Fueling your business with better conversations

Let me guess: Your last performance review probably felt about as fun as digging a trench in February — cold, uncomfortable and something everyone wanted to avoid.

For many irrigation and lighting business owners, performance conversations happen once a year — maybe twice — or only when something has already gone wrong. By then, the feedback is overdue, emotions are high, and the moment to coach, correct or encourage has long passed.

Meanwhile, business owners often tell me, “Tom, my employees just don’t seem as committed as I am.”

And I usually respond, “They probably would be — if they actually knew what you expect, how they’re doing and felt like you were talking with them instead of about them.”

The cost of silence (and guesswork)

Running a small company already has enough challenges:

1. Weather delays
2. Equipment breakdowns
3. Customer expectations
4. Tight margins
5. Crew coordination

The last thing you need is confusion, miscommunication and unspoken frustration inside your team. Yet Gallup and other research groups keep telling us the same thing: Employee engagement is low, clarity is lacking and many workers feel disconnected from leadership.

In plain English? Too many employees are guessing instead of growing, and guesswork is expensive. U.S. businesses lose nearly $2 trillion a year in productivity due to disengaged employees. For a small business, just one unmotivated or unclear team member can slow down jobs, frustrate customers and drag down crew morale.

An example from the field

I once worked with an irrigation company owner who couldn’t understand why callbacks were increasing. He assumed his technicians “just weren’t paying attention.”

When we started having regular, short check-in conversations, something interesting happened. The techs told him that:

1. The install checklist wasn’t clear.
2. Certain parts were being stocked inconsistently.
3. They felt rushed and didn’t want to ask questions.

In other words, it wasn’t laziness — it was lack of clarity and communication. Once they started talking regularly, callbacks dropped, quality improved and the owner stopped pulling his hair out.

Employees want direction

Most people actually want to do a good job. They don’t want to find out once a year that they’ve been doing something wrong for six months.

Short, ongoing conversations allow you to say:

1. “Here’s what you’re doing well.”
2. “Here’s where you can improve.”
3. “Here’s how you can grow.”

This kind of communication builds confidence, accountability and trust without turning feedback into a scary event.

“More business owners are ditching outdated annual reviews and replacing them with something far more effective: short, ongoing, real conversations.”

Small adjustments beat big blowups

When feedback is delayed, little issues can become big problems. A minor behavior issue turns into a crew conflict. A small process gap turns into customer complaints. A frustrated employee quietly starts job hunting.

Regular conversations let you make small course corrections before they turn into expensive problems.

Your crew sees things you don’t

Your irrigation and lighting technicians are on the front lines. They see:

1. Inefficient processes
2. Customer frustrations
3. Jobsite delays
4. Ways to save time, money and headaches

When you give them a consistent voice, they stop being “just workers” and start becoming problem-solvers and partners in your business.

Communication isn’t optional

In irrigation and lighting, communication directly affects job quality, safety, scheduling, customer satisfaction and repeat business.

Regular conversations help reduce turnover, improve motivation and keep everyone aligned with your company goals — especially important when every crew member counts.

Here’s a simple truth I’ve learned over the years: Employees don’t usually quit companies. They quit confusion, silence and lack of feedback.

A better way

More business owners are ditching outdated annual reviews and replacing them with something far more effective: short, ongoing, real conversations. Not long meetings. Not corporate paperwork. Just consistent, practical check-ins that keep expectations clear and people accountable.

Keep the system simple

Yes, there are lots of apps out there. Some are useful. Others are expensive, complicated and built for companies with human resources departments bigger than your entire staff.

With my clients, I use a simple app I created to track and support continuous performance conversations — nothing fancy, just practical and easy to use. That said, you don’t need fancy software. You just need commitment and consistency.

It’s about better leadership

This approach isn’t about adding bureaucracy or wasting time. It’s about:

1. Replacing awkward annual reviews with real conversations.
2. Building trust instead of tension.
3. Catching problems early.
4. Helping your people succeed.
5. Building a stronger, more profitable business.

Because at the end of the day, better conversations lead to better performance — and fewer headaches.

Tom Borg is the founder and president of Tom Borg Consulting LLC. Since 1996, he has worked with CEOs, presidents and leadership teams in over 450 companies and organizations. Through his consulting, mentoring, coaching, workshops and assessment instruments, he works with green industry clients at the intersection of leadership, communication and culture, assisting them in building a culture of engagement and teamwork. You can contact him at 734.812.0526 or tom@tomborg.com, or visit his website at tomborgconsulting.com.