Jeff McManus's Blog

Last year I received a nice card from Patrick’s daughter thanking me for being her dad’s boss.
Over the years we did gratitude events at work that encourage employees to write a
thank you note to someone in their life who had made a positive impact. Getting a note
from Patrick’s daughter was a special treat for me.

According to Harvard Health, gratitude is simply “a thankful appreciation for what we
receive.” It doesn’t have to be material. By acknowledging the goodness in our
lives—and where it c...

Leadership scars come from poor leadership – micromanagement, neglect, instability,
favoritism, or simply leaders who never learned how to lead. These experiences hurt,
but if we allow it, they also shape us for good.

Years ago, a former boss lied to me repeatedly. The dishonesty was shocking. It
wounded my confidence, derailed my career direction, reduced my salary and benefits,
and hit my character hard. My first instinct was to defend myself, fight back, and call out
every lie. But deep down I ...

Leadership scars come from poor leadership – micromanagement, neglect, instability,
favoritism, or simply leaders who never learned how to lead. These experiences hurt,
but if we allow it, they also shape us for good.

Years ago, a former boss lied to me repeatedly. The dishonesty was shocking. It
wounded my confidence, derailed my career direction, reduced my salary and benefits,
and hit my character hard. My first instinct was to defend myself, fight back, and call out
every lie. But deep down I ...

Daily, leaders, like me, are looking to take a team to a level of excellence. Not just good.
To get there, the team needs to be on the same page; we all need to be going in the
same direction, and all agree to the same destination. It is called getting “buy-in!”

If you’re leading and you’re not the owner of the company, you may have inherited a
group of workers you did not hire. Consistent leadership is even more important – it’s
how you earn trust and create a positive and productive culture lea...

Nick Saban is widely regarded as one of the most successful college football coaches of our time. Over the years, he’s won his fair share of championships—yet every season, he lost talented assistant coaches and players. So how did he continue to build winning teams year after year?

A few months ago, I met with one of our mowing teams on campus to discuss the poor quality of mowing, edging, and trimming work being completed. I was expecting much better-quality cuts and eye-for-detail in our t...

Ever notice how a freshly cut lawn just looks different when the mower blades are
sharp? The grass stands taller, the edges are crisp, and the whole space has that clean,
professional look. In the grounds and landscape industry, sharp blades aren’t optional
— they’re essential.

But here’s the thing: sharpening blades takes time. It means stopping the work,
removing them, grinding the edges, and putting everything back together. Yet that time
spent sharpening always pays off. Dull blades tear the g...

As a leader, I don’t just want everyone on my team to be an expert in their area, I want
them to want to be an expert in their area. Mastery is a powerful motivator, and it’s good
for them and our organization.

Being an expert – a master at something – opens the door to my employees growing
better at what they do. Daniel Pink in his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What
Motivates Us says mastery is a mindset not a destination. “It requires the capacity to
see your abilities not as finite, bu...

“It’s about learning… to win, you have to learn. And learning takes
precedence over winning.”
— Kobe Bryant

Last month, I shared a Kobe Bryant interview video with my Grounds and
Landscape team. The 11-minute clip was packed with practical lessons for
leaders who want their teams to perform at the highest level.

Kobe was curious — could he ever be as great as Magic, Jordan, or Bird?
Learning became his secret weapon. He studied basketball in every detail
— how to move quicker, play faster, and e...

Let’s get back to basics. Every so often, we all need a little brush-up to remind
ourselves how to do what we do best. Like reading, these are the fundamentals — the
things the daily grind can wear down.

First things first. As Simon Sinek puts it, “Leaders aren’t responsible for results; they’re
responsible for the people who are responsible for the results.”

At the core, people need three things to thrive: purpose, connection, and progress.
Pretty simple, right? But easy to lose sight of. As...

Before a meal hits your table in a top-notch restaurant, the chef isn’t just looking at how
it tastes — they’re checking for consistency. How does it look? How does it feel? Is it the
same as the last plate they served?

In the green industry, one of my team members calls it the “credit card slot” — that
perfect, clean line of edging along the turf and sidewalk. It gives the turf that pop of
tightness and being manicured. Using a edger, not line trimmer, to create a tight crisp
line.

There’s no ...