Big Grower January 2022 - 10

THINK BUSINESS
The
NEW GAME
of
BY MARK RICHARDSON
I
t has often been said that " business is a game
... the greatest game in the world. " Whether
you agree with this is not important, but
when you begin to think about games you really
understand then try to relate it to the business
you do (producing and selling plants) you might
be able to understand your business better and
make better decisions.
Your biggest competitor in business today
is not the other growers, it might just be you.
Are you living in the past? Are your business
leadership skills up to date and still relevant in
the game or are you still playing in the past?
GAME CHANGERS
There are so many examples in sports of how
the playing field has changed the game and then
strategies to play those games changed - the
three-point shot in basketball; the designated
hitter rule in baseball; the passing West Coast
offense in professional football, or even now
when college football players can jump from
team to team.
Well, the business game is changing, too.
In a recent panel discussion that I participated
in, one of the speakers described sales and
production in the past as being like a relay race,
where sales would do their thing out in the field
then solidly pass the baton to production to run
the next lap.
EDITORIAL
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That connection was
ideally clean and, while sales
would cheer production on,
they were not really on the track
while production was doing their
thing in the greenhouse. Industry veterans
would dogmatically tell you this was the only
way to do it in a healthy way and see success
and consistency.
Today, however, as the speaker highlighted, is
more like a soccer game where you had all the
players on the field together. Today, you have
sales leveraging the help of production as a sales
tool to differentiate the business.
Today, production and sales would move
down the field in each other's zones to try to
support and play a role in each other's world.
When you see the type of game changing you
begin to play it differently.
ARE YOU READY FOR THE GAME?
This dynamic I am describing has existed in
some small companies in the past; the more
you begin to change the paradigm, the more
successful (and less frustrated) you will be.
So, here are a few tips and thoughts that I
recommend:
1. Think - spend more time thinking
about your business and how things are
changing, not just doing the projects.
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10 JANUARY 2022
PRODUCTION
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MasterTag .................................................................5
Try to carve out 30
minutes every day and
concentrate on thinking
about your business.
2. Discuss - Have some fun
with this topic in your meetings. Have
the team pick a sport and articulate how
it relates to the horticulture industry and
your business of the past and the future.
3. Change - I know it is hard to change, but
if you do not, in six months you might
regret it. Years ago, a friend said, " Change
or become irrelevant! " Being irrelevant
is not only the kiss of death, but it is also
the great insult.
So, in closing ask yourself, what is your sport?
What can you learn from how it has evolved
and changed? While this game of business
might be frustrating, " it is the greatest game
there is. "
Mark Richardson is an author, speaker,
columnist and business growth strategist.
He has written several books on business
management, including " How Fit Is Your
Business? " and " Fit to Grow. " His latest book
is " Control Your Day Before It Controls You:
The 7 Steps to Mastering Your Time. " All of his
books are available on amazon.com. He can be
reached at mrichardson@ mgrichardson.com.
AD INDEX
ADVERTISER ..................................... PAGE
Business
Business is changing. Do you have the right game
plan to be successful in the future?
Greenhouse Product News. .................... 11, 12
http://www.amazon.com
Big Grower January 2022

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