Give your business some TLC

Tim Miles, award-winning author, consultant and speaker, kicked off day 2 of The Garden Center Group’s Fall Event with a presentation covering why there’s nothing “small” about small business’ impact on the economy. “You are the economy,” he said, echoing fellow Tennessee entrepreneur Dave Ramsey, “And don’t let Washington D.C. forget it.”

Miles said our time is our most precious resource, and it’s often wasted and taken for granted as we are bombarded by notifications, coming like “a firehose into a teacup.”

These distractions stop workers from focusing on their jobs. Disengaged workers cost American companies more than $550 billion in lost productivity last year, according to Gallup.

Garden center owners need to engage those employees and lead them where they need to go. Worry over a potential recession looming on the horizon is increasing anxiety, but Miles plans to unleash the power of positivity.

“I refuse to participate in any upcoming recession, and I choose to model that behavior to everyone I meet,” Miles said.

He discussed ways that attendees could bring “TLC” to their businesses. However important they are, Teamwork, Leadership and Culture are lag measures, not lead measures. That means they are end results – not the things you do to achieve those results.

Truth, trophies and thankfulness are the lead measures he suggested garden center owners work on to improve teamwork. He derided the dismissive attitude a stereotypical uncle has toward “participation trophies.” It’s not the trophy that’s important; it’s the fact that an employee’s boss recognized that they did a good job.

It’s recognition that people matter,” Miles said. “Little victories matter.”

For more: www.timmilesandco.com