The extra mile – professionalism in the Landscaping industry

Like any industry, the landscaping trade has its fair share of fly by nights, charlatans and rogues. The classic is the silver tongued deposit taker or the “I can do it all” delusional. Make no mistake, landscaping is not alone in this – everyone knows a story about someone who got ripped, it’s just that certain industries are easier to fake than others.

This is why professional watchdogs or industry driven associations exist. This is nothing new. Back in medieval times the consumer and the industries were protected by a Guild -  a co fraternity of craftsman in a particular trade who sought  to maintain a minimum level of service.  The guilds eventually became immensely powerful cartels and, like any powerful entity, it eventually implodes.

There was simply no way that one could practice in a trade without having walked the road of apprentice, craftsman, journeyman, master and grandmaster . Interesting is that In order to become a Master, a Journeyman would have to go on a walkabout for a few years to gain experience and ideas. You didn’t dare pose as a master without having journeyed the road. If you dared, and were caught faking it, a multitude of punishments would be meted out.

 Imagine if we still had a system like that. We could publically lynch the fly by nights and flog the deposit takers!

I have an iconic moment in my life which forever bugs me that I wasn’t quick enough with a retort. I had been working for about a year for a Master Gardener ( as he called himself) in Jersey in the Channel Islands just off the coast of Northern France.  I had run away from the English winter after almost getting frostbite whilst trying to lay frozen roll on lawn!   I was a young opinionated lad who talked a lot ( not much has changed other than the age) and I was chirping to another worker about how to mix cement, which we were preparing to do.  The master gardener, who was the pipe smoking epitome of what one imagines an English Gardener to be, was quietly leaning on his rake, listening to my babbling. He very slowly put his pipe back in his pocket and began to rake as he said to me “Now I suppose you’re a brick layer as well”. I was demolished. His statement however made me realize that I was working with people who showed an immense pride in their trade. These guys were ”time served” gardeners – I was an imposter.

It intrigued me that I wasn’t allowed to handle certain tools – secateurs were an obvious no no, as was the rake….the rake I hear you ask…..yes. The master had a thing about the rake, I had to push the wheelbarrow for a few weeks before I was allowed to operate the rake. He was a funny old guy, he would stand there and declare how he was the best raker on the island, he was a professional – I learnt from the master – Rake lessons anyone ?

Someone once said that eating is the only form of professionalism that most people ever attain. My ever expanding waistline is testimony to that. In all seriousness though, professionalism is something sorely lacking in all industries. How often does one hear about the contractor who comes to quote, pitches up late and then never submits the quote. What’s that all about? It’s more than likely that he is personally overworked, can’t find time to do the quote because he is totally knackered after a days raking and eventually gets embarrassed that it’s so late, that he simply ignores it.

Now that doesn’t change his or her skill as a landscaper, but you simply can’t stay in business like that. The landscape gardener, in my opinion, is a strange breed, it’s the ultimate left brain/right brain occupation – we are part engineer, part artist and part business administrator/marketing exec. In the movie industry, those functions are totally separated – crew, director and production.  The successful landscaping businesses have the same philosophy. The problem of course is that it is often difficult for the “one man band” businesses of which so many of the landscapers are, to be effective in all those areas. Let me qualify this quickly – some of the most talented, professional and trustworthy landscape contractors are one person businesses, and most of them do get the left brain/ right brain thing right.

Professionalism is much more about attitude and far less about skill. It’s about being on time, being honest and delivering what you promised, going the extra mile, but not doing yourself a disservice.  That’s often where we become unstuck…..a  well read friend of mine once explained to me what happens when we go the extra five miles without getting paid for it and how it often backfires. This is what he said: All work must include an equitable exchange of energy – in other words the job is worth 10 then the client must pay 10. You can’t give 15 and only get paid 10. If you do, then the receiving party has an innate and sub conscious need to make sure the deal is equitable - but it can’t be equitable because you have upset the balance by doing more than asked for. So the receiving party is in a dilemma – there is no way for him or her to make it equitable and they can begin to feel uncomfortable. Now it’s not in human nature to allow ourselves to feel uncomfortable – we quickly find away to alleviate that. Apparently the fastest way to alleviate that is to find fault with the work done in order to devalue it, thereby making the deal equitable and it all ends in resentment. Anyone identify with that ?

It such an easy trap to fall into – we want happy clients, but at what cost?

I can just hear the old pipe smoking Master Gardener ……” I suppose you think you’re a bloody psychologist as well now”

Quickly…..will somebody please pass me a rake !

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1017 words

Craig Dunlop

16 June 2011

How I learned to be a gardener

Winter in the Cape is my favorite season…..apart from the diminished turnover and permanent damp feet, it’s a great time to be in landscaping business. Well…….. at least, that’s what I was taught.

There is nothing better than clutching a goblet of the Capes finest next to a warm fire discussing the merits of organic versus chemical fertilizer after having had called it a day due to the rain.

It seems that I did a lot of that in my formative years –  my boss at the time had an intense love affair with dry red wine but was often short of a drinking partner.

Picture the scene. Here’s yours truly, freshly returned from a couple of years of gardening in London, long hair and a head full of dreams. I get hired by a landscaping company and on the first day get the keys for the bakkie with a list of tasks for the day…….hmmm…..I read it again….only one task, surely not.

Suddenly, the naked truth dawns. I have been hired to drive, chaperone and babysit the wayward boss. Did I really believe that my outstanding, cutting edge design ideas were the reason ???

I pitch up at the old boys house to collect him, nervous as hell – he appears, battered briefcase in one hand, a rolled up plan in the other, off we go, the old Hilux burping in the winter cold as we take off.

“Who are you lad” he peers over his grubby specs from behind his Cape Times…..” I hear you’ve been in landscaping in London…..dont get clever with me…OK ?”

Now I am really nervous.

First job – Planting “street” trees for the city council. Remarkably everything is in order as we arrive at the site. Dozens of square tree holes perfectly spaced down the road verge, each one punctuated by a small heap of compost. No trees yet.

I am watching with interest as the old boy goes about his job, issuing crisp instructions, perusing the plan. He sends me off to buy coffee and run an errand.

By the time I get back the truck has arrived and the trees are being positioned, I jump in and help manhandle the unwielding wire basketed plants in place, being careful not to show too much iniative within the hive of activity that the site has become. It starts to rain.

A while later I hear his voice booming across the site….“Wheres my driver ???………come on my boy….stop dawdling….its raining……lets go” – I spring to attention, fire up the Hilux and follow his directions.

“Good to see you working, boy” he addresses me in a softer tone. That’s was a good move helping with the trees, I think to myself.

Twenty minutes later after numerous back street diversions, we roll up outside a pub. “ Right” he says…..” time for a drink”….I glance at my watch, its only just gone noon. “What are you having boy?”

By two o’clock I am happily squiff eyed and the old boy is steadily knocking back glasses of house red as if its raspberry juice. Its still raining.

“Don’t worry about the site” he keeps telling me as he orders another round, “we will just get in the way……we must be back at 3 for a meeting”

I think he heard me gulp…..a meeting ???? …..in this state……I ask.

“Yes “ he says “ we must get this batch of the trees signed off before we knock off, otherwise they will get stolen”

I am confused.

Spot on three pm we arrive back on site, myself having driven with one eye closed whilst the old boy had a nap. He bounces out the bakkie as if he has just stepped out of gym, and strides across the site with vigour. All the trees are planted, staked and watered and the workers are packing up. Its been a crappy day to work outside and old boy is happy.

“Righty o then” he chirps “ Lets go and find the Quantity Surveyor and get this signed off”……… “ You ….boy” he looks at me” wait here till I come back  - and don’t let anybody steal the trees” and he jumps in the truck with workers, leaving me to guard the trees.

Thank God I was drunk. Mitchells Plain in the 1980’s wasn’t a very welcoming place, especially when was protecting a bunch of valuable trees with not even a pea shooter for protection. All ended well and it seemed this was a daily occurrence. The QS arrived in his yellow rainsuit, signed the trees off and we all went home. Needless to say the trees were recycled over night into various private gardens and the boss got paid again. I was never sure if he was in on the recycling deal – it all seemed far too slick.

I learnt so much from the old boy. He would never make a call on a rainy day before 10h30, he was right, so often in Cape Town the rain dries up in the morning, but at the same time that decision has to be site and task specific. Working a wet site can set you back days, but a drizzle is great for planting. He never taught me many plant names or specifics, but he taught me how to communicate, how to handle clients, how to keep employees happy and how to sniff out new work . Oh…..and did I tell you he taught me how to drink ??

Craig Dunlop