Just as in gardens, businesses can get overgrown with weeds – unresolved issues and people not working. You must dig out the weeds and dead plants at the root so they do not return. If you just pull the tops of the weeds, you could be spreading the bad seeds making them stronger and more plentiful.
Businesses are like gardens, they need weeding before planting, and maintaining to get a great harvest. ~ Jean Brownie
Planting seeds is one of my favorite things to do in my trainings. I leave nuggets I hope will blossom (apply to job) so the gardener (participant) can reap the harvest and become the positive, thriving work environment they seek. The hard part comes before the seeds are planted. The garden or work environment must be cleared of the weeds and dead plants before there is room for the seeds to take root. Just as in our gardens, our business can get overgrown with weeds – issues left unresolved and dead plants – people not doing their jobs. Over the years, you can no longer see a garden because only a weed patch remains. The term ‘root cause’ comes to mind. You must dig out the weeds and dead plants at the root so they do not return. If you just pull the tops of the weeds, you could be spreading the bad seeds making them stronger and more plentiful. Just like in the garden, unresolved issues at work will return stronger and larger if you do not pull out the root.
It reminds me of when I am asked to do a training for a few hours, plant some seeds and go home. But if the garden is not ready, the seeds will never grow. If the seeds grow, it is because someone is willing to maintain it. I started doing follow-ups to my trainings with customers to try to encourage them to plant the seeds instead of leaving them lay on the surface.
Sometimes, I recommend companies do some weeding before I do the training making room for the seeds. I can provide guidance on where and how to start and develop a plan for completion and maintenance but I cannot tend the garden. It is not my garden. It is the company’s garden. Some employees can clean a patch of the garden for their team to plant the seeds and nurture their growth. But if they are not careful, the weeds left in the remaining areas of the garden will slowly choke out their passion for better harvest.
It takes commitment from the company to go through the hard work and pain of weeding the entire garden, seeds planted, watered, and continual weeding before you reap the bounty of your hard work. Once you have things weeded out and the right people tending the garden, it will be much easier to maintain. This is the type of environment where teams and ideas flourish, people are passionate about their work and business thrives.
I’m passionate about helping companies who want to create a culture of people working together so their gardens will produce a great harvest every year. In any cultural change, there is a period where the labor is so intense – resolving issues and removing dead plants – people often give up before the seeds are planted, nurtured and eventually harvested. The rewards are great for those who persist in planting and maintaining the garden.
Jean
