This article is a collaboration with the editors of Landscape Management magazine to explore issues we're hearing from landscape business owners on a regular basis. Each month, a Landscape Management writer interviews one of our team members at McFarlin Stanford. This month's article is based on an interview on 9/23/2026 with Barrett Chow, executive coach and head of recruiting.
By Landscape Management | Interview conducted 23 September 2026 | Published [TBD]
Based on an interview with Barrett Chow, executive coach and head of recruiting at McFarlin Stanford
According to Barrett Chow, executive coach and head of recruiting at McFarlin Stanford, good landscape team members usually quit because of leadership, not the labor pool. He points to three recurring reasons: limited growth, a culture mismatch, and feeling undercompensated or underappreciated. His advice to owners who keep losing people: check the mirror first.
“Most of the time, it's you, not them.” That's Chow’s answer when a landscape business owner says they keep hiring good people but can’t keep them. Chow has spent over a decade in human resources, including more than four years at Lifescape Colorado, where he rose from HR manager to people operations director, and coached executives and middle managers on team relations, performance management and recruiting. Before joining McFarlin Stanford in 2024, he served as associate vice president of human resources at BDI. The reasons people leave, he says, rarely start where owners think they do.
Poor management shows up in the broader research too. According to SHRM's 2024 Global Workplace Culture Report, 54% of departing workers cited poor management as a reason for leaving. That figure covers workers generally. Chow thinks the number runs even higher in the landscape industry, but that is his read, not a measured figure.
Key Takeaways
- Chow says most retention problems trace back to leadership, not the labor pool, and tells owners to check the mirror first.
- Chow groups departures into three drivers: growth, culture fit and how valued people feel.
- How honest an exit interview is depends on role; field crews and senior leaders are direct, while middle managers often aren’t.
- Low-cost fixes matter most: stay interviews, on-site one-on-ones for field crews, and a structured 30-60-90-day onboarding plan.
- Seasonal turnover isn’t a failure, but giving crews a taste of career growth before the season ends can bring them back.
What Are the Main Reasons Landscape People in Landscaping Leave?
Chow says three reasons float to the top across the companies he’s worked with, and he’s specific that they’re voluntary departures, meaning people who resign on their own.
Limited growth. Younger workers especially “have a hunger to grow,” Chow says, and they want to see advancement fast. When asked how important a clear path is, he answered: “Very, if not critical.”
Culture mismatch. Chow describes people who get in and realize “these aren’t your people” and then decide it isn’t where they want to be, whether the reason is the drive or something else.
Feeling undercompensated or underappreciated. Chow stresses the word feeling. “That’s not always the truth,” he says. “It’s just what they feel.” As HR professionals like to say, you can’t tell someone else how they feel. Pay alone won’t fix it either: a raise can work in the short term, Chow says, but after a while “the golden handcuffs simply become gilded handcuffs.” These reasons reflect what Chow sees repeatedly in his work, not survey data.
How Honest Are Exit Interviews?
In Chow’s experience, honesty depends on role. Field crews and senior leaders tend to be direct about why they leave, while middle managers’ real reasons surface less often in a two-week notice than in a well-run exit interview. Chow treats exit interviews as diagnostic tools, not formalities.
Chow says field crews and senior leaders do not show “a lot of smoke and mirrors.” Middle managers are different, which is exactly why he wants owners to run exit interviews deliberately instead of treating them as paperwork.
What Management Blind Spots Drive Team Members Out?
In Chow’s observation, managers often pour attention into underperformers while leaving top talent alone. High performers are often the hungriest for growth, so being left alone signals that nothing more is coming for them. These habits aren’t meant to be malicious; they’re invisible to the people doing them.
“When people are good at their job, managers tend to let them be,” Chow says. “The irony, however, is that those high performers are often the ones most hungry for growth.”
What Low-Cost Fixes Improve Retention?
Chow says the fixes need more intention, not a bigger budget. He recommends stay interviews with top performers, on-site one-on-ones of 15 to 20 minutes for field crews, and a structured 30-60-90-day onboarding plan that gives new hires a real chance to stay.
Stay interviews
At the top of Chow’s list is the stay interview, which he calls the most overlooked tool in the retention toolbox. Companies routinely conduct hiring and exit interviews but rarely sit down with a top performer and ask why they stay. “It’s the lost interview within the interviews,” Chow says.
On-site one-on-ones for field crews
Rather than expecting the field team to come into the office, Chow recommends short, regular check-ins of 15 to 20 minutes, monthly or quarterly, done on-site. “You want to meet them where they’re at,” he says, “not the other way around.”
A structured 30-60-90-day onboarding plan
Chow says onboarding sets the tone for everything that follows. Companies that skip a structured 30-60-90-day plan, he says, are often setting new hires up to leave before they’ve had a real chance to stay.
How Should Landscape Companies Handle Seasonal Turnover?
Chow encourages owners to separate seasonal turnover from voluntary and involuntary turnover, because those departures are expected and shouldn’t be held against the company. He sees an opportunity in the seasonal gap: letting crew members shadow an account manager for a day gives them something concrete to look forward to, which makes them more likely to return.
“We can’t hold that against us knowing that it's coming,” Chow says of seasonal departures. A day shadowing an account manager replaces a vague promise with something concrete. “If people can experience the light at the end of the tunnel,” Chow says, “they’re more likely to come back.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do good landscape team members quit?
Good landscape team members usually quit because of leadership, not a shortage of workers. Barrett Chow of McFarlin Stanford cites three recurring reasons: limited growth opportunities, a culture mismatch, and feeling undercompensated or underappreciated. His first advice to owners is to check the mirror before blaming the labor pool.
How much does poor management contribute to people quitting?
More than half of departing workers point to poor management. SHRM's 2024 Global Workplace Culture Report found that 54% cited it as a reason for leaving. Barrett Chow, executive coach at McFarlin Stanford, believes the number may run even higher in the landscape industry.
How can landscape business owners reduce people turnover?
Landscape owners can reduce turnover with low-cost, high-intention practices instead of a bigger budget. Chow recommends stay interviews with top performers, 15- to 20-minute on-site one-on-ones for field crews, and a structured 30-60-90-day onboarding plan so new hires get a real chance to stay.
How can landscape companies retain their best people?
Give top performers attention, not just space. Chow says managers often leave high performers alone, though they’re often the hungriest for growth, and that signals nothing more is coming. Stay interviews, where owners ask top performers why they stay, show what keeps them.
How often should managers hold one-on-ones with field crews?
Chow recommends short check-ins of 15 to 20 minutes, held monthly or quarterly. He says to hold them on-site rather than asking the field team to come to the office. As he puts it, “You want to meet them where they’re at.”
Will a raise keep good landscape team members from leaving?
A raise may not be the whole answer. Chow stresses that feeling undercompensated reflects perception, not always reality: “That’s not always the truth,” he says. Limited growth and a culture mismatch are the other recurring reasons and stay interviews can reveal what keeps a top performer.
Is seasonal turnover a problem for landscape companies?
Seasonal turnover is a natural part of the industry, not a failure. Chow advises tracking it separately from voluntary and involuntary turnover. He also suggests using the seasonal gap to show crew members a path forward, such as letting them shadow an account manager for a day.
The Bottom Line: What Should Owners Do First?
Landscape owners who keep losing good people should examine their own leadership before blaming the labor pool. Chow recommends stay interviews with top performers, on-site check-ins with field crews and structured onboarding as practical places to start. For owners ready to work on their own leadership with accountability from a group of peers, ACE Peer Groups is a good place to begin.
In an industry defined by tight labor and tighter seasons, that’s advice owners can’t afford to ignore.
