It’s almost that time of year to put our lawn mower away and allow it to rest for the winter. I do get satisfaction out of a lawn well mowed, but I’m ready for the grass to go dormant. This past summer I read an article in The Fishwrapper about a man named Pat, recounting lessons learned as a boy from his father. One summer Pat and his brother decided to start a lawn mowing business. His dad was their salesman getting lawns for them to mow, and he was also their supervisor. Dad supervised every lawn they mowed.
On one hot and sticky Florida day, the boys were mowing a lawn of knee-high grass that clogged their mowers often. Pat was fed up with this lawn and just wanted to finish the job and cool off. He was about to shut off the mower but then saw his ever-present Dad pointing to one blade of grass that he had missed. Only one blade of grass?!!! Pat initially ignored his dad and kept walking, but his dad called out, “You missed a piece.” Pat gave his dad a “you’ve got to be kidding” look, hoping his dad would change his mind, but his dad kept pointing. The job was not done until that last blade of grass was cut. Reluctantly, Pat went back to cut that one blade of grass.
Pat learned some valuable life lessons that day that stuck with him into adulthood: the importance of a strong work ethic as well as the need to deliver a quality product and excellent customer service every time. This story resonated with me as it relates to the work we do here at Master’s. We value each client relationship and strive to provide excellent advice, service with professionalism, and attention to every detail. If occasionally we do “miss a blade,” we are committed to going back and working until the job is finished correctly.
