Quote for today: Don't accept your dog's admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.
- Ann Landers

Article by Joan Marques, MBA, Doctoral Student

Patrick was an outgoing person: happy, upbeat, and always well dressed. People liked him in general. He had been managing the logistics division of a mid-size company for the past three years, directly supervising 450 employees at a variety of levels. Yet there were a few people in his office who did not seem too fond of Patrick lately. Oh, in the beginning they had all been very positive about him. In those days he often received notes and emails from co-workers about their relief of having a pleasant person like him around, especially after their previous manager, who had been infamous for his absolutely apathetic approach. With Patrick such was definitely not the case. He had made it part of his routine to walk around in the plant on a regular basis, and make small talk here and there in order to make workers know that he cared. What made them like him even more: he knew most of his employees by name!

So why would the people in his office have this aversion against him? Where did things go wrong? In Patrick’s opinion he really went out of his way to give them all the opportunities they deserved: Tanya got promoted from the storage room to the main office where an extra assistant was needed now that the number of incoming orders had increased; Shelley got transferred from the reception to the computer department, where she was now earning 40% more than her previous salary, and Bill was made the new head of Human Resources, a once-in-a-lifetime chance in Patrick’s perception.

Patrick really assumed that by thinking of, and placing all these workers in the recently opened positions, he had demonstrated his awareness regarding their possible ambitions, his thoughtfulness of their hard work, and his eagerness to reward them with the best opportunities possible.

Yet, the atmosphere in the office became gloomier by the day, and one day Patrick decided to find out what was wrong. He scheduled one-on-one appointments with each of his three recently transferred employees. What he heard in the individual conversations with them was a hard but important lesson for Patrick to learn.

• Tanya expressed her dread about working in the hectic and demanding main office, and articulated her regret of losing her peace of mind by having to give up her job in the storage room without being asked. She was not particularly a people-person and had really enjoyed the serenity of working in a department that accommodated her need for solitude. She sorely missed that now.

• Shelley spoke out her gratitude for the salary increase and the enhanced financial room she now had as a single mom of three, but she also conveyed her concern about the nature of her work in the computer department. She had always been a very people-oriented person, and computers were not so cold and quiet. She missed the smiles and the little chats of the people she had come to know through the years, and wished she had been asked before being transferred.
  

• Bill nervously communicated his concern about being able to keep up with the stress of a management position, since he actually preferred a low-stress job. He was not particularly looking for a raise or a higher position: he had been perfectly happy with his previous job, yet felt obligated to accept the new position, since it was presented to him in such a convincing, almost demanding way.
  

Patrick was, in the least, flabbergasted. But he was mature enough to realize the enormous mistake he had made here: he had a-s-s-u-m-e-d. He had portrayed his own personality and preferences on his beloved employees, and thereby made the capital mistake of disrupting their trusted world by offering them one in which they felt threatened, stressed, and unhappy.

Fortunately, Patrick was able to find a satisfying solution to the problem, and even managed to find these three valuable workers a position in which they DID feel happy, yet did not have to sacrifice the increased salary they had been earning in their most recent position.

The moral of the story? It is so easy to assume. We effortlessly suppose that others will want the same thing we do. But people are different. And cultures are different. It is therefore of extreme importance to communicate and find out whether a person or a group of people is really receptive to the rewards, help, support, or assistance we want to give them.

About the Author:
Joan Marques, MBA, Doctoral Student
http://www.joanmarques.com

Creative Landscaping with Railroad Ties

Article by Jack Stone

Q&A
Questions from our readers...

Q. I have used railroad ties to build a wall around a brick patio.  The ties are looking faded..how would you suggest I treat them?  Pressure wash?  Can I use a regular wood stain to darken them back up?
 
Doug in Indianapolis

A. If these are standard railroad ties they are soaked in creosote to preserve them. The creosote may interfere with stains, but probably only to the extant that you will need to use more stain to achieve the desired result. The pressure wash would be effective to prepare them prior to staining.

Q. The landscape industry trade show sounds interesting--do you know
if there is one offered this year (2003) in Las Vegas? If there is could
you provide me with the site as I have not been able to find it. Do you have any updated calendar events for April, May or June? Specifically Las Vegas?

Heather

A. We have not updated our online calendar yet, but I've checked and I don't see any events planned for Las Vegas through August of this year. At least nothing that my sources report.

Q. i have a question that i desperatley need answered.. i have a friend who has a problem front lawn.. it is on a slope.. she had it seeded last year.. we live in missouri.. the seed never took hold.. and basically the mud slid down towards her house... not like mudslides or anything that drastic.. but i think you get the picture..

a guy suggested fescue grass.. he told me he use to do some landscapeing in san diago.. but i have no first hand knowledge of this grass.. and would hate to advise my friend to plant it.. he said it has long roots that will hold the soil in place.. do you have experience with this grass.. do you believe it would do the trick or do you think somethingelse would work better..

Is fescue grass.. and yes i think i read there is many varieties of it.. lol.. but in general is it a good grass for your lawns..

leo
jungleboy6996@...

A. I also live in San Diego.  Fescue grass is excellent for slopes.  It has
deep roots and will hold well once it is established.  If you want
faster results, start with sod, but if that's too expensive then use
seed and get it well established before the rain season starts.

Q. Out of the three landscape software for design you recommend, which one
would you buy?

http://www.taoherbfarm.com/
http://www.gardencomposer.com/
http://www.broderbund.com/SubCategory.asp?CID=467

Also, thanks for the great information you provide!
John

A. I haven't used these products myself, but "Floral Fan" responded with this...

John,

I would buy Growit Gold v9 from taoherbfarm.com

Mary

Q. I have a question, how do you get rid of ivy growing on trees? My
neighbor has several tall trees (4) and there is ivy from the trunk
to the top. How can she get rid of the ivy in the summer it is the
pits.

Thanks
Damita

A. The only way to remove the ivy will be to physically pull it off the trees. You can make the job easier by killing the ivy first. At the bottom of the tree carefully cut all the ivy vines away from the tree. Clear a space at least one foot high and all around the tree. The ivy will no longer have the support of it's root system and will die. It will then be a bit easier to remove. The hard part is not damaging the tree bark as you remove the ivy.

Have questions? We have answers. Send your questions to editor@progardenbiz. Your questions are welcome and will be answered by email and appear in our "Letters" or "Ask?" columns.

Starting a Landscape or Gardening Business:

ProGardenBiz, a landscape and garden magazine for the Green Industry is your online resource for starting and operating a business as a landscape contractor or landscape and lawn maintenance gardener. Related fields covered by ProGardenBiz are irrigation installation and maintenance, sprinklers - repair and maintenance, waterscapes, water features, and ponds. You will also find information on plants, plant identification, trees and tree maintenance, and many other topics that span the Green Industry.

If the answers you seek are not readily found, then drop us an email at: editor@progardenbiz. Your questions are welcome and will be answered by email and appear in our "Letters" or "Ask?" columns.