Business Education

Employees Have These Skills You’re Probably Overlooking in Your Business

Employees Have These In current conversations about emerging technologies like AI, workplace experts consistently highlight the critical role of human skills. However, eager to embrace the latest state-of-the-art tech, some companies may be undervaluing these essential qualities – characteristics that can be exceptionally valuable.

A recent Deloitte survey of 1,000 employees found that only 52% believed their companies prioritized “human skills” over technical skills. This perspective contrasts sharply with employees’ personal views: 95% described human skills as “always important” and “timeless,” with 87% identifying qualities like adaptability, leadership, and communication as essential for career growth.

Many employees also expressed a preference for employers to prioritize skills such as “teamwork and collaboration” over technical competencies like “AI integration and data analysis.” Without this emphasis on human skills, respondents worry it may have long-term effects. Specifically, 94% are concerned that future workers might lack the “necessary human skills” for the workforce.

While tech investments are clearly a priority for companies (average tech budgets increased to 5.49% of revenue in 2023 from 4.25% in 2022), there’s a notable gap in implementation. A survey by Challenger, Gray & Christmas found that while AI adoption is growing, it remains far from widespread among employees. Additionally, 70% of respondents in Deloitte’s survey reported being trained on new technology, only to see it quickly become obsolete. Consequently, employees want more interpersonal development, like mentorship and shadowing, along with a stronger focus on human skills.

How to Identify Human Skills

Since employees and employers alike value such skills and they can be mutually beneficial to both people and businesses, it’s important to identify individuals who possess these traits. Here are some ways small businesses can pinpoint critical abilities, such as communication, collaboration, and negotiation skills in their employees:

Communication Skills

Observe how employees communicate with customers, clients, and colleagues. Do they speak clearly, actively listen, and express themselves well?
Review email and written communications. Are they well-organized, concise, and appropriate in tone?
Look for employees who are comfortable presenting information to groups, articulating ideas, and engaging in discussions.

Additionally, take note of employees who can explain complex topics in simple terms and tailor their communication style to the audience.

Collaboration Skills

Watch how employees interact and work with others on team projects or tasks.
Do they contribute ideas, support their teammates, and share information freely?
Observe if they are able to compromise, resolve conflicts, and work towards shared goals.
Take special notice of employees who volunteer to help others and can take direction as well as provide it.

Also, pay attention to their personal disposition. For instance, if they demonstrate empathy, patience, and respect when collaborating.

Negotiation Skills

Evaluate how employees handle discussions around budgets, timelines, and other work-related terms. Do they prepare thoroughly, listen actively, and propose mutually beneficial solutions?
Identify individuals who can remain calm under pressure, make concessions when appropriate, and reach satisfactory agreements.
Look for employees who can effectively communicate their position, understand the other party’s perspective, and reach a compromise.

You should likewise keep an eye on their tactics. For example, if they are persistent yet flexible in their negotiation approach.

By observing these behaviors in day-to-day work, small business owners and managers can get a sense of which employees possess strong communication, collaboration, and negotiation skills. These soft skills or “human skills” are essential for success in many roles and can be just as important as technical expertise.

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You can call us for your free appointment at 480-636-1720, or, if you prefer, send us an email. You can also visit us at Waters Business Consulting Group to learn more about us and the services we offer.

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Apprenticeships That Actually Work

March 30, 2026 No Comments

Training the next generation of tradespeople requires more than hiring entry-level workers and hoping they figure things out. Effective apprenticeship programs provide structured learning and mentorship that help workers build real skills. Create a learning pathway A strong apprenticeship program includes clear milestones. New workers should understand what skills they are expected to learn and how their responsibilities will grow over time. This clarity builds confidence and motivation. Pair apprentices with mentors Experienced workers play a critical role in developing new talent. Mentorship allows apprentices to learn directly from professionals who understand the craft and culture of the industry. Celebrate progress Recognizing achievements keeps apprentices motivated. Certifications, promotions and public recognition within the company reinforce the value of continued learning.

From Surviving to Dominating

July 30, 2026 No Comments

How Waters Business Consulting Group has helped transform many commercial landscape companies into more profitable, scalable businesses Every commercial landscape company eventually hits a moment that defines what happens next. For some, it’s growth outrunning the systems meant to support it. Revenue climbs, but profit doesn’t follow. Labor costs creep up. Cash gets tighter. The owner is working more hours and feeling less in control of the business every month. What used to feel like success starts to feel like an endless string of problems to solve from employees, field operations, customers to cash flow. For others, the challenge shows up faster and with more urgency. Margins have already eroded. Operations are inconsistent from crew to crew. Leadership is stretched too thin. Customers expect more, and the company doesn’t have the structure or financial visibility to respond. In both cases, most owners reach for the same fix: more sales. But more sales don’t automatically fix thin margins; the exacerbate them! With fuzzy accountability, inefficient processes, or an owner who’s become the bottleneck. Usually, what the company actually needs isn’t more revenue. It’s a better business. Waters Business Consulting Group has worked with commercial landscape maintenance and construction companies across the country, including Pleasant Places, Blue Star Landscaping, Genesis Landscape Solutions, Sun Country, and Creative Environments, to find what’s really limiting their performance and build practical paths toward stronger profitability and cash flow, tighter operations, real leadership capacity, and long-term value. Our goal was never just to help these companies survive. It’s to help them build what it takes to lead and increase the the value of their business asset. Struggling doesn’t always look small Some of the most challenged companies we’ve worked with had real revenue, loyal customers, experienced crews, and a strong reputation in their market. From the outside, everything looked fine. Underneath, the same familiar warning signs kept showing up: revenue growing while profit stayed flat, the owner still involved in nearly every major decision, labor costs nobody could quite explain, crews performing inconsistently from job to job, estimates that didn’t reflect what jobs actually cost, financial reports arriving too late to act on, managers held accountable for results they had no real authority over, cash flow swinging unpredictably, and roles and processes that were never clearly defined in the first place. These problems rarely show up alone. A bad estimate turns into a margin problem and project losses. A margin problem turns into a cash-flow problem. Weak reporting means leadership doesn’t catch it until the financial damage is already real. And without a capable leadership team in place, the owner becomes the answer to every question and the fix for every problem. Over time, the business ends up running on effort instead of systems. Our approach starts by understanding how these challenges connect to each other, then figuring out which changes are actually likely to move the needle in a lasting way … in the same way we moved the needle for Pleasant Places Landscape, Blue Star Landscaping, Genesis Landscape Solutions, Sun Country, and Creative Environments. Clarity comes before transformation You can’t fix a business you can’t see clearly. That’s why we look past the top-line revenue number and into the operational, financial, and organizational factors actually driving performance: profitability by customer, contract, or service line; labor efficiency and crew productivity; how accurate the estimating really is; direct costs and overhead; pricing strategy; cash flow and forecasting; org structure; leadership capacity; roles and accountability; the sales pipeline; operational processes; and how dependent the business is on the owner. We’re not trying to hand leadership another binder of reports. We’re trying to find the small handful of constraints actually driving performance, the levers, so leaders can stop treating symptoms and start fixing what’s underneath them. Pleasant Places: turning rapid growth into stronger profit Pleasant Places was already a real success story by the time the company partnered with us. Founded in 1984, this commercial landscaping company had grown fast, taking annual revenue from roughly $10 million to nearly $18 million in just two years. But that pace of growth had created its own problems. Margins were under pressure, processes and procedures needed real work, accountability was inconsistent from department to department, and the organization simply didn’t have the infrastructure to operate efficiently at its new size. We worked with the Pleasant Places leadership team to strengthen the financial, operational, and organizational foundation underneath all that growth. That meant digging into historical financial trends and building a model to evaluate cost of goods sold, margins, and breakeven performance; putting systems in place to track labor hours and materials against estimates; refining pricing to hit target gross margins; implementing real purchasing controls; identifying gaps in leadership and org structure; clarifying roles, responsibilities, and who reported to whom; supporting a management transition from father to son; establishing real performance metrics; and researching and implementing an ERP system to give the company far better operational visibility. The results speak for themselves. Pleasant Places gained real visibility into projected revenue, gross margins, profitability, and cash flow. Pricing discipline, tighter labor and material cost controls, and real leadership accountability helped push gross margins up from low 20’s to an average of 42%. Revenue grew past $35 million, and the company came out the other side with a stronger leadership structure, clearer expectations, and a healthier culture. The lesson here is simple: growth gets a lot more sustainable when financial discipline, operational systems, leadership accountability, and org structure grow right alongside revenue instead of trailing behind it. Blue Star Landscaping: building profitable growth, and a successful exit Blue Star Landscaping came to us with a different set of problems. The company needed to improve profitability, tighten up its pricing, get real control over labor and material costs, develop its leadership bench, and build a clear plan for growth. The team had solid industry experience, but they needed a more disciplined way to connect strategic growth to financial forecasting, pricing, cost control, and actual profitability. We worked with Blue Star

Thinking About Introducing Summer Fridays to Your Employees? Here’s What Small Business Owners Need to Know

June 22, 2023 No Comments

Summer Fridays are a type of alternate scheduling that allows employees to either leave the office early or take the day off at the end of the week. As the name suggests, these reduced hours occur during the summer months and apply only to Fridays. Obviously, team members appreciate the option and this policy can be beneficial to both employees as well as businesses. Just What are Summer Fridays? Again, workplace Summer Fridays refer to a flexible work policy where employees are granted reduced work hours or time off on Fridays, typically during the summer season. The specifics of Summer Fridays can vary depending on the company, but the most common approach is to allow employees to leave early or take the entire afternoon off after completing their required work hours for the week. Reasons to Incorporate Summer Fridays Summer Fridays are a popular perk that can be a great way to boost employee morale and productivity, but it’s important to carefully consider the pros and cons before implementing this practice in a small business. Here are the advantages companies can expect to gain: Increased employee morale and engagement. Offering Summer Fridays can boost employee morale, satisfaction, and motivation. Knowing they have extra time to enjoy summer activities or spend quality time with friends and family can increase overall happiness and job satisfaction. This, in turn, can enhance productivity and reduce burnout. Improved work-life balance. Small businesses often face challenges in maintaining a healthy work-life balance for their employees. Summer Fridays provide an opportunity for employees to recharge, reducing stress levels and preventing burnout. The increased flexibility can also allow employees to schedule personal appointments, attend children’s activities, or engage in hobbies, which can positively impact their well-being. Attraction and retention of top talent. In a competitive job market, small businesses may struggle to attract and retain skilled professionals. Implementing Summer Fridays can be an attractive perk for prospective employees, differentiating the company from competitors. Additionally, existing employees are more likely to stay with a company that values work-life balance and offers flexibility. And, last but certainly not least – increased productivity and focus. Shortened work hours can lead to increased productivity as employees strive to accomplish their tasks within a condensed timeframe. Knowing that they have limited hours available can encourage employees to prioritize their work, minimize distractions, and focus on completing their assignments more efficiently. Considerations Small Businesses Need to Take into Account Before Implementing Summer Fridays Of course, there are always some potential drawbacks or downsides that go along with just about any type of change, regardless of intention and promise. Here are some things small businesses need to consider about Summer Fridays: Impact on operations and client expectations. Before implementing Summer Fridays, small businesses need to consider the potential impact on their operations and client relationships. Adequate planning and communication should be in place to ensure that reduced work hours or the absence of key employees on Fridays do not disrupt workflow or negatively affect customer service. Scheduling and staffing challenges. Small businesses often operate with limited resources, and adjusting schedules to accommodate Summer Fridays may present staffing challenges. Careful consideration should be given to workload distribution, cross-training employees, or arranging for temporary help to ensure essential tasks are covered. Consistency and fairness. It is crucial to establish clear guidelines and policies for Summer Fridays to ensure consistency and fairness among employees. Setting expectations, defining eligibility criteria, and addressing potential conflicts can help avoid misunderstandings or negative feelings within the team. Communication and transparency. Effective communication is key when implementing any new policy. Clearly communicate the details, benefits, and expectations of Summer Fridays to employees. Openly address any concerns or questions and be transparent about how the policy aligns with the company’s goals and values. What else would you include in the pros and cons of instituting Summer Fridays that small businesses should know about? Please take a few moments to comment and share your thoughts and experiences so others can benefit from your unique perspective! Interested in learning more about business? Then just visit Waters Business Consulting Group to learn more about us and the services we offer.