Invest in Your People

By Diane Mischel

Editor’s note: This is the TPI Leadership, Innovation, and Technology (LIT) committee’s article focused on “Protecting Your Investments.”

I attended TPI’s 2022 International Education Conference this past February and had the pleasure of listening to Bruce Vincent’s keynote presentation “With Vision There is Hope.” He made many great points, but there was one thing that cut deepest for me. He told the story of when his dad sat him down and told him that he was “too smart” to go into the family logging business and that his talents would be better applied somewhere else. As I sat in that session, I flashed back to my own, similar experience and a lightbulb clicked on in my brain. Not only are we collectively doing a poor job of telling our natural grass story to consumers but, at times, we also are doing a poor job of telling our story within our own families. We need to stop turning our best and brightest towards other industries and instead find a way to use their talents and interests to grow our own industry. The natural grass industry has room and need for a wide variety of talents and interests. The founding generations did not know that someone with a computer engineering degree would have a fulfilling career supporting the sod industry. Most of the equipment specialized for our industry didn’t start at a huge manufacturer—it was developed by ingenious sod farmers using their talents to find a better way. As the pace of business speeds ever faster, it is driving the need for a more diverse group of talents. If we are not using our best and brightest to expand our industry, the alternative is that we will shrink and risk becoming a dying industry. What is the long-term vision for our industry? We need a succession plan to ensure that natural grass has a legacy. Often when I think of the term “succession plan,” how to transfer a business comes to mind, but that is actually “business exit planning.”

Succession planning is the process of identifying the critical positions within your organization and developing action plans for individuals to assume those positions.

Succession planning should be evaluated constantly, not just thought about when someone wants to retire. Focusing on a succession plan is a way to invest in the people at your business now and for the future. The definition is clearly divided into two parts. The first is defining the critical needs and tasks. Don’t get boxed in by what exists now. Just because a task is currently being completed by one position doesn’t mean that it couldn’t be transferred to a different position in the future. The next step is evaluating the people you have, and/ or the people you need to recruit, and determining how they can become successful in those tasks. Review your training system. Is there engagement between leadership and the next level of development? Are you building a network that you can utilize when you need to fill a position? In today’s market we must invest in people, but we must move beyond the traditional benchmarks of compensation, healthcare, etc. These benefits are essential and must be competitive, but the heart of valuing people is putting them and their needs first. Leaders who go above and beyond to find what motivates or stresses their workforce are rewarded with engaged employees. Healthy communication is key for succession planning and investing in people. There are two parts: compassionate listening and information sharing. We must care about employees’ concerns, demonstrate empathy, and consider their opinions. We also must keep them “in the know.” Usually, in the absence of information, people think “worst-case scenario.” It is especially important to make a deliberate communication effort when dealing with relatives as we often assume that “they know” or that they “feel engaged” simply because they are family. It is time for the natural grass industry to tell our story inside our families and businesses—we are farmers, but also so much more. We need to engage the best and brightest and communicate about the opportunities and progress in our industry.

Diane Mischel, owner of DeBuck’s Sod Farm, Inc. in Davison, Michigan, is currently serving on the TPI Board of Trustees as Secretary-Treasurer and is a member of the LIT committee.