Despite the stresses of operating in the ever changing and challenging Covid environment, David Clayton-Greene of CGC Landscaping Company recognised the benefits of providing leadership training for his diverse leadership team, such as project managers Maninder from the northern Punjab province in India and Marina from the Lorraine region in northeast France.

Both Maninder and Marina were very competent landscape practitioners but needed additional communication skills especially as English was their second language. David applied for Capability Development Voucher funding from the local Regional Business Partner, the Tauranga Chamber of Commerce, for Maninder and Marina to attend the Dale Carnegie: Skills for Success programme.

During the programme, Maninder worked on an improvement project to upskill and cross train new staff on operating a variety of machinery safely and effectively. As Maninder said “These things will increase the productivity of the company and it will also help to create a great working environment with some fun in my free time. In the end it will also help me improve my leadership. Thanks for building my confidence!”

Marina often begins a landscaping job towards the end of a construction project, and this can mean a difficult workplace environment with other contractors who are rushing to meet deadlines. But the confidence and leadership skills Marina gained, assisted substantially in dealing with conflict and pressure in such situations, creating mutual respect for needs and win-win outcomes.

Marina’s course project was creating an app that enables tracking of all plantings by staff around the North Island. Marina said, “I am grateful for all I have learned during this course and will pursue the project to get it in place soon.”

David says “The training has provided another layer of support and management that we were lacking and frees up other staff. They have grown so much since completing the course. The difference to them as individuals and to us as a company is huge.” The company has good opportunities and developing our staff has positioned us for further growth.

David has partnered with TradejobsNZ to promote landscaping as a career, using Maninder and Marina as examples of the excellent career pathways available in the landscaping industry. For a deeper dive into landscaping as a career, make sure you check out their video catalogue.

For free Dale Carnegie white papers and guidebooks, visit their Resources page or get in touch with Michael: michael.shaw@dalecarnegie.com.