Marty Grunder: The Next Generation

Marty Grunder

I’m 42 years old.  And in many ways, I’ve lost touch with the younger generation. I have teenage daughters at home and I want to have a good relationship with them, so I try to understand what makes them tick and it’s not easy. (Any suggestions would be gladly accepted.) This month I wanted to share with you what I have learned about recruiting, leading, managing and selling to the next generation.
 

Recruiting the next generation.
Young people are very eager to learn. They want to be told they are doing a good job. They want to be a part of an organization that is known for its good deeds. So, your job is to first create an environment that promotes learning. You want to create an environment that is positive and nurturing. And you want to create a place that gives back to the community and operates under the philosophy, “If we do the right things, the right things will happen.”

Developing this kind of workplace is desirable for the young generation and one can hardly argue old goats like me want to work at a company that exhibits these traits as well. One of the best ways to reach young people is via the Internet. Craigslist is very effective; so is Facebook. A posting on your own Facebook account with a link to your help wanted ad works very, very well.

One important note: You can’t pretend to have all the aforementioned traits. The next generation will see through that. You have to have them as part of your culture. So, it’s time to see how you can become known as a place to learn, a positive environment known for recognition and a place that values the community they live in.
 

Leading/managing the next generation.
Young people want to know why they are supposed to do something. They want to be in charge of things. Look for a way to give your young people some new responsibilities. You’ll be surprised what they can do. For example, I gave our Facebook page at Grunder Landscaping Co. to one of our youngest team members and she has done a fantastic job with it and seemed to take a real liking to it as well. 

It is also best to compliment them right away for things done well. Make sure you are specific with your praise. Don’t just say, “Brent, you did a great job today.” Rather say, “Brent, the attention to detail and focus you exhibited on the Jones drawing this week was fantastic. That was a hard project and you did outstanding work.”

Frequently ask your young people for feedback. My favorite questions are: What’s stupid around here? What should we stop doing? What would you do differently? How did you feel when you were a new hire and someone asked you for feedback? Case closed. 
 

Selling to the next generation.
I love to ask the audiences I speak to this question: How many of you think social media is a waste of time and don’t participate in it? It’s amazing how many people proudly throw their hand up in the air thinking that’s the answer the old guy wants. That’s not the answer I want. While many in the next generation cannot afford our services right now, we landscapers need to be thinking a lot about where our clients are going to come from in 10 years. And, in 10 years, the 24 year old who lives in an apartment, might just be the 34-year-old CPA, attorney or doctor that wants a $25,000 patio and fire pit installed.

So, laying the groundwork in places like Facebook and Twitter and so on is time and money well spent. Don’t let the next generation pass you by! A Facebook page for your company will not only help you recruit new people to your company, it will also help get your name out to the next generation and hopefully start a relationship that can result in a sale somewhere down the road. The 30 minutes each week you spend on it is one of the cheapest investments you can make. Where would we be if we didn’t embrace the fax machine? Websites?

At the end of the day, you recruit and sell to next generation the way you should recruit and sell to the old generation – by having a good place to work and by taking an interest in your people.
 

Marty Grunder is a speaker, consultant and author; he owns Grunder Landscaping Co. See www.martygrunder.com; mail
marty@gie.net.