Landscape Alberta Green for Life January/February 2018

A Landscape Alberta Nursery Trades Association member publication

January/February 2018 Vol. 6, No. 1

Photos from the 2017 GISC What to do When a Key Employee Leaves Tools for Understanding Employment Standards

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CALENDAR

Advancing the professional landscape industry.

MANAGING EDITOR | Joel Beatson PRODUCTION & EDITING | Kyla Hardon ADVERTISING | Erynn Watson

Landscape Alberta Green for Life is a professional publication for the landscape trade in Alberta.

Editorial and Advertising Landscape Alberta 18051 107 Avenue NW Edmonton, AB T5S 1K3 P: 780-489-1991 F: 780-444-2152 admin@landscape-alberta.com

January 9 - 11, 2018 Landscape Ontario Congress Toronto Congress Centre, Toronto, ON www.locongress.com March 9 - 18, 2018 Canada Blooms Enercare Centre, Toronto, ON www.canadablooms.com

For a full list of industry events, visit: www.landscape-alberta.com/?page_id=404

Landscape Alberta does not assume responsibility for and does not endorse the contents of any advertisements herein. All representations or warranties made are those of the advertiser and not the publication. Views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Landscape Alberta or its members.

Material may not be reprinted from this magazine without the consent of Landscape Alberta.

ISSN No: 1929-7114 (print) ISSN N0: 1929-7122 (online)

Landscape Alberta Board of Directors Brian Gibson, Green Drop Lawns Ltd., Chair

Ken Ruddock, ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc. Cody Brown, Tree to Tree Nurseries Ltd.

Jeff Oudyk, CSLA, AALA, JLG, Land Tec Landscape Contractors Ltd. John van Roessel, CLM, CLT, JVR Landscape (2006) Inc., Treasurer

Keith Plowman, K Plowman Contracting Ltd.

Laura Watson, Finning Canada

Adam Jansen, The Jansen Group

Landscape Alberta Staff Joel Beatson, CAE, CLM, Executive Director joel.beatson@landscape-alberta.com Marnie Main, Member Services Director member.services@landscape-alberta.com Erynn Watson, Events Coordinator erynn.watson@landscape-alberta.com

Valerie Stobbe, Trade Show Coordinator valerie.stobbe@landscape-alberta.com

Kyla Hardon, Communications Coordinator kyla.hardon@landscape-alberta.com

Cheryl Teo, Bookkeeper accounting@landscape-alberta.com

On the Cover 2011 Landscape Award of Merit Winner, ULS Maintenance & Landscaping Inc., Bialik Ranch Photos from the 2017 GISC, page 10 What to do When a Key Employee Leaves, page 7

Follow us on Twitter @landscapeab Like us on Facebook @landscapealberta Follow us on @landscapealberta

Green for Life January/February 2018 I 3

Industry and Association News...

2017 Green Industry Show & Conference Landscape Alberta’s 2017 Green Industry Show & Conference packed the BMO Centre in Calgary on November 16 & 17.

Almost two thousand participants were drawn to the conference workshops and trade show - the third largest event of its kind in Canada.

The event kicked off on Wednesday, November 15 with the Landscape Alberta Nursery Producers Annual Auction held at the Sheraton Eau Claire. The auction was a big success, helping to raise money for horticultural research in Alberta and providing a great venue for networking.

Conference session highlights included landscape pest show and tell sessions with Dr. Ken Fry and landscape design sessions with Joe Salemi. Bob Reeves spoke on the power of soil, Barbara Crowhurst had two sessions for garden centre professionals which include driving traffic to stores and increasing retail sales, as well as many more informative and engaging sessions. The trade show welcomed over 150 high-quality exhibitors who were excited by the just over 2000 guests that attended over the two days despite the wintery welcome from Mother Nature.

Planning is already underway for the 2018 Green Industry Show & Conference will be held in Edmonton at the Edmonton Expo Centre on November 15 & 16, 2018.

You can view photos from this year’s show online at: https://flic.kr/s/aHsma2oDtv

of all provincial associations to customize and send to their Federal MP.

Find your MP: http://bit.ly/2Alssqw Download letter template: http://bit.ly/2AfqIyn

New Herbicide for Nursery Growers for 2018 Growing Season Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) recently granted full registration for the sale and use of the pre-emergent herbicide Specticle Flo (PCP#32803) and Specticle G (PCP#32804), containing the technical grade active ingredient indaziflam (group 29 herbicide), to control or suppress annual grasses and broadleaf weeds in field grown and container grown ornamentals.

This ornamental label lists control of 59 important broadleaf and grassy weeds in nursery crops and over 160 tolerant ornamental crops. Many thanks to the PMRA for approval of this important active ingredient and Bayer CropScience Inc. for bringing this vital technology to the Canadian marketplace!

Look for pesticide labels in the PMRA’s pesticide label search engine (http://pr-rp.hc-sc.gc.ca/ls-re/index-eng.php). Feel free to contact Peter Isaacson for more information – peter@cnla-acpp.ca.

Temporary Foreign Work Program Review Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), in collaboration with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, is undertaking a review of the Primary Agriculture Stream of the Temporary Foreign Worker (TFW) Program. To support this review, ESDC is conducting a national call-out to gather existing research on primary agriculture.

On September 19, 2016, the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities (HUMA) released a report following a review of the TFW Program. The HUMA report offered several recommendations for improving the Program, many of which could impact the Primary Agriculture Stream. Read the full release: http://bit.ly/2AmNEtP

Have your say on the changes to Small Business tax On July 18, 2017 the federal government introduced changes to small business taxes that will affect businesses across the country. Both the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and Canadian Federation of Independent Business have expressed their concerns to the federal government (also representing the voice of the landscape and horticulture professions). CNLA has prepared a draft letter for members 4 I Green for Life January/February 2018

Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program Changes Coming in 2018 The Alberta Government recently announced that as of January 2, 2018, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) will change to be more responsive and flexible to labour market needs. AINP will be implementing a new stream that will replace the Employer-Driven and Strategic Recruitment Streams for individuals looking to immigrate to Alberta, Canada. The AINP will also have an Alberta Express Entry Stream.

The AINP moving forward will have the following three Streams: 1) an Alberta Opportunity Stream; 2) the SelfEmployed Farmer Stream will continue as it currently exists under its own criteria; and 3) an Alberta Express Entry Stream to enable the selection and nomination of individuals from the federal Express Entry pool.

Starting in 2019 there will be an increase to language requirements for applicants to qualify. The seeming streamlining of the process is great news for Landscape Alberta members who have participated in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and have employees interested in permanent residence. For more info visit www.AlbertaCanada.com/AINP. Government Announces Increase to EI Premium Rate and Maximum Insurable Earnings The government has announced the 2018 increase to the employment insurance premium rate, as well as the maximum insurable earnings. For 2018, the employment insurance rate will increase for both employees and employers. For employees, the employment insurance premium rate will rise from $1.63 to $1.66 per $100 of insurable earnings, an increase of $0.03. The employer rate will go up by $0.042 per $100, increasing the current rate of $2.282 to $2.324 per $100.

Maximum insurable earnings for 2018 will also increase from $51,300 to $51,700.

Tools for Understanding Employment Standards Employers in Alberta are responsible for ensuring that their

workplace meets minimum standards. New standards come in to eect on January 1, 2018. The Alberta government have materials to help you and your employees understand Employment Standards rights and responsibilities.

Employment Standards Tool Kit for Employers The Employment Standards Tool Kit for Employers covers the basics of Employment Standards laws and oers an in-depth look on how to apply the standards to your workplace.

Employment Standards Guides They have redesigned their guides in easy to read everyday language, to help employers and sta better understand the basics of Employment Standards. They are great to hand-out to new and current employees to help them understand their workplace rights and responsibilities.

You can download a digital copy (http://bit.ly/2AkSG0) or request print copies through the Employment Standards Contact Centre at 1 877 427 3731 or your local Alberta Works and Support Centre oďŹƒce.

Finalists announced for AIPH international grower of the year awards 2018 Congratulations to Van Belle Nurseries on the announcement that they have been shortlisted as one of the ďŹ nalists to the 2018 AIPH Grower of the Year Award.

Even more exciting is the news that VBN has been shortlisted

Growers of Quality Nursery Stock:

4QFDJNFO $BMJQFS 5SFFT t 1PU JO 1PU 5SFFT 4QFDJNFO &WFSHSFFOT t $POUBJOFS &WFSHSFFOT $POUBJOFS 4ISVCT t 1FSFOOJBMT

403-934-3670 1-866-805-5007 eaglelakenurseries.com sales@eaglelakenurseries.com Located 5 kms east of Strathmore, AB on Range Road 245

Green for Life January/February 2018 I 5

in the two categories entered by the BC grower, Finished Plants and Trees, and Young Plants. The AIPH program includes three main categories in total, with Cut Flowers and Bulbs being the third category. In total, nine ornamental growers, from Canada, China, Columbia, Israel and the Netherlands have been shortlisted for this prestigious international award.

Consider Taking the Next Step and Becoming a Landscape Industry Certified -Manager The Landscape Industry Certified Manager (CLM) designation is earned through selfstudy, giving candidates the flexibility to challenge the exams at their own pace and convenience. In order to earn your CLM, candidates must prove competence in seven key areas, which is done by completing a multiple choice exam per module.

The fall/winter season is the perfect time to brush up on your skills and challenge the CLM designation. Becoming certified lets clients know that you are certified in the most recent industry standards and can prove your knowledge, skill and professional competence.

Learn more at: www.landscapeindustrycertifiedmanager.ca

New Staff at Landscape Alberta Starting in January, Landscape Alberta will be welcoming a new staff person to the team. Carmen Johnson will be assuming the role of Communications Coordinator for the duration of Kyla Hardon's maternity leave. Carmen joins us after most recently working in a similar role at the Alberta Diabetes Foundation. We welcome Carmen to the association while wishing Kyla the best with new the addition to her family.

New Members Welcome to our

All Star Landscaping Services Ltd. Robert Hemsing 26302 Twp Road 511, Spruce Grove, AB T7Y 1E1 (780) 987-8099 Fax: (780) 987-8096 info@allstarlandscaping.ca www.allstartlandscaping.ca Alsa Road Construction Ltd. Carlos Fuentes 308 53 Ave SE, Calgary AB T2H 0N3 Ph.403-243-9313 Fax.403-243-9660 alsaroad@alsaroad.com www.alsaroad.com

Backwood Resources Inc. Chris Kirkness PO Box 6720, Edson, AB T7E 1V1 (780) 725-3442 ckirkness@backwoodsrescources.ca www.backwoodsresources.ca

Bethel Construction Inc. Michael Cupido 31 Christie Gardens SW, Calgary AB T3H 3B5 Ph.778-235-4318 m.cupido@outlook.com

CTC Golf and Turf Gary Unger #201, 10532 178 St NW, Edmonton, AB T5S 2J1 Ph.780-467-1844 Fax.780-484-5621 office@ctcgolf.com www.ctcgolf.com North Star Contracting Inc. Steve Skiba 64 Technology Way SE, Calgary, AB T3S 0B9 Ph.403-228-3421 Fax.587-702-2216 info@northstarcontracting.ca www.northstarcontracting.ca

STS Canada Incorporated Ryan Malloy 6205 97 St NW, Edmonton AB T6E 3J5 Ph.780-970-4323 Fax.780-423-3849 ryanm@stscanada.ca www.stscanada.ca

Tayo Construction Melissa Brown 201, 354 2 Avenue NE, Calgary, AB T2E 0E4 (403) 880-1038 tayoconstruction@shaw.ca www.tayconstrucyion.com

Your Space By Design Katherine Kinch 106 Tusslewood Hts NW, Calgary, AB T3L 2M7 (403) 971-5363 katherine@yourspacebydesign.com www.yourspacebydesign.com

6 I Green for Life January/February 2018

What to do When a Key Employee Leaves

By Jeffrey Scott

At some point in the life of your company, you will lose a key team member or manager - or two or three. Possibly someone you thought was your best person ever, or someone you were counting on for a successful year.

After the initial feeling of disappointment, and after a quick (!) evaluation of what you might have done differently, you must pick yourself up and realize that you have been given a gift.

Because when a door closes, a window of opportunity has opened. Pick up your head and look around!

Example. An ambitious contractor in the south had been grooming his #2 person. He hired him last year, and spent the year investing in him, and was counting on him for a breakout season! But the #2 guy called in and said, for various reasons, he would be gone for the spring, back in the summer. What does one do in that situation?

In all businesses, there comes a time when you need to step back, reflect and regroup, in order to move forward stronger and faster. Einstein said it best, “The shortest distance between two points is not a straight line.” He must have had a landscape business on the side.

Four questions to consider when a key person leaves: 1 Is there anything about that person’s job that you need to tweak, improve or streamline?

2 Where were you held back by this person, that you could now move forward?

3 What can you now accomplish at a higher level, with a different and better person?

4

What opportunity does this gap now create for your current staff to step up and prove themselves? (The best leaders, all things being equal, are those that develop through your ranks because they are aligned with systems, culture and clients.)

When someone leaves you high and dry, don’t speak disparagingly because your employees will wonder “what would the boss say about me if I left?” Be kind, be positive, and be future oriented.

Jeffrey’s Breakthrough Idea: Embrace every drop in altitude as an opportunity to retool, speed up and reach new heights.

Take Action: Be proactive and develop a contingency plan, by looking at each key position and asking yourself and your team what the company should do if it suddenly lost that person. Who would do what, who would step up, and what processes would you simplify or stop doing? This type of planning will both prepare your mindset and help streamline your current operations.

Jeffrey Scott, MBA, author, business coach, hall-of-fame consultant, is the expert in growth and profit maximization in the lawn & landscape industry. He grew his company into a successful $10 million enterprise, and he's now devoted to helping others

Green for Life January/February 2018 I 7

Standing in the Presence of Greatness

By Jackie Hart, CLM

Every now and then, business owners who combine passion with skill and professionalism, have very special (and memorable) moments. Some of those moments may include landing a great contract, hiring a right-fit dynamo, or creating your ‘best ever’ masterpiece. Some of those moments may happen when you come across a mentor, a coach, or perhaps a chapter in a book that really connects to your core, and ‘feels right’.

When these great moments happen in our careers, they are magical. They affirm for each of us that we are doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing and when. Moments of greatness happen when you’ve really got your game on, and everything comes together smoothly.

Many a time over the years of running my landscape contracting company in Muskoka, I would turn to a planting crew in the middle of laying out hundreds (or thousands) of plants, and informed them that they were ‘standing in the presence of greatness’ – in other words, they are witness to one of my more brilliant creations.

Some of them laughed. Some of them rolled their eyes. Others, asked why. Unbeknownst to them, It’s the ones who asked ‘why’, that had the greatest potential of making their own moments of greatness in my business, as a part of my future core team. The ‘keepers’ as I called them.

As 2018 begins, I’m asking for you to reflect back over the last year, and consider your own Moments of Greatness…. At what times in your business venture could you have turned to co workers / staff and told them they were ‘standing in the presence of greatness’ – your greatness!?

I believe that sharing our successes as well as looking to professionals for solutions to our challenges, are in themselves moments of greatness. These are the opportunities for our own growth – both personally and professionally. It takes courage, and a bit of vulnerability in order to ask for help solving your business challenges. We’re here to help.

I encourage you to celebrate your wonderful moments of greatness, and pay attention to how they make you feel, and how you could best share and nurture those moments for others around you. If you slow yourself down enough to notice, you’ll see that the wave of success, confidence and achievement will give you a free ride to your next successful moment. And, it’s contagious.

Moments of Greatness…. Here YOU come!

8 I Green for Life January/February 2018

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n e e r G 7 201 Industry Show

Owen Vanstone, Vanstone Nurseries

L-R: Jeff and Sheryl Wotherspoon, Phil Paxton

Bill Moore and Arnold van de Ligt, Manderley Turf Products Inc.

Pre-show workshop: Winter Container Design

Ted Brown and Dario Dyr, Tree to Tree Nurseries Ltd.

Green Industry Show Floor

Devon Beck, Parkland Nursery & Landscape Services Ltd.

L-R: Duncan O’Nions and Kyle Redfern

Toso Bozic adn Dustin Morton, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry

Aiden Wakefield, Josh Kyrzyk, Rebecca Kapler and Patrick Riddell, Jobber

Green Industry Show Floor

10 I Green for Life January/February 2018

Green Industry Conference Session

The crew from Bron & Sons Nursery Co. Ltd.

Green Industry Show Floor

L-R: Joe Salemi and Michael Kato

Green Industry Show Floor

Fred de Boer, Mainland Floral Distributors Ltd.

Kurt Dickhoff, Dutchman Tree Spade

Matt Williams, Finning (Canada)

Green Industry Show Floor

Green Industry Conference Session

Michael Touchette, Pete Van Vliet and Andrew Ronald, Jeffries Nurseries Ltd.

Tye Strain, JVR Landscape (2006) Inc.

Green for Life January/February 2018 I 11

Accounting Mistakes Contractors Make with Accountants

By Monroe Porter

than what a contractor should use. While this format will work for taxes, it will not provide you with the strategic information you need. A contractor’s statement should follow guidelines similar to the following simple breakdown. Of course, you can and should have multiple categories under each broad cost category. The idea is to tabulate costs in a format that matches how you think when you bid jobs. This allows you to compare estimating logic with actual costs.

Many contractors don’t like bookkeeping and accounting. Smaller contractors are notorious for not properly processing withholding taxes, worker’s compensation, unemployment and other financial requirements, so it makes sense many of them would look to their accountants to take care of this. While this may work for basic taxes, this type of system probably won’t work as a contractor’s business grows. It is not uncommon for us to work with contractors who have their accountants do all their record keeping offsite.

The contractor’s internal records tend to be a mess and it is almost impossible to tell where they are financially.

Here are some do’s and don’ts you might find useful.

Some don’ts: • Don’t allow all of your financial records to be kept off site at the accountants or on his or her laptop. You must have access to those records and use them to monitor your finances and where the business stands. With the current on line capability of accounting software, the accountant should be able to access accounting remotely.

• Don’t let your accountant use the same statement format for you as he or she uses with all other clients. A chart of accounts used for a retail store is totally different 12 I Green for Life January/February 2018

•

Sales Direct Costs Field labor and related payroll costs Material Subcontractors Special job cost (any one time job expense) Gross Profit Variable Overhead (gas, small tools, equipment, etc.)

Gross Profit after Variable Overhead Fixed Overhead-rent, non-field salaries, depreciation, etc.)

Net Profit Many contractors use a cash statement for taxes but such a statement can be of little value for business

•

analysis. A cash statement only shows cash in and cash out; it does not include accounts receivable (what people owe you) and accounts payable (what you owe others).

Failure to include accounts receivable sales and unpaid expenses leaves a distorted financial picture.

If your accountant is closing your payroll, make sure you know what that is costing you. Most accountants have secondary employees providing these services, not the accountant. Payroll is an automated process and much of it is done by software. If your accountant bills at $150 to $200 an hour; you want to pay for his or her advice, not for day to day bookkeeping and data entry.

Some do’s: • Ask your accountant questions. He or she probably uses terms you are not familiar with just like there are many terms in your trade the accountant may not be familiar with.

Accounting is not rocket science.

There is no multiplication or division, it is all basic adding and subtracting.

However, failing to follow a contractor template as laid out in this article creates a confusing format. We frequently have contractors send us complicated poorly set up statements with comments that they do not understand them. I always have the same reply, I don’t understand them either.

• Use your accountant for tax planning.

Several months before year end meet with your accountant and tax plan for the year. You can probably project close to how the year is going to come out. This is particularly important if you are having a year with higher profits, as you are probably paying tax estimates based on the previous year.

• Have your accountant, a Quickbooks Pro similar or other professional help set up your in-house chart of accounts. While software programs can be easy to use and may look like an electronic check register, they are not electronic check registers. It is

• • •

accounting and you need to know bookkeeping basics to make sure items are being recorded properly.

If you have an office person who is not than familiar with bookkeeping, use your accountant to help train that person. Have someone come in monthly and help until the office person has learned the day to day.

As a theft and accuracy measure, a good rule of thumb is that you want two people involved with your accounting. Generally, you don’t want the person who does the day to day to balance the checkbook. It is ok to have you accountant balance your monthly statement and/or do a quarterly review.

In the accountant’s defense, most contractors do not make good customers as they keep poor records, take little interest in the process and are not a big revenue source. Your accountant has to make money also. Appreciate what they do but focus on the advice and have the day to day down in house.

In closing, you should surround yourself with professional advisors but you must understand the accountant is merely a scorekeeper. They do not price, bid or buy anything. You are the coach of your business and you make the decisions that drive profit and loss. Without information, you cannot make the right decision.

(403) 203-3338 admin@foothillsnurseries.com

Green for Life January/February 2018 I 13

Have the Conversation

As an owner, leader, or manager, see if this scenario sounds familiar. You have a key person who is working on your team, and they have talent, experience, and what seems to be unlimited potential. Yet, with all of these qualities, there still seems to be more disappointments than celebrations, more arguments than agreements, and more frustrations than anything else for everyone involved. When there is no longer any more patience, then the person is no longer part of the team, and a losing situation occurs for everyone. The individual has missed the opportunity to succeed with your company, and you have lost the talent that could have helped the company be more successful.

Why does this scenario happen? You gave them the freedom to create their role, bit your tongue when they made mistakes figuring it was just part of the learning curve, were very careful not tie them up in too many meetings or distractions and allowed them to produce the results they had achieved in a prior position with the last company. This person's departure remains a mystery to everyone!

"There Is No Conversation that I am Afraid to Have with You"

That statement reminded me of the scenario above during a call with Derek Gracely, a young entrepreneur in Greenville, South Carolina, and owner of Capstone Landscapes and Grass Nerds.

He was excited to tell me about Ben, an experienced leader and manager who had just come back to the company for his "second tour of duty." Ben's first tour with Capstone perfectly fits the scenario I described above. Five years ago, when frustration was high and patience was low, Derek and Ben decided that it was best for Ben to part with the company. Ben took his experience and talent to another company, and Derek made some changes with his team by adding a few new people and moving others into leadership positions. The good news is that both of them over the last five years have grown personally and professionally in their separate companies and positions.

14 I Green for Life January/February 2018

What Has Changed?

With Capstone continuing to grow, Derek realized he needed to add a leadership position and picked up the phone to reach back out to Ben. After a couple of good phone conversations, a meeting was set up for them to continue the discussion. During their face-to-face reunion meeting, Ben asked a tremendous question, "What is different today than it was 5 years ago, and why should I feel confident in coming back to work for you?"

It was Derek's response that made me think his wisdom was beyond his years, and it held a lesson for all leaders to be reminded of. He responded to Ben saying, "Now, there is no conversation that I would be afraid to have with you."

Go ahead and read that response again, and think about it for a minute or so. Could that be the solution to the mystery described above?

Derek had learned through his experiences in leading people and trying to build a team that it is very often the conversations we do not have that cause the most problems and disappointments for employees and managers. Putting off having that crucial conversation with an individual who needs to improve something or, more importantly, needs to hear acknowledgement and be thanked for the positive contributions they are making, has caused more relationship problems than the honest conversations that were difficult but took place. It is the conversations that do not take place rather than the conversations that happen that are the most damaging to careers and companies.

Making Crucial Conversations Happen

Why would we be reluctant to have a conversation knowing that positive results will come from it and more than likely result in a

win-win situation for everybody? Below I have provided a few common reasons for you to consider and then see how many other reasons you can come up with.

Time - It takes time to have these sit-down, look-somebodyin-the-eye type of conversations. We tend to think of the last time we had a meeting like this and how it ended up being 3 hours long. You question who has that much time to spend talking to someone and can easily prove the lack of time is always a "go to" reason to avoid a crucial conversation.

It didn’t work the last time we tried it - That is an interesting reason to avoid a conversation because there always seems to be the presumptive undertone that it was the other person's shortcomings that kept it from being successful. Perhaps the first honest conversation we need to have is with ourselves to take the responsibility for getting our message and expectations clearly stated.

I do not like conflict - Who does? Most of us would choose to avoid conflict at all cost, and associating it with having an honest conversation will ultimately cause us to avoid the conversation.

I am not very good at those type of things - We tend to be drawn to those things that we are best at in our work. Doing the things where we can get immediate results and feel as though we are being productive cause us to choose activities, such as reading, sending an e-mail, or creating a checklist will help us avoid difficult and necessary conversations. You might even think you are accomplishing something by discussing the person you should be having a conversation with amongst several other managers who will then be inspired to tell you about the person they should be having a conversation with.

situation and look at it from a different angle. There is nothing to fear in sitting down with a person that we sincerely want to encourage and coach in order for them to continue to get better, helping themselves, the team, and company. (Read this one again and stop for a moment on the word "sincerely." We must communicate with the best of intentions . . . sincerely!)

I plan to be a leader for a long time. I might as well keep practising. If we are serious about our own careers, then continuing to get better at the things we are responsible for is the number one goal we must commit to. There have been many things in our past that we were not good at, and then one day, because of our commitment or because of necessity, we now find ourselves good at them.

How many more good reasons can you come up with to make the best use of your time by building on the things you have learned in order to sincerely connect with another individual to help both of you continue to get better? Isn't that a better scenario to be relating to than the first one we considered? I think Derek and Ben that I introduced you to today would agree it is worth the effort!

If you want to learn more about the power of PEOPLE SOLUTIONS THAT DRIVE BUSINESS PERFORMANCE, contact: JP Horizons Inc., 7245 Mildon Drive, Painesville, OH 44077. Phone: (440) 352-8211. jim@jphorizons.com www.jphorizons.com

How many more reasons to avoid a crucial conversation can you add to this list, and do they seem to be more of an excuse or a reason? I believe the first four I boldly offered can only be classified as excuses. Whenever the concept of time, past history, fear, or skill level are brought into a conversation by a leader for not doing something, it generally falls into the excuse category. On the other hand, if you take the same four things and use them to accomplish something, they will always fall into the reason category. Consider the four examples below from this vantage point . . .

It is the best use of my time to give feedback to individuals on my team. We will either be making time for the conversation now or be pressed for time finding a new person or solving a problem created by the current one.

When we sit down together this time, I will do a few things differently. When we can reflect on the past experiences to make us better in the current situation, we can build momentum in our careers and those that we lead.

Conversations are not conflict; lack of consideration is.

Overcoming fear can take place if we learn to re-frame the

Green for Life January/February 2018 I 15

January

10 & 12. Landscape Award Judging.

Record number of entries (53) results in two full days of judging from volunteers.

24. Closing date on new Landscape Alberta office

30-2. CNLA Winter meetings in Toronto

2017: Year in Review

February

2. ReTree YYC Forum in Calgary 16. Fort McMurray Appeal Board on Land-use by-laws presentation

23. Landscape Pest Advisory Committee Meeting in Edmonton

28. AgCoalition meeting in Red Deer – Bill 6 related partnership

March

2. Canadian Apprenticeship Forum in Edmonton

8. Spring Workshop and Landscape Awards Night in Calgary

14. City of Edmonton Landscape Standards review begins 15. Your Future in Green, careers event in Edmonton

29. Provincial Apprenticeship Committee meeting, Edmonton

16 I Green for Life January/February 2018

April

5. Site meeting at Legislature for Canada 150 Garden 18-19. Landscape Alberta moves into new office

May

9. City of Edmonton Log Cabin meeting 10-11. Skills Canada Alberta Provincial competition in Edmonton

17. City of Calgary meeting for Water Smart Irrigation Program

31-3. Skills Canada National Competition in Winnipeg. Team Alberta takes home Gold

June

1. Bill 17 briefing with Government of Alberta

9-18. Garden Days

16-17. Canada 150 Garden Install at Legislature

28. Canada 150 Garden at Legislature Grand Opening

July

1. Happy 150th Birthday Canada!

6. Wesley Ian Beatson arrives – 7lbs 3oz

7-8. Chestermere Park Build 25. Communities in Bloom judges tour, Edmonton

August

14-17. CNLA Summer Meeting & National Awards in Olds, AB 15. LA Growers Tour – Southern Alberta 18-19. Landscape Industry Certified Technician Exam at Olds College 21. Agricultural plastics recycling session, Lacombe

24. Front Yards in Bloom Awards

September

7. Water Smart Irrigation Program Info Session, Calgary

8. OH&S Consultation session of Gov't of AB, Edmonton 22. Chestermere Park Grand Opening

29. Skills Canada planning session – Edmonton is national host in 2018

October

2-4. Western Region Nursery Association conference in Tucson, AZ

19. Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program consultation with Alberta Government

November

9. Greener Facilities Conference, Edmonton

15. Nursery Producers Annual Auction 16-17. 2017 GISC

December

7. Meeting with the CPCIA board of directors

25. Merry Christmas

31. Happy New Years!

22. Landscape Awards entry deadline.

Green for Life January/February 2018 I 17

L-R: unknown, Murray Munro

Henry Nachtigall, Greenlife Landscaping 2005 Meeting in the Mountains. L-R: Ron Oudyk, Gerard Fournier

Landscape Award Presentation. L-R: Tony Heuver, Nigel Bowles and Margaret Getty

A look back at our association

1983 Annual LANTA Convention, Ron Pollock

2011 CNLA Summer Meetings in Saskatoon

1987. L-R: Tony, Anne and Eric Heuver

2006 Landscape Awards Presentation. L-R: John van Roessel, Dwayne Beck 18 I Green for Life January/February 2018

1988. L-R: Gloria Beck, Tony Heuver

The people in these photos have been identified to the best of our ability. If we have made an error or if you are able to identify someone in a photo, please email admin@landscape-alberta.com, so we can update our records.

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Finning.com

Parkland Nursery & Landscape Services has 500 acres of prairie hardy coniferous, deciduous, and specialty trees. So whether you’re looking for one client’s yard or to fill a new subdivision, let PNLS be your green connection.

View our catalogue at www.pnls.ca/catalogue.

Call 1-888-340-8733 for the password.

Main Office: 403-340-8755 Fax: 403-340-8759 Email: sales@pnls.ca