Give me a Break! Are you taking enough thyme for yourself this spring?
Watch out for Spring Garden Center Burnout
Plant for Profits Column
This week I’m going to tell you a story about one of my most embarrassing springtime customer service flubs I made because I was SO tired and worn out. Spring is a tough season for those of us in the horticulture, landscape, and gardening industry. It’s easy to get worn out and burnt out. If you own and run your own business, it can feel like there is never a single down-time moment for months.
When I was working in the Garden Center industry, I called it the “black hole” of spring, and for good reason. Spring would hit hard at retail about mid-February, and wouldn’t slow up until mid- to late-May. Oftentimes any sort of life in between those dates was a blur. In my GM days I was pretty much working 7 days a week through spring but even that never felt like enough. The garden center business in Texas also runs 365 days a year, so there’s no shut-down time in the winter to really fully relax or catch your breath.
Now, those of us in this business understand spring is when we make most of our hay; so those of us heavily invested as owners or managers tend to know this type of craziness comes with the territory in this business. And any of your staff in this industry needs to be well aware of what they are in for during the spring season. You must manage expectations up front and be honest with staff about what will be required of them, so they can make the most of the season with a good attitude.
That said, just because you intimately understand the challenges (and opportunities) created by the spring season - or may feel prepared for them - doesn’t mean you should work yourself (or anyone else) to a breaking point thinking that it’s somehow going to get you better results. It won’t.
At some point you, or your staff, will reach a breaking point. It may not come in the form of anything dramatic or a visible breakdown. It may simply come in the form of missing things you shouldn’t, an overall loss of concentration, a slowing of your productivity, or making more mistakes.
Like the mistake I made on a very busy spring afternoon when I stepped out of my office as GM to help out the sales staff with customers in the bedding area of the IGC I was running. After making the rounds and checking on a few customers I found myself in the 4” herbs. A lovely older lady approached me and asked if I could help her. She then proceeded to ask “me what was the best time for soup?” My very overworked, overtired spring brain sort of went blank. Wait, she wants to know what time she can have soup??? Was she serious or making a joke? Semi-confused but very genuinely I cautiously responded… “lunchtime?”
Yes, I really said that.
Ladies and gentlemen, we were standing in the herb section. The herb section. She didn’t ask me what TIME was good for soup. She was asking me what THYME was good for soup!
DOH!
"...at what point does working harder result in diminishing returns?"
Needless to say, she was neither understanding nor amused. She shot me the most disgusted look, and then said something not so nice to me that I can’t quite remember in full. After my discombobulated brain realized my mistake and what she was actually asking, I tried to apologize profusely, explain my situation, and try to then redirect her to what she needed. But she was not in a forgiving mood. I handed her off to one of my sales people and made a beeline back to my office. She was probably pissed for the rest of her shopping trip, and I don't remember if she ever came back.
Oy vey. Many years later and this exchange still embarrasses me!
I remember being exhausted. Overworked. Worn thin. Drained. My brain was just not working as it should be. Putting in the extra hours, pushing through during peak season, when it was obvious I needed a break, wasn’t helping my productivity, and it clearly didn’t help that customer! It was a hard reminder for me that we all have a breaking point and we don’t have endless energy to devote to only work.
This is a gentle reminder for you, to owners of garden centers, and anyone in charge of a hard spring push:
Your employees don't owe you 7-days a week - even in spring.
It’s your job to staff up enough to cover the business needs.
Your staff can’t be expected to perform at their best if they are stretched too thin for too long.
You need to pay attention and make sure your team stays healthy through spring, and that means breaks or a day off even when it's busy.
YOU as the owner or GM need to take care of yourself and take breaks so that your brain drain doesn’t negatively impact your staff, and thus your customers. If you're over-tired and frustrated, that's going to trickle (or pour) down on your staff.
Working harder for longer hours may be required in this industry during peak seasons. It comes with the territory. But at what point does working harder result in diminishing returns?
The work isn't going anywhere in spring, but you do have to make sure your customers have a great experience. The best way to do that is for you and your staff to be well-rested, energized, and physically and mentally robust. Sometimes that means putting yourself in thyme out. ;)
P.S.
If you're looking for a checklist of some action items you can do in spring and the off seasons to make spring less hectic, click back to a previous column SPRING BURNOUT
