Leadership Lessons: Dan Foley

Regional manager, The Brickman Group
 

Since winning the award in 2005, you sold D. Foley Landscape and CampusCare to The Brickman Group. Why sell the companies?

It definitely was not planned at the time. For those who know me, I just about plan everything in my life.

I met Scott Brickman, many, many years ago through ALCA and then PLANET, and several others from the Brickman team who I've met over the years. We talked a few times over the years, and they came to me in 2008. Ultimately, as I chatted and learned a lot about them, there were a couple things that drove me to decide that it was probably a good time to do it.
 

What were those drivers?

One was that it was a great opportunity for our team. Massachusetts, and even Rhode Island in some ways, represented the edge of a new frontier market for Brickman. We're pretty strong in a lot of states, but these are two states we really weren't in. So if I were ever going to consider a time to join Brickman, it was probably a good time to join and help create that legacy and be on the edge of a new frontier, and allow our team to be part of that legacy as well.

The other was, when I got to talking to them further, I was amazed at how culturally aligned our two teams were, and how Brickman values people and processes and how much we did. It was neat to think about, jeez, would we be stronger if we could put the resources of Brickman and our local presence together.

It came down to what I felt was a real comfortable cultural fit and was an awesome opportunity for our team.
 

How has your philosophy as a leader changed over the years?

What my philosophy has ebbed and evolved to over the years is that the processes are the easy part, but the people part is the most important side of it and everything that gets achieved in this world gets done through people. Ultimately, if you have a good philosophy on that, and you continue to work and get better at it, the cultural side just evolves. Whether it's acquiring a piece of equipment, or developing a standard process in your business or creating an opportunity with a client, all of these things you do in business, it doesn't really matter if you can't help people win and succeed.

Initially, when you first go into business, you're just trying to survive. You're trying to get everything done, and you're wearing a lot of hats.

As I've done this for awhile – and as the fog kind of clears from all of that multitasking that you have to do as an entrepreneur – the one thing that's really bubbled up to me over the last five, six, seven years, is it's all about the people and learning to get better on how to interact with and lead people.
 

What is the best piece of advice you've ever received?

I have two. One is rooted way back and that is the old mantra, "Finish what you start." Early on in my career, I read Stephen Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." The second habit is to begin with the end in mind and work backward. It really, really changed my professional and personal life and how I plan things quite dramatically.
 

And the second piece of advice?

I got the opportunity within Brickman to work with a consultant that's working with our divisional team.

One of the things the consultant was working with us on was we basically, as human beings, create a lot of drama in our heads. When we hear stories or something happens to us, we add to the story in our head. We add unnecessary frustration, excitement or fear in our mind that distracts us. The advice that was given was to "hold on to the facts tightly and the stories lightly."

If something happens and a client didn't get back to me, what happens is the human brain starts to tell you the client didn't get back to you because – and then you make up all of these stories – they were upset, or they don't have money to do the project. When in reality, the only fact is they didn't get back to you. It's amazing how many times I've said, "Well, is that a story or is that a fact?"

We need to clear our heads and get rid of what I call "head trash" and focus on what the fact is.

To read more from Foley, including his 2005 leadership profile, visit www.lawnandlandscape.com, search “Foley.”