Have a vacation planned for this summer? In this episode, Marty Grunder shares how he uses his out-of-office time as an opportunity for new leaders to learn and develop their skills.
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00:00 - Introduction & Welcome
02:02 - The Origin of “The Summer Vacation Test”
04:27 - Strategic Planning & Leadership with Time Off
07:33 - Three Philosophies with Vacation & Workplace Dynamics
08:18 - Don’t Overstate Your Value
08:48 - Would You Want to Work for Yourself?
13:02 - Vacation is a Chance to Sharpen Your Saw
15:18 - Two Things Before You Leave for Vacation
17:57 - Recap & Final Thoughts
Show Notes & Key Takeaways
- The Notebook Strategy - In 1993, Marty gave his right-hand man a notebook to document everything that went wrong while he was on vacation. "Write down all the things that you wish I would've shown you how to do, or things that didn't get done because I didn't train or we didn't have a system in place."
- Vacations as Productivity Drivers - "Your most productive time in your business career are the couple days before vacations." Use vacation deadlines to motivate completion of important tasks and proper preparation.
- Leadership Identification Tool - Vacations reveal who your real leaders are: "This is an opportunity for you to see who your leaders are. Who's gonna step up when you go away? And who isn't interested in stepping up?"
- The Secret Test Method - Give team members specific responsibilities without telling them it's a test: "Give them a couple tests, see what they do. Chances are they won't realize it's a test and you'll see their true self."
- Three Leadership Philosophy Foundations:
- You're Overstating Your Value - "Most of the time, your team is capable of doing way more than you think they are, and often way more than even they think they are able to do."
- Other People Have Goals Too - "Be empathetic... they want the ball, they want a chance, and we don't realize that we get too self-absorbed and focused on only what we wanna do."
- Sharpen Your Saw - Use vacation time for strategic thinking and recharging batteries
Three Types of Workplaces:
- Raging River - Chaotic, no systems, unsustainable
- Stagnant Pond - No movement, no growth opportunities
- Lazy River - Perfect balance of systems and movement, like Disney's lazy river
The Lumberjack Lesson - The lumberjack who stopped every 20 minutes to sharpen his ax produced 5 wagon loads vs. 2 wagon loads from the one who never stopped chopping. Strategic breaks and preparation outperform constant grinding.
Two Essential Pre-Vacation Lists:
- "I wish to have the following things done before I leave on vacation"
- "When I come back, I will have done this" (strategic work while away)
The Ultimate Business Goal - "Your business will realize its utmost potential when you have figured out a way that it can run without you." After 41 years, both of Marty's companies run without him.
Going Away in Good Order - "You don't go away and leave bombs for everybody to uncover that you've buried around the office." Proper preparation shows leadership and respect for your team.
Trust and Empowerment - "Would you wanna work for you?" Consider how you'd want your own family members to be treated at work - with opportunities for growth and advancement.
The Growth Mindset - Stop assuming people can't handle more responsibility. Marty's son example: waited until age 13 to let him use the mower when he could have done it much earlier due to neurotic control issues.
Resources:
Virtual Sales Bootcamp
Grunder Landscaping Field Trips
The Grow Group
Grunder Landscaping
Marty Grunder LinkedIn
Stihl
