He loved the design. As I talked him through it, I could see him leaning forward and really liking what I had put together. I thought I had him. The front of the house was a home run. Then I started talking about the backyard and patio. I was very excited about the concept! This patio was going to be cool. It had multiple tiers, seat walls, a fire pit, and some other features that would create a nice space.
As I walked him through the 2D plan, I could see his eyes start to glaze over. He didn’t say much but I could sense that I had lost him. As I drove away, I knew I had lost the job. He couldn’t see what I saw.
Have you ever run into this problem? Most people in the Green Industry can see what is not there or what something can be. We can see the potential that can be realized with time and effort. We can see the impact a mature tree will make. We can see the transformation of a backyard or space. We can see the potential in a seed or sapling. We have vision.
This vision is developed over time, often strengthening imperceptibly as new experiences and solutions are successfully (or unsuccessfully) implemented. Since this happens over time, it becomes part of us and unfortunately, we assume that everyone can see the world the way we do.
This is not an article about vision or design or how to help our customers see what we see. It is more important than that. This same challenge is occurring as we search out and try to find the next generation of Green Industry Professionals.
We know the life and the opportunities that a life in the Green Industry can provide. We know the sense of accomplishment that our different segments offer those who invest their time and their talent into making the world a more beautiful place. We also know the challenges that we wish weren’t present. This knowledge is gained over a career, and like the vision we utilize, often is assumed to be common knowledge. It is not.
Many people do not know what possibilities exist in the Green Industry, especially the next generation. There is limited exposure to the depth and breadth of entrepreneurial, technical, scientific, and creative opportunities available. Few schools have programs or counselors that point students to the industry. Many parents think it must be the “Land of Misfit Toys". For years, a life in the trades or a career for a person who works with their hands has been dismissed as what you “have to” do if you couldn’t get into college or can’t get a “real job". For some reason, many people see those in our industry as lower than…
We must change this. Maybe the lesson I learned when I met that client can help. We need to understand that most people can’t see what we see. We have to develop skills and techniques to help them.
The MNLA is doing their part. In the last few years, the MNLA has actively pursued reaching the next generation by involvement with the High School Horticulture Olympics, MI Career Quest, Science Olympiads, FFA program, and other initiatives designed to increase awareness with younger people. In addition, the MNLA has developed an U.S. DOL approved apprenticeship program that provides a true path for someone to turn an opportunity into a career.
Collectively addressing the problem with our Association “Community” is a step in the right direction. However, we simultaneously need to be doing this within our local communities. People need to know us and what we do. We need to honestly express why we do what we do. We need to be the voice of the Green Industry where we live and play. Here are two suggestions that will help.
Reach out to your local school and offer to attend career days and career centers. Ask to speak with counselors and parents about the paths that a young person can pursue in the industry. Be prepared to give examples and even work experience. Here are a few starting points that I believe would be important to parents, counselors, and other people directing young people with future paths to know that a career in the Green Industry is:
- …a “real job”. Although there are countless people whose first job was in the Green Industry, there are also many people who have built good lives here. Not just horticulturists or designers… but accountants, HR professionals, marketing experts, and mechanics; the list is almost endless.
- …where education is not defined only by a degree. College is not for everyone. Some because of their attention span and wiring; others because of the financial resources. An education here can come with or without a degree.
- …where the entrepreneurial spirit is alive and strong. This still remains one of the strongest reasons for people to join the industry. There is a low barrier to enter if you want your own business and the sky is the limit.
- …a Community. I love the people here because, like the plants we grow, we are willing to nurture the ones starting out and are eager to watch them grow. It is a community where many of the companies that reside here are family run or feel like a family.
- …where the original Green Movement started and thrives today. The heart of our Industry is based on sustainability and taking care of our planet. There are many other industries that are part of the Green Movement and many of their voices are much louder. We need to be proud of what we have done and will continue to do for the sake of making sure that the planet is beautiful for the future.
Then, go to the students. Before you start to sell them and try to demonstrate that we (the grownups) know best, ask questions and listen. I believe that there are many who are born for the Green Industry. I believe there are many who are looking for what the Green Industry has to offer. If we listen, we can respond to their wants and needs. Try questions like these:
Describe the type of work you would like to do. Creative or structured? Physical or sedentary? Hi-tech or low-tech? Inside or outside? Individual or Team Based? If you ask that question and listen to the answers, you can identify the people who are wired for the Green Industry and, more importantly, those who could thrive here due to the diversity of opportunities available here.
Other than a paycheck, what are the things you would like to receive from a career? Community? Freedom? Opportunity? Growth? Variety? Once again, the answers will reveal those who are wired for this and those who might be a fit.
When you look at adults and what they do for a job, what do you not want to do or have your life consist of? Young people watch us. They see the stress. They see the time away. Like that vision, they grow up and their expectation of what a job is slowly develops as they watch others live and work. They may not know that there is an alternative to what they have seen.
These are a few examples of how we can prepare and questions to help others see what we see. To feel what we feel. This preparation and these questions help us to understand what they are seeing and feeling now. It will be different for all of us. But remember, each one of those young people are different too.
I never heard back from that guy I started this with. I drove by the house, and whoever landscaped it used several of my ideas in the front. I never went around to the patio to see what they did. I lost that job but I learned a lesson. I hope that lesson, the knowledge that not everyone can see what I see, will pay dividends in the future. I hope that when I get the chance, I can paint the right type of picture that will result in a few more people joining our Industry and creating a beautiful life.
FYI – I wrote this as an outline for a presentation I am building for my local schools. It’s summertime, but now is the time to reach out to them so that we can be in the schools this fall. Please use this to prepare yourself to go in there. Add to it, change it, whatever. Let’s talk to the next generation.