Page 54 - Free State Winter 2021
P. 54
GARDEN COMM A Heather Zindash
Pivoting with Purpose
e have all heard the term take flight, or freeze. The world froze. to start sewing masks or volunteering
‘pivot’ used many times Our businesses were halted, as were in some way to help? Would we need
Win the last year and a half. our incomes and economic security. to horde toilet paper and bottled
This word has meant many things to We didn’t know how to keep ourselves, water? It was just at that moment that
many people, especially to those of us our families, our employees, or our we received an MNLGA “Root of the
in the Horticulture and Landscaping businesses safe at the onset of the Matter” email with a link to a “I know
industry. pandemic in March 2020. I should…But” (https://www.youtube.
com/watch?v=IUx7_qeS1NE) webinar
For many of us, we were motivated, I hadn’t yet had time do decide how
if not forced, to pivot due to panic I would react to ‘The Pause’ in our for Landscape and Horticultural
caused by a global pandemic and an economy when my business was Professionals by Scott Wentworth and
accompanying economic shut-down. negatively affected and 50% of it was Jim Paluch.
It was a reaction and why not? We put on pause. Like all of us, I watched The take-away messages from this
were not trained to deal with possible the news closely to see if our industry webinar came at the perfect time for
pandemics. would be deemed ‘essential’ or not. what we were all experiencing. “What
Could we continue to work and will your legacy be when this is over?”
We know that the human body’s
conduct our businesses? Did we need “How will you be remembered during
natural reaction to danger is to fight,
this time?” “This is what is happening
through us, not to us.” These
messages buoyed me and gave me
the encouragement to consciously
choose how I would respond to this
pandemic danger. I chose to fight,
as did many of us in this industry!
The messages challenged us to ask
ourselves, “How could we pivot with
purpose?”
Once deemed essential, we
watched as our fellow Horticulture
colleagues instantly created on-line
service options, and hands-free
pick-up and delivery options. We
found a way to keep our products
moving and our businesses afloat
under dire circumstances. We and
Naughty Pine Owner and Heather our employees took on new roles,
54 WINTER 2021 • Free State News
