BUSINESS
Build a stronger team and improve profits with a focus on different perspectives.
C
reating solid diversity, equity and inclusion ef- forts go a long way in developing teamwork, supporting labor issues and improving revenues. “To be a successful small business in 2023, entrepreneurs must ensure that inclusion is in-
corporated into every step of their business,” notes Kirk McElwain, acting press director for the U.S. Small Busi- ness Administration’s Office of Communications and Pub- lic Liaison. It’s important first to define DEI, says Richard Lehr of
Lehr Middlebrooks Vreeland & Tompson, in Birming- ham, Alabama. He works on diversity issues with several companies and
industries to help them develop policies and conduct diver- sity training. He also serves on the National Association of Landscape Professionals’ Diversity and Inclusion Council. DEI in its broadest sense may benefit a landscaping and irrigation team in that with a variety of life experiences, different perspectives may be offered when considering workplace issues and objectives, Lehr says. “Varying perspectives may contribute to a broader consideration of factors to reach the best overall business decision strategically on how to respond to a particular sit- uation or challenge,” he adds. Tere are many ways in which developing DEI efforts can help with labor challenges.
Understanding employees’ unique needs and culture helps small business owners better improve work/life bal- ance and increase productivity for all, says McElwain. Groups of individuals in different communities come to
work with varied sets of skills, says Wayne Encalarde, prin- cipal and CEO of Encalarde Consultants in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tat’s especially true of markets like landscape irrigation by virtue of the fact that there’s a lower barrier to entry to start earning income. Tat allows people from any background to be a part of the industry. Multiple studies have shown that companies with
greater gender and ethnic diversity are more profitable, says Barbara Booth, chair of the Irrigation Association’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force and vice presi- dent of microirrigation for Rain Bird Corporation, Azusa, California. “Diverse teams are both more innovative and tend to do a better job of holding each other accountable,” she says. “Tese behaviors lead to better business outcomes for your employees, your customers and your bottom line.” DEI helps address labor issues that arise in the work-
place as well as adding to diversity and availability of skill set, he says. It also encourages a diversity of thought to have people coming from different backgrounds and different socioeconomic statuses that give them the experience to approach and solve problems in different, innovative ways.
Building a company with DEI best practices at its core can reduce overall turnover.
irrigationandlighting.org
June 2023 Irrigation & Lighting 25
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