Check Your Ego at the Door. It’s not about you. We are a team. Don’t let your ego or personal agenda get in the way of doing what’s best for the team. Worrying about who gets the credit or taking things personally is counterproductive. Make sure every decision is based on advancing company goals and supporting your team.

Nothing like being put in your place to humble you right? At least that’s how I have always felt…
To look deeper into this Pillar, I think its best to look at it from two vantage points: employee and employer.
As an employee, one of the best qualities you can have is showing that you value the team’s success over your own. Ironically, when you do this, you show just how valuable you are to the team and often move quickly up the ladder. This characteristic makes you respected by your team and creates trust in your ability to support them.

As an owner, it is nearly essential to check your ego at the door. Each role in your company is equally as important as the other. All roles need to be carried out simultaneously to allow for success. You will find that the most successful companies in the Green Industry and beyond have owners who respect their teams and hold them at the highest regard.
When you have a team of people who are more concerned about the team’s success rather than their own, you get the most out of that team, and ironically the team members benefit more than you could imagine!

— by Bill Gardocki, past president of NHLA (1994 & 1995), now a hardscape educator.