How to Get Your Crews to Run Jobs Without You — The 3 Before Me Rule- MDL Episode 402

About this episode

Scott Molchan discusses how to empower landscaping crews to operate independently using the Three Before Me rule and effective job instructions.

Your phone is ringing again. You're in the middle of an estimate with a great client, building rapport, about to close — and your crew leader is calling because the mower won't start. Or they ran out of mulch. Or a customer asked about one extra shrub. If this is your day, this episode is for you. Scott Molchan walks through exactly how to get your crews running jobs without you — not by hiring better people, but by giving the people you have the right tools and information. In this episode, Scott covers: Why your crew keeps calling — and why training them to stop starts with you changing your behavior, not theirs. How to use estimated hours on every work order — sharing that number changes the psychology of the job. It gives your crew a target. It turns work into a game. And it starts protecting your profits. What detailed job instructions actually look like — vague work orders create phone calls. Photos, videos, notes, and specific scope attached to every job means your crew can do 90% of that work before you even show up. The Three Before Me rule — before any crew leader is allowed to call you with a problem, they have to check three things first: the work order, your SOPs…

People in this episode

Host: Scott Molchan

Topics covered

• crew management
• landscaping
• job instructions
• training
• business operations

Keywords

• crew leadership
• work orders
• SOPs
• training
• landscaping business

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