The gardener: nurturing your team

Posted on June 09, 2024 by Remi Vogel, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

I love relaxing in my garden after a day at work or during the week. Walk barefooted in the grass, play with my kids, listen to the birds, eat some berries or tomatoes, smell the flowers or the freshly cut grass… no matter how intense the work might have been, this moment fills me with peace and energy. Most of all, I like taking care of my garden, planting new plants, pruning some branches, weeding…

But you might ask, where this is going? Well, there are many similarities between leading a team and growing a garden. Firstly, they have an objective, secondly, they need plants, thirdly they require continuous care.

In my student years, I used to work as a gardener for a hotel restaurant. With other gardeners, we had to care for the lawns and walking path and maintain the flower beds so that clients could enjoy some chill-out moments, but also, we had several acres of vegetables that were used directly in the restaurant. Similarly, your garden serves multiple purposes. You might want a lawn for your kids to run and play, trees to create some shade in summer or to produce some fruits, flowers to welcome visitors or attract butterflies, a place to grow fresh vegetables or herbs for your cooking…
Each part of your garden is like a department of your company, your flower garden might be your marketing and your vegetable garden your production… But overall, all these parts should work into a harmonious place that meets your expectations, as all departments of a company work for a common goal. Each manager is therefore a gardener in a complex garden.

And each part of the garden usually has several plants as your department has several employees. Each employee is a complex plant made of:
· values, and beliefs…. the roots
· learnings, and experience… the trunk
· skills that he/she developed…. the branches
· and achievements… the fruits and flowers

All these characteristics make each employee unique. Some plants might require less water, more sun, more space, better soil, or a stake to keep them growing in the right direction… When managing your department, you will have employees who would be fully autonomous, while others might require constant guidance and encouragement, some might thrive in the spotlight and others would prefer the shadows. Some might grow very quickly, while others would take their time. Some might produce flowers for 2 weeks per year while others for several months.

Being a gardener takes vision and faith. Vision to see how the garden would look once fully grown, and faith to be patient while it grows. Like planting tulips in October and hoping throughout winter that they will survive and thrive in Spring. Being a manager requires you to understand what each employee needs to grow and flourish and adjust your approach to unlock that potential, through coaching, mentoring, and teaching. Frequently you can see potential in employees who do not even see it in themselves, you must believe in them and encourage their progression, like some of my previous employees, Misses D. and M., who transformed from shy employees into successful managers in less than a year.

Before you can enjoy a beautiful garden, you will put a lot of work into growing it. First, you will have to find the right plants that would fit your garden. You might be attracted by the nice, marketed pictures of a nursery brochure but that does not guarantee that the plant will fit with the rest of the plants or even grow to the same expectations. And one important reason might be the soil, which would translate into the culture of a company. When hiring it is not enough to have a beautiful resume, I found out from many recruitments that the cultural fit is really what makes someone stick, engage, and evolve in a company. So, once you found the right plant, be sure to ease it into the culture and keep a caring eye in the first weeks.

Then once the plants are growing, you will have to weed the garden frequently as bad habits start to develop naturally. Taken early they might not be a problem, but the longer you wait the deeper will be the root, and the more they will spread into the rest of the garden. Other plants might develop chaotically or invade spaces, they might need stakes for a while or pruning in some places. The manager will frequently meet with his team members and give specific support or mentoring in some areas. They will give feedback on performance or help to define priorities and time management.

Some plants would end up turning into their better self, while others will not keep their expectations even after support and care or would even mess with the rest of the garden. So, unfortunately in some cases, you will have to replace some of your plants. But saying so, it is much easier with plants than with employees. So, to ease that process, be sure to keep expectations clear and do not shy from performance discussions. The more you have invested in their improvement the clearer you have been on your expectations and the less surprised your employee would be if it needs to happen.

In synthesis, to build a great performing team, be sure to have a clear vision of what you are trying to achieve, hire wisely, keep a nourishing culture, constantly give feedback and assess performances, and do not shy from crucial conversations and difficult decisions.

Read the original article here www.linkedin.com/pulse/gardener-nurturing-your-team-remi-vogel/