Futurist Jim Carroll challenged lawn and landscape company leaders to consider where the industry is headed on Jan. 31 during Leaders Forum, presented by NALP and powered by Aspire, at Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
He pointed out that the future favors those who are fast, so it is important to understand what are the greatest challenges that need to be addressed in the next few years.
“It’s not the trends that matter but our way to cope with them,” Carroll says.
Align to Velocity
Carroll argues that the future is coming faster than you think. For instance, The Jetsons aired in 1962 and was set in 2062, yet many of the technologies featured in the show are available today, like drones and smart watches.
Because new technology offers both challenges and change, it is important for landscape companies to imagine what their business will look like in the next 10 years and how they can implement some of these tools.
The Gartner Hype Cycle outlines the phases of how technology is introduced, reaches a peak of inflated expectation then falls into a trough of disillusionment before rising along the slope of enlightenment before reaching the plateau of productivity.
Carroll points out that with AI, companies are currently at the peak of inflated expectations and when people become disillusioned with it, they will stop utilizing it for a time, but it’s important for businesses to keep experimenting with this technology.
Ignore the Uncertainty
As volatility becomes the new normal, business owners cannot simply hunker down and try to ride out hard times. Carroll says that while consumers have been in a state of perpetual gloom and are convinced we are in a recession when we are not, companies do not need to follow them into this abyss.
He says during these periods of uncertainty, you can’t forget about the future. In a Grant Thornton survey, it was found that less than half of businesses planned to double down on innovation during downturns.
“History teaches us that if we stay focused on the future, we win,” Carroll says.
Carroll says we have entered an era of fast ideas where innovation can spread quickly and it’s important to keep up with the factors influencing demand in your business so you can be aware of what is expected of you. He advises having individuals on staff who are in tune with these beacons of trends so you can stay on the cutting edge of client preferences.
Lean Into Digital Opportunities
Science and knowledge are growing and expanding at a rapid pace. Carroll says it’s up to landscape professionals to keep up with this influx of new knowledge. For instance, with AI many have dabbled with it, but businesses need to learn the art of prompting so they can utilize this tool to its full potential.
“You won’t lose your job to AI, but you might lose your job to someone who is using AI,” Carroll says.
Owners also need to think through the arrival of smarter machines as robots powered by large language models and machine vision will become capable of doing far more than ever before. Like PCs before them, the cost of humanoid robots will be greatly reduced over time.
Carroll also recommends listening to your younger employees who may have fresh ideas or technology suggestions, as these generations are not opposed to change. The more you experiment with these innovations, the more experience you’ll have in implementing them.
One way to transform your business is building out an ‘xbox room’ which is where owners give younger generations on staff the resources and ability to explore the unknown so they can determine where they need to invest next.
Kill the Innovation Killers
It’s incredibly easy to simply say you’re too busy to focus on implementing any new innovations. But this is just one of several common innovation killers.
Other excuses include:
- “We’ve always done it this way.”
- “It won’t work.”
- “It’s a bad idea.”
- “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
- “It’s too risky.”
- “It’s not necessary.”
- “The boss won’t go for it.”
An unwillingness to adapt to the rapidly changing world around us can stunt your company’s growth or even make your operation become obsolete compared to evolving competitors.
Don’t let being perfect get in the way of getting started. Carroll stresses you should think big, start small and scale fast.
“Where are you holding back your opportunities because you don’t want to change?” Carroll says.
Thank you to our title sponsor, Aspire; our Elite partners, Cat, Stanley Black & Decker and STIHL, as well as our additional partners, Rancho Mesa, Toro, Boss by Integra, Hunter, Vermeer and Wilson360.
