Today, I had the opportunity to get my seeds planted in my greenhouse. Tucking them into their little bed of soil, giving them some water and nutrients, and making sure they were protected, reminded me of one of my favorite sayings, “bloom where you’re planted.” For the seedlings, its hard to thrive or even sprout without care let alone bloom, that requires additional attention. For employees, its equally hard to bloom without the human equivalent.
I know what you’re thinking…how can we possibility compare plants to people. But let’s dig further. We’re both living things; we both need food and water; we both need good sleep quality. So, I put it to you that we’re more alike than not! So what constitutes the water, food, and good sleep quality at the organizational level? There is so much to this question, but there are some basics, that I believe are foundational.
Organizational food and water consists of clear expectations and the ability to function at your highest level. No one wants to be uncertain about expectations. Yet often we function in a vacuum because no one has taken the time to inform us. Whether its expectations on how to function within the organization at large, the team, communication, or anything else we are often left to function from a base of what has made us successful in previous roles. In this absence of important knowledge, it easy to become type-cast or worse yet villainized. As soon as we begin to share grievances with peers, managers or employees alike, we put another human into a box, which may or may not be accurate.
Additionally, no one wants to do work that they consider menial. Yes, there is always the “other duties as assigned,” and of course we do whatever we can to ensure the success of operations, but to function like this day after day and have your professional opinions and knowledge dismissed does little to fuel our passion.
Finally, good sleep quality. Good sleep occurs when we are at our best and have little stress. As a leader, what are you doing to ensure that your team members are not experiencing un-due stress? Un-due stress occurs when leaders are unsupportive or worse, bullies.
For our team members to function at their fullest capacity, and remain engaged at their fullest, provide them with the basics to bloom where they’re planted!
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