June 2022 - 27

POHMER ON...
By Stan Pohmer
B
ack in August 2020, I wrote the column in Lawn &
Garden Retailer, " Krulak's Law of Leadership, " based
on a leadership/management theory presented
by retired U.S. Marines Gen. Charles C. Krulak. The crux
of his theory was that, though the leaders were largely
responsible for creating the master plans of an engagement,
the success of these plans was the result of the actions and
decisions of the front-line troops who had to execute them
in an environment that was ever-changing with multiple
challenges (often hostile) that needed to be addressed
on the spot, without the opportunity to get validation or
approval from the bosses.
Krulak recognized that these front-line troops, and the
way they conducted themselves, were the on-the-field
representatives, the face of the organization and their
strategies, much more than the leaders themselves.
Accepting this theory, which the U.S. Marines did in
1999, required that the way the enlisted troops were
trained, and what they were trained on, had to change;
they needed to be provided with decision-making tools and
the ability to act more autonomously to achieve established
goals and objectives. Accepting this theory also changed
the roles of leadership; their primary responsibility was
now to " train to ensure that their subordinates make the
right decisions. "
Correlating Krulak's Law of Leadership to your business
means that the experience customers have with your brand
is, to a large degree, in the hands of the people you pay the
least - your hourly employees, your seasonal workers and
your cashiers - who are the face of your brand and the
brand experience to your customers! Your success is largely
in these folks' hands.
Be Choosy
In today's tight labor market, some might say that you
can't be picky on who you hire; all you are looking for is a
warm body to fill an open position. I say, au contraire, you
can't afford not to be highly selective if you accept the
idea that these folks play a key role in controlling your
destiny! From my experience, given a choice in hiring
customer-facing staff, it's far better to hire for attitude,
aptitude, personality, and willingness to learn than to
hire someone solely on their horticultural and technical
knowledge. I've found that it's far easier to provide enough
plant knowledge to someone with superior people skills to
be successful than to train people skills to someone with
great horticulture knowledge.
Training new team members can be viewed in two
segments, both critical to success in becoming good, valued
brand ambassadors: the " soft " people and personal skills,
and the " hard " technical skills. Here are some of the things I
believe leaders should be training on:
Circle 110
LGRMAG.COM | 27

http://www.LGRMAG.COM

June 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of June 2022

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