Trust Safety Efficiency – Gerrein Green
Which is Better: A well-oiled machine or an experienced bonded team?
BOTH! As we emerge from the gray winter blues, we are excited for what a new spring may bring. For us, at Gerrein Green, we are looking forward but also reflecting upon what we have built. The majority of our crew members have been working together for well over three years.
I am borrowing a few paragraphs from an article, written for TCIA magazine, by Bill Hickman who is a crew leader for Heartwood Tree Service, LLC: Teamwork Makes Tree Work Work – Tree Care Industry Magazine (tcia.org)
“We have all likely heard the cliché “teamwork makes the dream work.” Like most clichés, there is truth to that surface-level statement.
Without teamwork, what may be called a team is merely a collection of individuals at the same place at the same time, individually working toward a common goal without cooperation or collaboration. Unity of effort allows the team to become more, to do more and to be greater than the sum of its individuals. Teamwork is the foundational skill that allows such a unified effort to take place. What is it, then, that makes teamwork work? Trusted leadership is absolutely essential on any highly functional team, but “leadership” only scratches the surface.
Trust is not earned through demonstrated competence alone but also through the relationships we build with co-workers. For the team to work well, there must be at least a level of familiarity among the team members, while at best there’s a familial relationship. Solid relationships among the team members allow an understanding of levels of competency among teammates that is needed to circumvent the necessity for “blind trust.”
Ignorance is excusable, refusal to learn is not. We can’t expect people to know what they have never been exposed to, but it is not unreasonable to expect someone to take advantage of learning opportunities and utilize the educational resources at their disposal to improve their competency and capabilities.
In order to maximize the potential of the team, effort should be made to find and utilize the best and highest purpose of all personnel. There are many jobs to be done and responsibilities to be had, and there are multiple people with various skills and abilities to help get things done.”
At Gerrein Green, we continue to uphold and exceed all tree care industry and safety standards through consistent weekly team meetings and quarterly workshops. Our crew members are encouraged to expand their knowledge of tree work methods through in-person seminars and other trainings. Tree work encompasses a wide range of safety regulations with a few that are not commonly considered but are extremely important. For instance, our crew members are certified traffic flaggers through the ATSSA (American Traffic Safety Services Association). Many of our staff arborists hold credentials and or licenses from the International Society of Arboriculture, the American Society of Consulting Arborists, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, and are trained from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in Short Duration/Mobile Work Zone traffic management. Additionally, three arborists hold their OSHA 30 cards.
The combination of crew comradery and ongoing training ensures that our teams enjoy their daily tasks and end each workday safe and happy.