Gelderman Landscape Services has gone through a significant growth period in the last few years, and as we expand into new branches, Gelderman University is a central building block to the development of our staff. We developed a plan last year to meet monthly as managers to dig into the business and learn together.
Once a month our Branch and Department Managers meet to help each other grow. These meetings are set up in a conversational structure which supports open discussion. The exchange of ideas helps push each manager to think outside the box on how they do things by sharing how they own different situations or difficulties in their branch. While each branch has its challenges and privileges, discussing these together, we can find a way to develop business practices that we can maintain across all of our locations. This monthly meeting mirrors itself with our Production Managers. Once a month our production managers have a similar conversation about the operations in each area. The production manager discussions vary slightly with more practical operational suggestions, employee care, and new ideas for efficiency in the field.
Over the last half a year both groups of managers have completed a book study. Managers read chapters prior to meeting together and then discuss the content to encourage leadership and culture development. The conversation then leads into operational updates where items such as personnel, customer service, budgets, and planning are all discussed. [Gelderman University](https://gelderman.com/careers/gelderman-university) also works as a motivational tool for our staff- holding each other accountable helps move ideas into actions. Every meeting ends with a conversation about what each manager has tried that is new – whether it has failed or succeeded! Each individual also shares other places and people from whom they are learning.
At Gelderman, we think it’s important to support our employees. Our production teams are the face of our company, and it is up to our managers to create a culture of invested and motivated teams. Why would they do this without support and motivation for themselves? By continuing to meet, we plan to set ourselves up for future growth with a solid team of leaders at the helm.
Are you ready to take the next step? Learn more about Gelderman U [here](https://gelderman.com/careers/gelderman-university).
