Green Thumb Thoughts

One of the hobbies I’ve developed since the shift to working from home is indoor gardening. My office plant population is well into the double digits. It’s no surprise that my green thumb has impacted my thinking about the work I do helping organizations grow. Corporate growth = gardening. Yawn. This is not a new way of thinking. It's pretty old, a shriveled leaf if you will. You’ve all heard so many tired cliches about reaping what you sow, and planting now for future success, blah blah blah. Not content to let those fallen apples rot in peace, I’m going to torture that metaphor a bit further today. There are a few important horticultural practices that you should incorporate into your organization. 

Support structures
Just as you use a stake to support fragile vines to allow them to grow to their full potential, the structures you use within your company can allow your employees to reach heights … You have the opportunity to design inclusive systems that foster growth in all employees.

Pruning
Sometimes trimming a few branches lets the plant put more energy towards growing deeper roots and reaching higher. Sharpening your focus can have the same benefits. Narrowing your focus by saying no to certain opportunities can feel limiting, but often results in growth. 

Changing the soil
This is something I didn’t know you should do for your plants until I started doing research into how to take care of the many many plants I kept acquiring. Turns out that soil has nutrients in it that get used up, so you’ll have better results if you change the soil from time to time. This applies to your team as well. Keeping a static workforce means that ideas may get used up, and keeping a flow of new folks coming into your organization will bring new ideas and energy. This does often mean that you’ll need to design for turnover to make room for the new - which is hard - but sometimes you have to get your hands dirty…

Water and sunlight
All plants need water and sunlight. But not all plants need the same amount of either. Some may prefer dry soil and bright sunlight, others do better being watered often and kept in indirect light. You need to get to know what each plant needs, and modify how you tend to them. All people need connection. But what fills their social cup varies greatly. Provide different ways for people to connect and form relationships, and if you’re gathering in person, think about the different needs of your folks - typical large group parties aren’t welcoming to introverts or the sober. How might you plan different ways for people to share space? 

What are you doing to help your “plants” thrive?