I’ve been in the green industry for over 30 years—and I’ll say this upfront: I’ve made a lot of mistakes. Not small ones, either. The kinds that cost time, money, and frustration. But over the years, I’ve started to look at them differently.
They’re not failures. They’re lessons—if you’re willing to do something with them. It takes me back to school. We all made mistakes, but there was always that one teacher who made you go back and fix them. Not to punish you, but to make sure you learned. That mindset stuck with me.
One lesson stands out. Years ago, I was running four crews with 11 people. Early in the season, we kept running into the same issue: gates being left open. Everyone was moving fast and trying to get through jobs efficiently, but in the process, things got missed.
At first, I did what most owners do. I reminded the crews, “Don’t forget the gates.” It didn’t work. So I changed the system. At our next morning meeting, I made it official: If you open a gate, close it immediately. Every time. No exceptions. Even if someone is right behind you.
Then I backed it up:
It became part of the process, not just a reminder. And just like that, the problem disappeared. That’s when it clicked for me: mistakes don’t go away with reminders. They get solved with systems. So when something goes wrong—and it will—don’t just brush it off or get frustrated. Ask yourself: what can I change so this doesn’t happen again? That’s where the real growth is. I’ll keep sharing more of these lessons. Not because I’ve done everything right, but because I haven’t. And if my mistakes can help you avoid a few of your own, then they were worth it.