As citizens of the United States of America, we have so many freedoms to be thankful for. We are free to live where we want, work where we want, go to school where we want, say what we want, worship where we want, vote how we want and so much more it is difficult to even think of all the freedoms we enjoy. You wonder what the founding fathers would think of the USA today.

We all have different ways we observe the Fourth. There are family picnics, fairs, carnivals or festivals, car shows, charity races, concerts, parades, baseball games, political ceremonies and, last but not least, there must be fireworks. The common thread for all these events is community the community of family, friends and neighbors.

We found some interesting facts on the Internet about the history of the Fourth of July. Here are a few of them:

• July 4th, 1776 commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, declaring independence from Great Britain. On July 2, 1776, the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. The Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author, was finally approved on July 4th.
• One of the most enduring myths about Independence Day is that the members of Congress signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Most delegates actually signed the Declaration on August 2, 1776.
• John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, the only two men who signed the Declaration of Independence to become president, died on the same day: July 4, 1826.
• In 1777 13 gunshots were fired, once at morning and again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island.
• Held since 1875, the Bristol parade is the oldest continuous Independence Day celebration in the United States.
• In 1778 General George Washington marked July 4 with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute.
• In 1781 the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration.
• In 1791 the first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” occurred.
• In 1870 the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees.
• Since 1916 Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City, supposedly started as a way to settle a dispute among four immigrants as to who was the most patriotic.
• In 1938 Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday.
• A salute of one gun for each state in the United States, called a “salute to the union,” is fired on Independence Day at noon by any capable military base.
• The Boston Pops Orchestra has hosted a music and fireworks show over the Charles River Esplanade called the “Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular” annually since 1973. The event has been broadcast nationally since 2003.
• On the Capitol lawn in Washington, D.C., “A Capitol Fourth,” a free concert, precedes the fireworks and attracts over half a million people annually.
• Since 1959 the International Freedom Festival is jointly held in Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, as a mutual celebration of Independence Day and Canada Day (July 1). It culminates in a large fireworks display over the Detroit River.
• In 2009 New York City had the largest fireworks display in the country, with over 22 tons of pyrotechnics exploded.

Take a minute to stop and wonder what kind of life we might have in the USA in 2010 had our politicians in 1776 not voted for independence!

Happy Fourth of July!

Every other week, we produce a newsletter that goes to all our Team Members; it’s called The Team Builder. Some of the things we have worked very hard on at Grunder Landscaping Co. are our mission, vision, and core values. For those of you who have worked on these yourself, you know this is not an easy process nor is it an overnight process. A few weeks ago, one of our Group Leaders, Lance Gallaher, wrote a column for The Team Builder. When I read it, it made me proud. Lance does not report to me; Lance reports to our production manager Walt Peter. I think when you read it, you’ll see we have a young man who understands exactly what it takes to be successful here at Grunder Landscaping Company.

I think one of the toughest things we leaders try to do is to get our people living, believing, and acting with a sense of purpose. I am proud of Lance for what he understands and the efforts he is putting forth to help us grow. It’s a small victory for me as the leader of my organization; I see other leaders stepping up and because of that, I am certain that we have a bright future ahead of us. So, this week, I challenge you—how’s your leadership? Are your people carrying out the vision and mission of your organization? Do they understand what a win looks like? Does their behavior support the core values? How about taking some small steps towards improvement in that area this week? Maybe just sit down with your right hand man or woman and ask them what they think is important to your team’s success? That would be a great place to start. Remember as the old adage goes: Rome wasn’t built in a day—neither is a successful organization.

Here’s The Team Builder; read it and feel free to steal the idea; that’s why I produce these weekly Great Ideas; it’s to help you and you can’t argue with the price.

Genius without education is like silver in the mine.
Benjamin Franklin

We never stop learning. Or we shouldn’t ever stop learning. Even in this tough economic situation, we need to make or take the time and money to find ways to better operate our businesses to enrich both the business and our lives. While we’re waiting for the recovery, this would be a good time to attend seminars or events for yourself and your team members so you can make your plans to improve your businesses and processes for the future. Unless, of course, you’ve given up! Not!!!!!

There are all kinds of events and seminars all around the country focusing on all kinds of topics. I wanted to take a few minutes and tell you about a new seminar we are offering in Dayton, Ohio, and remind you of the Grunder Landscaping Field Trips this summer and fall and next winter’s GROW! event, also in Dayton.

On Tuesday, July 27th, Ed Eppley and I will be hosting Who Moved My Customer? Practical Survival Tactics for Business Leaders. This will be a one-day event at Cox Arboretum in Dayton, from 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. We must learn to adjust to the needs of the customer to survive and thrive. And we have to make sure our team knows what to do so we can be successful this year and in future years. We’ll teach you the biggest mistakes leaders are making right now and could potentially make and how to avoid them. We’ll discuss how to make better decisions in today’s economy and selling tactics that work. And we’ll work on problem solving within the group. You can see the agenda on the website. Sign up now. This event will be a complete sell-out; I will guarantee that.

Then we have the Grunder Landscaping Field Trips. This year’s dates are: August 19-20, September 9-10, and October 14-15. We offer an intensive one-day immersion into the workings, processes and procedures of Grunder Landscaping Co. My key people will share our secrets and we’ll send you home with a binder full of forms that you can use at your business. Past attendees have mentioned they feel the forms alone are worth the cost of the visit. The Field Trip is a small group event and is the only way to get all the information on the day-to-day operation of one of the Midwest’s best landscaping companies. Sign up today to experience Grunder Landscaping for yourself.

The 2011 GROW! Event will be held in Dayton from February 10-12, 2011. Business owners and managers from all around the country have attended our GROW! events. This is a three-day event packed with sessions designed to prepare you and your team for a successful year. You’ll have the chance to network with owners of similar companies and they are always willing to share their best, and maybe the worst, experiences to help you learn from them as well. Hundreds of owners have attended our GROW! events over the years to get motivated and prepared to approach their year with a positive attitude and tools to help with their success. You won’t want to miss this event! Click here to sign up.

We are also in the process of scheduling webinars for the remainder of the year. Watch this website for further details.

And if you’re interested in one-on-one consulting, you can contact Nancy at the office and she’ll be glad to explain how we can help you.

There is a recovery coming and you need to be ready. Don’t sit around and wait for things to get better; make them better by making an investment in yourself. Smart entrepreneurs and leaders are doing that right now; you need to do the same. Now is the time to invest in yourself! Sign up for one of these events today.

“What do you mean we can’t get rid of those weeds in time? Then go over there and put some fancy signs with Latin names in front of them.”

Walt Disney

I love this quote from Walt Disney, always have. In this environment, you can’t say no to clients too much. You have to do everything you can to take care of them. Actually, we should not have needed an economic crisis to learn this lesson but that’s a message for another day.

We all have to figure a way out to survive; we have to deal with the cards that are dealt. Those who will win in the business environment are the ones that figure out a way to go around, go under, go over, do whatever they have to do to succeed. Expect a lot from your team but expect more from yourself. When you do that, it’s amazing the lesson you are teaching to your team!