Eliminate the weakest link: in the service industry, it's probably your people.(Your...

I believe the old adage, "A chain is only as strong as its weakest link." And the more time I spend in the lawn service industry, the more I'm convinced that critical link is spelled p-e-o-p-l-e.

People are critical to success.

Ask yourself the question that's constantly on our minds at Scotts LawnService (SLS): "Are we doing enough to ensure that our people are adequately prepared and enabled to perform in a satisfactory manner? Or, do we blame staff failures on the old 'hack'--that there just aren't any good people out there anymore."

Each year