Jill Odom

Senior Content Manager, National Association of Landscape Professionals

Your work doesn’t speak for itself, you do. One of the greatest things about the landscape industry is its willingness to evolve. In my nine years of interviewing different landscape company owners, many have discovered the power of adopting technology and being on the cutting edge with the latest equipment.

Another area where the industry has shown a willingness to change is shifting from a predominately male industry to one that welcomes and embraces the value-add of female employees. This has never been clearer to me than with the NALP Women’s Forum event held before Elevate.

Now, this isn’t the first female-focused event that has been held in the landscape industry, but it is something that came to fruition through the hard work of NALP and the Women in Landscape Network leadership. NALP Chair Pam Dooley said at the beginning of the Women’s Forum it is our responsibility to illuminate the path of possibilities to others.

Keynote speaker Sherhara Burrell, co-founder and chief visionary officer of SpeakHaus, asked attendees to shout out what would go missing if women weren’t in the landscape industry. The responses came fast and furious. They covered everything from payroll and culture to empathy and accountability. This isn’t to say men can’t do these things, but it emphasizes how women play a pivotal role in these organizations.

Burrell pointed out that it is important for people to advocate for themselves and to share their wins without feeling embarrassed or hesitant. She argued that your work will not speak for itself, an idea that many women (myself included) are guilty of.

She instead encouraged attendees to use the phrase ‘I’m proud to say…” before sharing any personal or professional milestone with someone else. Wording it this way conveys an underlying sense of gratitude, and it can also remind people and yourself of what you’ve accomplished.

For instance, I’m proud to say that I have written over 300 stories per year since joining NALP. Others were proud to say they are mothers of three or they have been able to delegate well enough to scale back their work hours while in a management role.

No matter what it is you’re proud of, voicing it helps you be seen versus waiting for your work alone to highlight your skills and abilities. Being seen also lets you move into a more vulnerable space, and vulnerability is the most direct route to connection.

Also, during the Women’s Forum, attendees had the chance to break into roundtable discussions where they shared examples of personal resilience, inclusive leadership and what their leadership superpowers are.

One of the takeaways that stood out to me the most from these discussions was how we are all juggling balls, but you need to find out what task is your glass ball and what tasks are rubber balls. While your rubber balls will bounce back, your glass ball is the priority you cannot afford to drop.

In her wrap-up, Burrell asked everyone to write down their “aha moment” from the day. Mine definitely was the realization that sharing what you’re proud to say reminds you of who you are and what you’ve accomplished.

It is so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of your work and not stop to appreciate what you’ve truly accomplished. I so often handwave away my efforts, but acting like your accomplishments are insignificant will cause others to think so as well.

So, be proud of what you accomplish in your career and share with others what you have done. You cannot be what you cannot see.

Women in Landscaping is a column brought to you in partnership with the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Jill Odom is an active member of the National Association of Landscape Professionals Women in Landscape Network (powered by Stanley Black and Decker) which provides a forum for industry professionals to support each other’s professional growth. The Network is free to all industry professionals.

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