Well, I am an avid gardener. Winter and Spring are my favorite times of the year, as in Florida, it is ridiculously hot in the Summer and Fall. The other day, I spoke with my mailman about my garden as I have "car stoppers" roses called Beverly (the best!) that are as big as my hand. He was asking me what type of fertilizer I use for my garden. I told him I do not use fertilizer but overplant with various plants and seeds. But how does that relate to growth? Well...
Gardening is a process that requires careful planning, attention to detail, and a constant focus on growth and improvement. It's a process that requires patience and the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. It is not a put the plants in the ground and forget about them; you must water them, make sure they are in the right area, prune, fertilize, or overplant them to keep them growing. And, as it turns out, gardening has a lot in common with hiring the right people for your business or organization.
Just as a gardener carefully selects the right seeds to plant and creates the right conditions for them to thrive, a manager or business owner needs to carefully select the right employees and make the right conditions for them to succeed. You can easily do everything right, but if you do not provide the tools, they will not grow but leave or become disgruntled. This means taking the time to thoroughly assess the skills and qualifications of potential hires, as well as their fit within the company culture.
There are times when you need to overplant with various plants until your garden is established or, in the hiring sense, when you hire a diverse team, the strong will prevail, and the others you may need to move horizontally or vertically. It is not like they are harmful plants, just the wrong ecosystem.
A diverse range of plants in a garden can thrive and bring new life to the ecosystem. Similarly, a diverse team with various skills and perspectives can bring new ideas and approaches to problem-solving and help a business thrive.
But the work continues once the seeds are planted or the employees are hired. Just as a gardener needs to continuously tend to their garden, providing water, sunlight, and the necessary nutrients, a manager needs to provide support and resources to their employees to help them succeed.
Once the seeds have grown or when your new employee can work independently after training, they need minimal nurturing and direction. Your employees will still need ongoing training and development and a positive work environment that fosters collaboration and growth.
The best part of an established garden is sowing your seeds and creating more plants. This is where your employee has flourished, and they can work on cloning themselves into new employees. Here you repeat the process, but it will be easier as you will have plants, I mean employees, to support the new employee.
Ultimately, gardening and hiring the right people require a long-term commitment and a focus on continuous improvement. Sometimes, you need to hire more people, offer further training, or even eliminate bad habits to create new ones. By taking the time to select and nurture the right team carefully, you can start a thriving business or organization that is poised for success. I wish you luck in your eye care garden!
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