The Edge September/October 2025

Leadership Development Program two years ago. This program is for branch, regional, and corporate managers. The three-year curriculum is designed to build essential leadership competencies such as developing people, communicating clearly, thinking strategically, fostering collaboration, driving accountability, moti vating and inspiring others, and building high-performing teams. Tuzzolino says the program also helps their leaders form strong connections with their peers. “The impact of this investment is already evident, as participants bring fresh ideas and best practices back to their teams — keeping our succession pipeline strong, agile, and future-ready,”Tuzzolino says. Helgoe says they concentrate on devel oping key employees’ interpersonal skills as well as any specific area an up-and coming team member is struggling with. “We really want to go focus and prob lem solve on what to do,” Helgoe says. “It’s very practical coaching.” Bland says they hold sessions on intra-company communication, conflict resolution, and how to communicate effectively with boards of directors and HOAs as well as on-the-job training.

in your people and letting them know the potential you see in them. “Invest in their success and help them get the experience that they will need to get to the next level,” says Chris Psencik, partner and vice president of McFarlin Standford, which provides business coaching to landscape companies. “Some of the greatest lessons I have learned in my career came from someone who saw my potential and was willing to invest the time, effort and energy in helping me develop those skills.” With Ruppert Landscape, they created their associate branch manager (AMB) position as a way to provide a structured path for high-potential mid-level manag ers to gain the experience and training needed to succeed as a branch manager. “Today, we have 15 ABMs across the company who are not only preparing for future leadership opportunities but are also actively contributing to the success of their branches by supporting day-to day operations and easing the workload of their branch managers,”Tuzzolino says. “This dual-purpose role strengthens our leadership pipeline while reinforcing operational continuity.” They also launched their Partner

If you opt for an external hire to fill a gap, they may not fully understand your culture and end up driving away some of the people who work under them. Helgoe adds that you can also lose employees by failing to let them know where they can move up. “I think if you’re not paying attention to people and building out succession plans and telling them you want them to evolve and work towards things, I think that the best people will find other employers that will do that,” Helgoe says. Bland agrees that when owners hold on to power and authority for too long, they can lose talented leaders. “The business never achieves its poten tial because the owner doesn’t get out of their own way, meaning they become entrenched in their own success, because they work in the business all the time, versus on the business, and they can’t delegate effectively,” Bland says. “They end up a technical contractor who’s self-em ployed versus building the business that they set out to build.” DEVELOPING LEADERS FROM WITHIN Creating an intentional succession plan for your key roles requires true investment

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