In the first quarter of 2018, 22 ALCC members will participate in the first ALCC/Coltivar Leadership Academy. The program will be administered by Coltivar Group’s Steve Coughran.

The Leadership Academy targets employees in leadership roles within their company and is designed to help landscape professionals become strategic leaders for the future. There are two tracks in the program: Emerging Leadership, aimed at those in the beginning of their leadership career, and Strategic Leadership, for those who currently hold leadership roles and are interested in taking their career to the next level.

“We are looking forward to partnering with Steve Coughran and the Coltivar Group on this program,” says Melissa Emdin, ALCC Programs & Education Director. “Steve brings an impressive background of landscape industry experience and business expertise and is a dynamic speaker and facilitator. Our intention in developing this program was to respond to a need in the industry for leadership training. We want to help member companies improve their own leadership skills, and make sure the next generation of leaders have those skills too.”

Attendees began the process this month with an assessment to determine their strengths and learn how they can use those strengths to bolster their leadership skills. They will then participate in several in-person training sessions from January-March on a variety of leadership topics including finance and business strategy, problem-solving and decision making and building high performing teams. The small group format also facilitates peer networking, an invaluable part of business education. Sessions will include an additional lunch-and-learn event presented by ALCC. 

Char Farley Chacon of Designscapes Colorado will participate in the Strategic Leadership Group. “I have participated in a couple classes led by the Coltivar Group and they are engaging, informational and fun,” she says. “I am always looking for opportunities to advance my knowledge, skill set and confidence. I know that by surrounding myself with some of the industry’s best leaders, managers and owners is a great way to challenge me out of my comfort zone and allow for deeper personal and professional growth.”

Some landscape companies have chosen to send multiple employees to the academy.

“I enrolled in the program because I am seeking to expand my fiscal management skills to better forecast our financial position. This will help identify areas that may have an immediate or long-term influence on our strategic goals,” explains Jessica Moore, Diggable Designs Landscape Construction. She is enrolled in the Strategic Leadership Program and has signed on several employees to attend the Emerging Leadership Program.

“I also look forward to learning how to better incorporate and motivate other team members towards our company vision,” she says. “The team members we are sending to the Emerging Leadership program are committed to growing professionally within our company and I hope this is an empowering platform for them. I'd like them to better understand some of the facets of running a business and be able to look for new ways they can expand their job description and/or skill set, thereby bettering themselves and the company.”