12
THE DAVEY BULLETIN
|
January/February 2026
Across Commercial Landscape Services (CLS) teams,
mindset is everything.
Its importance is reinforced regularly during morning
meetings, team check-ins and one-on-one conversations,
and it's all about establishing a positive culture and
remaining vigilant of attitudes that counter that positivity.
Large signs reading "Mindset"
around CLS offices also help to
keep the mantra top of mind.
"Having the right mindset drives
consistency, safety, and quality,"
Michael Watson, account manager,
Alexandria/D.C. CLS, said. "When
teams approach work with
ownership and adaptability, they're
better prepared to solve problems, reduce
risks and meet customer expectations. It
also builds trust and engagement – people
feel empowered to learn and improve, which
leads to higher efficiency and stronger
client relationships."
Brenden Lowe, branch manager, Alexandria/D.C. CLS, said
he always works to outwardly carry and maintain an ethical
set of beliefs and positive attitude, and he attributes his
team also buying into this mindset to his office maintaining
an ingrained set of positive fundamentals.
"Constant and consistent praise, encouragement, and
constructive criticism will maintain an ethical, accountable
and positive culture," Lowe said. "It is infectious, and we
are fortunate to have a positive-thinking staff."
POSITIVE MINDSET CREATES SUCCESS IN CLS TERRITORIES
Kyle Smedi, branch manager, Dulles CLS, said this
positive-mindset focus, which started as a stretch-circle
topic around positivity and safety, has also evolved into a
more consistent part of how his team operates day to day.
"It starts with leadership
modeling the mindset
we want to see in field
employees," Smedi said.
"Open communication and
encouragement go a very
long way. I am constantly
reminding the team how
a positive mindset leads
to personal growth and
team success."
Brandon Craft, commercial
sales representative,
Dulles and Alexandria
CLS, takes pride in working
with his team because of
their focus on a positive
mindset, which he said
is a key factor in getting daily tasks completed. It allows
his team to run on all cylinders, he said, no matter what
obstacles may arise throughout the day.
"When a group has a mindset to win every day, it lifts
the morale of everyone involved," Craft said. "Knowing
that we share the common goal to have a productive
work hour, workday, work month and work year keeps
our office successful."
LEADERSHIP
Signs reading "Mindset"
are posted on walls in CLS
offices across the country,
like in the cities of Suffolk,
Tampa, Richmond and
Cincinnati, with a focus
on reminding employees
to keep a positive mindset
day in and day out.
