They are pragmatic, understand consequences and make interpretations and requests of their team that help everyone produce a better future.”

And the team at Ceibass wants to remind everyone about the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Leaders Forum 2022, January 19-22 at The Arizona Biltmore in Phoenix.

“Here you’re get inspired to be a better and happier leader, build deeper industry relationships and discover new and more powerful ways to engage your team,” added Tom. “It’s the executive-level conference of the year.”

For details on NALP’s Leaders Forum 2022, click here.