If you’re an experienced landscaping professional and are considering applying for landscape crew leader jobs, you might be wondering what a company like Grassperson is looking for in a candidate.
While we obviously can’t speak for other lawn and landscape companies, we can tell you what we expect.
Of course, these are character traits that go beyond what you might find in the landscape crew leader job description. In our crew leader job description, we have details such as proficiency with outdoor power equipment, the ability to manage a crew and oversee company performance standards, and the ability to lift 50 lbs.
Those are all important details, but we are looking for more than that. We are also looking for a certain set of character traits, which we’ve summed up here.
Are you somebody who feels that the “small stuff matters?” We have found that the best landscape crew leaders are those that pay attention to the details. In a landscape, what may seem small to you, could be a big deal to a client, and cannot be overlooked.
For that reason, individuals who possess a high level of attention to detail are most likely to be successful in this role and also set the best possible example for their crews. While crews may sometimes overlook small details, an outstanding crew leader will set a precedent that they really do matter.
A lot of companies talk about putting the customer first but they don’t always follow through in the way that they act (or how they conduct business). Oftentimes this is because a landscape business owner might be asking their crews to put the customer first but they’re not really following through. There’s a disconnect between what the company says they do and what they’re actually doing.
That’s why an outstanding landscape crew leader is one that is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that the customer is satisfied. The landscape crew leaders that we get the most calls about from happy clients about are those that are going the extra mile, even if it’s something small (such as bringing the trashcans up from the curb). They actually care and are therefore committed to keeping our customers happy.
The best way to explain this is that the best landscape crew leaders are those that aren’t being “outworked by their team.” We are looking for crew leaders that are willing to work really hard—not those that just bark out orders.
There are plenty of landscape companies that have crew leaders doing just that and the truth is, it doesn’t motivate people to work very hard. It’s difficult to be motivated when someone is telling you what to do and they’re just sitting around or standing over your shoulder. We want crew leaders who lead by example. They’re out there working just as hard as their team. That only comes with a strong personal work ethic.
There’s no question that a landscape crew leader has a lot of autonomy and independence when they’re out in the field. It is someone who the company trusts to make decisions on behalf of the crew (and therefore the company as a whole) without someone constantly looking over you.
For that reason, we are looking to fill landscape crew leader jobs with individuals who have a high level of integrity and is going to do the right thing, even when nobody's watching. That means a crew leader who isn’t cutting corners or shortchanging the customer in any way.
The word “leader” is literally in this job title so there’s no surprise that we want crew leaders who exhibit good leadership skills. You need to be good at managing people.
However, there’s a certain type of leadership we’re looking for and that’s servant leadership. This means that your main goal should be to serve—to say “I’m here to help serve my crew.” This also means to lead in a way that you are actually developing other people. Yes, you should be production-oriented and performing well in the field. But you are also playing a key role in developing the people that you work with.
Another way of saying it is that the best crew leaders develop future leaders.
We have found that the best crew leaders are also empathetic, meaning they have a good sense of what is important to others. That plays a huge role in how they interact with customers but it’s also vital in how they interact with their crews.
In other words, it can’t be a “my way or the highway” approach.
The very best crew leaders are those that help set up an ideal team because of their empathy and understanding. For instance, they’d be quick to recognize that a particular crew member is struggling on a certain piece of equipment and then they’d try them somewhere else until they found the right “place” for them within the team.
They’d also have a good sense of which team members work well together and where trouble may be brewing. These are all really valuable abilities that a great crew leader exhibits.
At the end of the day, the very best crew leaders are also those that are producing great work. They have to have the skills to be able to get the job done well while also managing and leading their team. This ultimately produces great results and an amazing landscape crew leader will take pride in that. They’ll want to continue to produce those great results.
That not only means producing the best lawns and landscapes on the block but also contributing to customer satisfaction and overall company success. The best crew leaders recognize that they play an important role at Grassperson and they want to continue to put forth their best as a result. They know that our success is their success.
If you are someone who possesses these traits that we’ve just discussed, then a crew leader job might just be a great fit for you.
Of course, we recognize that not everyone possesses these traits. You deserve to be fulfilled in the career path that you choose and we have found that ensuring a job is the “right fit” often has as much to do with characteristic traits as it does skill set. That’s why we want to put this information out there, right from the start, so that you can determine if this is a role that you should pursue.
If it is, we’d love to hear from you and answer any questions that you may have. Hopefully, by understanding exactly what we’re looking for upfront, you’ll be able to make the best decision for your future.
Would you like to learn more about becoming a landscape crew leader? If you feel as though you are a good fit, we’d love to have you apply.
