What makes a good crew leader

Along with measuring how your employees are doing, Urbano says that you should also be setting benchmarks for your leaders so that they know what goals they should be aiming to hit. Urbano says that developing your benchmarks might involve looking at questions such as some of the following. This is important data to keep track of, which many successful landscape companies calculate with the use of landscape business software.

Urbano adds that she is a big believer in rewarding crew leaders, and their crews, for meeting their goals.

Measuring crews against one another can be another unite the team as they work together toward a common goal. Plus, a little bit of friendly spirited competition can drive crews, and crew leaders, to perform better. Around the holidays, they all go into a drawing for a large cash prize at the end of the year.

The point is, there are different ways to do it and you have to find one that works for you. Training resources can also be utilized in order to develop great landscape crew leaders or foremen. Training videos are a great tool to help hone soft skills or provide some framework for assuming a leadership role.

Of course, you could also develop your own in-house training program with classes that your leaders are required to take. There are often topics focused on leadership training that your new crew leaders could benefit from.

The initial period when your crew member is moving into their new leadership role is not the only time that you should provide training and support, says Urbano. Keep in mind that this person may very well have questions or require help long after assuming the role.

A well-supported crew leader is going to be a successful one. A great way to provide ongoing support to your new crew leaders is with one-on-one meetings. One-on-one meetings are exactly what they sound like —an opportunity to sit down face-to-face with one of your leaders and communicate. Scott Kruepke is a senior product development engineer at RIDGID, a global manufacturer of more than dependable and innovative tools trusted by professional trades in over countries.

Learn more at www. By Scott Kruepke October 29, Sign Me Up! Join your colleagues who already get great content delivered right to their inbox. If you don't want to bring your iPad into the bathroom, we can send you a magazine subscription for free!

Interested in Business? Get Business articles, news and videos right in your inbox! Sign up now. Popular Stories. However, setbacks aren't an excuse to belittle or speak to workers in a disrespectful way.

You need the crew to complete the assignment. And, yes, they may make a mistake that temporarily suspends the project. Using abusive language or addressing the crew in a negative tone can worsen the situation. Quite the opposite, supporting the crew and offering additional directions can get the project back on track faster.

As a crew leader, you might encourage your crew to further their education and become more proficient. This includes taking additional college courses, signing up for workshops or listening to seminars related to the occupation. In addition, you might hold training sessions and provide additional education in specific areas. If you run a janitorial company, for example, and several clients have complained about the quality of dusting, you could schedule a brief training session with your crew and demonstrate the best way to dust desks, floorboards, shelves and other surfaces.

Valencia Higuera is a freelance writer from Chesapeake, Virginia. She has contributed content to print publications and online publications such as Sidestep. Higuera primarily works as a personal finance, travel and medical writer.